Planning a purge for the new year? Before you toss anything, explore easy ways to creatively repurpose old items. Offering up endless decor and organizational uses, some of those old, unloved household items hold more potential than you know. Here, 10 Hometalk community bloggers are sharing their best tutorials for repurposing everyday items.
Cookie Sheet into Magnet Board
Project via Hometalker Laura at Pet Scribbles
Instead of tossing warped or worn out cookie sheets and baking trays, create beautiful and functional magnet boards to hang in your kitchen to add a decorative flair to your organization routine.
Project via Hometalker Sabine at Mom in Music City
You can use the broken slats in old blinds to create an incredible board and batten style backsplash for your kitchen. Simply cut the pieces to fit your space using a sharp utility knife, paint them your desired color, and mount them on the wall!
Hula Hoop into Decor Accessory
Project via Hometalker Leslie at House on the Way
When you finally tackle that long-ignored stockpile of unwanted toys and retired games, keep an eye out for stray hula hoops. These babies are perfect for adding a hint of glamour to your living or dining room.
Fitted Bed Sheet into Table Cloth
Project via Hometalker Ilene
Don’t get rid of stretched out or faded fitted sheets—instead, use them as picnic table covers that won’t blow away! One size fits most, and this outdoor living hack will make windy day picnicking a breeze.
Sink Drain into Tea Light Holder
Project via Hometalker Michelle at Mich L. in L.A.
Whether you’re ready to replace your old drains, or you just happen to have a few extra tucked in a drawer somewhere, woven sink drains are a super fun DIY tool that you can definitely prove to be useful beyond dish duty. Create your own tea light planter accessory by attaching a knitting needle, which has the perfect flat base at the top and pointed bottom for planting—but you can use anything you happen to have around to act as your “stand.”
Project via Hometalker Stacie at Anastasia Vintage
Turn an old, homeless drawer or drawer organizer into entryway wall decor that doubles as a mini command center! Add hooks for keys, small buckets for change, and a chalkboard or notepad for quick reminders and lists.
Project via Hometalker Leanne at Diva of DIY
When you’re chucking out all that extra bulk from your garage, don’t toss those old tires! With a little bit of rope and some patience, you can turn a retired tire into a nautical-themed ottoman or coffee table for your living space.
Project via Hometalker Susan at Homeroad
If your ladder is missing a couple rungs or just not quite sturdy enough to support weight, upcycle it into towel, blanket or scarf storage! This is a sweet, rustic way to keep bulky linens on hand and well organized, while making great use of a busted household item.
Stray Baskets into Uniform Storage
Project via Hometalker Sherry at Thrift My House
We’ve all got mismatched baskets and bins all over the house that we don’t ever use but can’t bring ourselves to toss. We might need them someday, right? Well, now we don’t have to toss them at all, because with a little paint and coordination, mismatched baskets become a chic storage tier—perfect for your laundry room or kitchen.
Project via Hometalker Beca at Creative Dominican
If you’ve got one of these ugly grey storage boxes lying around, turn it into designer-caliber storage for toys and kids’ items in your living room to save your house from the mess of legos, blocks and stuffed animals.
Looking for more great ways to make use of what you’ve already got? Check out Hometalk’s repurposing and upcycling topic page for more!
