Things you use but not properly

[TyneTeas]

I have never used the fitted wine rack in my kitchen for its intended purpose.

The slots house things like rolls of foil, cling film, baking paper, a plastic box to keep crackers fresh in, rolls of bin bags...

This is probably because when my kitchen was installed, my DC was very little and would probably have grabbed bottles out onto the hard tile floor, so wine kept elsewhere.

DC is now of an age where bottles are shared, but the rack is still a wine-free out of habit.

Is it just me that uses things but not properly?

The salad drawer out of the bottom of the fridge also lives next to the toaster and contains random tools, screws, batteries etc.

(We do eat salad stuff, it has just never been in a designated fridge draw)

Ah just me then

We were bought a baby food processor for when my now 8.5yo DD was weaning. Used a handful of times for baby food.

Use it regularly still for making marinades! It's the perfect size. And for chopping onions.

Currently have my spare socks in a picnic basket if that counts?

I use a cleaning caddy for a nappy station rather than cleaning products.

S'pose it's cleaning bums so kinda its intended purpose haha.

DD has a spice rack on her wall next to her top bunk... For books.

We have an Echo Dot, but only use it as a radio.

The basket insert out of the dishwasher we use to store bin bags, caddy bags etc

Another one on the utility worktop with brushes and other random stuff, secateurs

The boot of the car is strictly garden storage only (shared garden, access round the side). Now too dirty for any actual shopping to go in. I routinely drive around carrying two polytunnels, a shovel and a selection of seeds.

We do the spice rack for books thing too. We've turned a coffee table into a bench seat.

How do you fit books into a spice rack?!

So the cover faces out. Spice rack is basically three bits of wood (back, bottom and front) so the spices would line up side by side.

I have a built in wine rack which only ever held one bottle of wine at a time, none now. It's used for storing mugs.

When my built in dishwasher broke I didn't get it repaired or replaced I just use the top part for storing plastic storage boxes and the bottom part for bottles of squash.

So the salad drawer is the beer drawer in our fridge and the fruit and veg go on the shelves instead.

I use -
Insulated cool bag for storage of all plastic boxes/lids. Sits in cupboard - makes it easier to store and find stuff.
Dvd storage rack for bookshelf for thin space.
Wooden storage boxes as support for deep tv/big book shelf.
Garden washing line pole (spray painted and small drilled hole for screw to hold in place) as wardrobe rail support. This is a life changer.
Small freezer bag for all sharp food processor things.
Covered (paper) shoe box upside down with slits cut as extension lead/leads/plugs cover/tidy where they cant be hidden behind things.
toothbrushes/paint brushes/credit cards/cut up t shirts as cleaning things.
Old knives of all sorts as gardening/weeding tools.
Cut up washing glove strip as bottle opening aid.
Retired (washed!) Shower curtains live in car boot for messy trips to tip/Christmas tree pick up etc.
A duvet has replaced a really uncomfortable hard foam ‘cushion’ in cover on a chair. Bliss.
Watching agog for other ideas.

My dad used to have a Teas Maid, minus the cup on his bed side table. He fashioned it into a storage caddy of sorts and kept his glasses case where the tea cup would go and his book on top. The only useful function it had was the time on it.

As far as I know it didn't make a single cup without tea. Why he didn't just get a beside clock I'll never know, it was such an eyesore

Oh and it's a bit gross but when DD grows out of her pants, once washed I use them as cleaning rags. She's so embarrassed

Giant stand up laundry bag with with lid holds all our bedding and towels, takes up very little room in the corner of our bedroom.

I cut up a broken umbrella and fashioned the material into a tote bag, v successful, I shall make more!

We got a lovely case of wine in a wooden box as a wedding present, it's now used as a toolbox.

DS has an old wooden drawer from a printer's (so lots of small spaces for letters and numbers for v old printing presses) on his wall and it holds little figures and treasures such as shells and souvenir coins from holiday. We bought it from a flea market for €12 last year, it's fabulous.

Wire vegetable rack in the teeny tiny bathroom holds loo rolls and spare towels.

I'm sure I'll think of more!

TyneTears book shelf from IKEA spice rack

And... Printer's tray (photo from Google).

I love my printers tray. It’s an endless source of fascination for Dds friends

We have an old Ikea cool bag to store cat biscuits. It’s a tall cylinder, just yet right size for a big bag of Iams.

My mobile phone. Works fine for me, does all I want it to.

But I don’t bother with apps or locations or downloading music and every time I have to add something for work I need to look up my Apple password.