153. Diaper Sacks
Best Place To Purchase: Amazon, Costco, Sam’s Club
Average Product Price: $9-$12*
If you have a dog, chances are that you’ve forgotten your doggy bags a time or two. Maybe you didn’t realize you forgot them until you had already left. Or, you were about to take the dog for a walk when you realized you didn’t buy more. Fido has to go out, so what do you do?
Diaper Sacks For Dog Poop @Lindsey__T/Twitter
According to Reddit, you can use disposable diaper bags to pick up doggy dung. These bags are cheaper and scented, and they actually have more bags per pack than regular dog poop bags. On Amazon, you can find diaper bags for $9-$12. Depending on the number of dogs and babies in your house, it might be wise to buy in bulk from stores like Sam’s Club and Costco.
154. Orange Peel
Best Place To Purchase: Grocery stores
Average Product Price: $1.45 per pound of oranges*
Mosquito bites are an annoying part of summer, but they don’t have to be inevitable. If you don’t have any traditional bug spray on-hand or are wary of the chemicals in these sprays, you can use orange peels. Insects, including mosquitoes, hate the scent or oranges. The hack is easy to apply—just rub orange peels directly onto your skin. You can also make candles from orange peels, setting them up outside to ward off pests.
Orange Peel For Mosquito Repellent @flusterbuster/Pinterest
Orange peels can also keep creepy crawlies away from your precious plants. They repel aphids when you add them to a spray bottle filled with hot water. Shake the spray bottle, and then let the mix cool. Spray it onto plants whenever aphids are around.
155. Hair Ties
Best Place To Purchase: Amazon, dollar stores
Average Product Price: $1-$3 per pack*
Ah, the humble hair tie. It seems that we buy a million of them, only to lose a million more. They pop up in unexpected places: down drains, in couch cushions, randomly scattered on the floor, etc. Hair ties are everywhere, especially if you have more than one person with long hair in your house.
Hair Ties As “Chip Clips” @wikihow/Pinterest
You can use these ties for pursuits other than cosmetics. For example, you can use them to tie a chip bag shut. The strong, elastic ties are sturdy, and they’ll hold the chip bag together, keeping air from getting in and causing the chips to become stale.
156. Salt and Sponges
Best Place To Purchase: Walmart, grocery stores
Average Product Price: $0.08 per pound*
Stinky old sponges don’t necessarily have to be tossed out into the trash. Saltwater can help make them like new, keeping them fresh and clean. For this hack, you’ll need a bowl of cold water and three tablespoons of salt. Stir the salt into the water until it has dissolved.
Salt As Sponge Sterilizer ©PV productions/Shutterstock
Then, add your sponge. Let it sit overnight. The salt will kill the odorous bacteria, leaving your sponge good as new. Salt can also be used to clean everything from wine stains to skillets. This low-cost, natural, efficient way to clean has no chemicals, but it works super-effectively.
157. Grapes
Best Place To Purchase: Grocery stores
Average Product Price: $4-$6 per bag*
We’re always looking for a fun hack for summer drinks. Anything that keeps drinks cool and tasty is a win in our book, and this hack does both. Instead of using plain, boring old ice for your drinks, use frozen grapes. Freeze grapes in Tupperware (or another sealed container) overnight.
Grapes As Ice @Spice Concept/Facebook
The next day, you can use them as ice for your wine, sparkling water, or any other beverage. They won’t dilute the liquid, and they’ll keep the drink cold. When you’re done, just eat the grapes as a delicious, sweet snack. Frozen grapes are great as ice, and they’re also great as a regular treat.
158. Kiddie Pools
Best Place To Purchase: Walmart, Amazon, dollar stores
Average Product Price: $25-$50*
Your kiddie pool is a fun way for your kids to cool off in the summer, but what happens when they get too big for it? Rather than throw out your plastic kiddie pool and harm the environment, you can put it to a green, eco-friendly use.
Kiddie Pools As Vegetable Patches @angi/Pinterest
Really, the pool is just a large, empty, bordered container. That means it can act as a vegetable patch. Clean it out well and then fill it with soil, fertilizer, and seeds. FYI, this works best for kiddie pools that are not inflatable, as they will be more durable and have no risk of collapse.
159. Bath Tubs
Best Place To Purchase: Home Depot, Lowe’s
Average Product Price: $4,340*
On the topic of upcycling, if you are renovating your bathroom and don’t want to pull out a bathtub (a lot of work and cost), you can transform the tub into seating. You can fill in the tub and place a cushion over top, providing a little waiting room for your bathroom. There are many tutorials on YouTube that will walk you through the ins and outs of turning an unused bathtub into a seating area.
Bath Tubs As Seating Areas @amandajcook9/Pinterest
If you have a standalone tub instead of a built-in one like this one, you can turn the standalone into a bench or portable seating. Bottom line, the bathtub doesn’t always have to get tossed away when you’re done with it. It can be upcycled.
160. Paper Clips
Best Place To Purchase: Dollar stores, Amazon
Average Product Price: $1-$3 per pack*
Remember when we said that paper clips could be used as phone stands? As it turns out, they can also be used to prop up your plates. You need four paper clips and a sturdy, thick rubber band. First, stretch out all four clips, adjusting them so that they are completely extended.
Paper Clips As DIY Plate Stands @Eli131163/Pinterest
Turn the plate over. Attach the clips, two to each side, to the plate. Wind the rubber band through each of them, so that the band forms a square. When you flip the plate back over, it will be slightly elevated off your table, thanks to this contraption.
161. Pillow Cases
Best Place To Purchase: Walmart, Amazon, Bed Bath & Beyond
Average Product Price: $10-$15*
When you’re traveling, it’s easy to forget the small stuff that makes home so comfortable. When you’re home and dirty your clothes, you can just toss them into the hamper at the end of the day. On the road, there is no hamper, which means you have to put the dirty clothing back into your suitcase.
Pillow Cases As Traveling Laundry Bags ©JpegPhotographer/Shutterstock
Here’s an easy solution: take a pillowcase with you (or two, depending on how many clothes you have and how long you’ll be gone). When you’re done with your clothes, stash them in the pillowcase and cinch the top with a rubber band. The dirty, worn clothes will be completely sequestered.
162. Mascara
Best Place To Purchase: Target, drugstores
Average Product Price: $5-$15 per tube*
Obviously, this hack won’t be a permanent one. It works best as a temporary solution, where you just need to cover gray roots or strands for a short time. If you have dark hair, mascara can be a DIY tool in a pinch to hide grays. Just swatch the mascara over the gray hairs and spray it with setting spray.
Mascara To Hide Grey Hair @layfkhakidlyadevushek/Facebook
Make sure to wash out the mascara at the end of the night; otherwise, you’re going to be in for some nasty pillow stains. Use makeup remover wipes on the mascara before you wash your hair to get it fully out.
163. Bic Pens
Best Place To Purchase: Dollar stores, Staples
Average Product Price: $3-$5 per pack*
As it turns out, a U-lock isn’t always the safest solution to store a bike. This type of lock can easily be cracked with nothing more than a simple Bic pen. All the pen-holder had to do was cut four slits into the end of the barrel of the pen to ease it in. With one twist, the lock, which was based on a fifty-year-old design, was rendered useless.
Bic Pens To Unlock Bike Locks @wired/Pinterest
Wired News tested this theory on a Kryptonite Evolution 2000, a bike lock that is very popular among cycle-owners. The publication found that, after the barrel was eased in, it opened the lock with just “ a single twist.”