There’s something so great about reusing items and feeling like we’ve made the most out of them, it feels like an achievement. So here are a few more hacks to use to make the most out of your household items in the garden rather than simply throwing them away.
Vinegar sachets
You may have some sachets of vinegar left over from takeaway meals or a café stop, but vinegar isn’t just tasty on chips, it’s also great for getting rid of slug trails. The slime can stick to anything from paving stones to your skin.
All you need to do is dilute the vinegar with water, apply it to a cloth and wipe the slime off the surface.
Milk pods
Another thing you may have picked up from a café is a mini carton of milk. By mixing this with water you can use it as a leaf wipe for the surface of the leaf, both on top and the underside. This will add a shine and brightness to your leaves and get rid of any residue.
Toilet rolls
One of my favourite recycling tips is using toilet rolls as a container for growing seeds such as carrots. By cutting the bottom and folding it inwards to create a base to hold the soil, a mini container is created for you to plant in.
Not only that, but when you transport the seeds into soil to continue growing, you can plant the container too because it will rot naturally.
Sticky notes
If you’ve got spare sticky notes hanging round, you can make your own fly paper by wiping Vaseline over the paper side and sticking the side with the glue strip to a window. This will attract flies, especially if it’s a bright colour like yellow.
Washing up liquid
This household staple can also be used as an insecticide to control some of the pests in your garden. You’ll need to mix some with water in a hand mister, about 1 teaspoon of washing up liquid in 3 litres of water. The liquid mixture will break down some of the outer skin of the aphid and the coating of soap will kill them.
WD40
If you have heavy clay soil in your garden, your spades may be covered in soil, which will keep building up on your tools, making your job a little bit tougher. But spraying some WD40 on the stainless steel will stop soil sticking to the blade which will make your life a lot easier.
Bubble wrap
Parcels sometimes come with a lot of bubble wrap to keep your package safe, and you can reuse this in the garden too. Wrap pieces of the material around plant pots in the winter and secure with twine or string to protect the roots of the plant from the winter frost.
Alternatively, if you have a greenhouse, you can also stick the wrap to the windows to help with insulation.
Old carpet
After renovating your home or getting new carpet fitted, don’t throw away the old one. Instead use it as a pond liner between the bricks and the plastic lining. This will help to smooth out the edges and prevent any sharp edges from piercing through the liner.
If you have a compost heap that is made from wooden pallets that doesn’t have a lid, you can use an old piece of carpet as a lid, to keep the heat in to keep the temperature high in the heap to help the composting process.
These are just a few more ways to recycle items from your home. I’d love to hear how you reuse and recycle in your garden, let me know.
David Domoney is a Chartered Horticulturalist, Broadcaster, and Author. David has worked with a number of the UK’s leading garden retailers as a plant buyer and strategic consultant. With more than 30 years experience, in horticulture, David is as passionate about plants now as he was when he bought his first plant at a village fete.
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