Tell More Than your top tips for reusing everyday items around the house - £250 voucher prize draw NOW CLOSED

[MichelleMumsnet]

More Than would like to find out Mumsnetters' top tips for using everyday items in imaginative and unconventional ways around the home to make life that little bit easier.

Here's what More Than have to say, "Life can be full of little frustrations. At MORE TH>N we want to help, and that's why we love collecting and sharing all sorts of tips and tricks that make life that little bit easier. We like to think of them as 'helping hands', those clever ideas you never knew you needed to know. We're always on the look-out for more great hints to share, so if you've got a top tip, let us know."

For inspiration, watch the video clip below and then share your top tips on this thread.

What do you think of the suggestions given in the video? Which, if any, would you try out? Do you already use some of these ideas around the house already? Have you got any to add? Maybe you use a rubber band around paint pots to scrape excess paint onto from your paint brush? Or, do you use magnets to make sure your bag of crisps stay sealed? Whatever it is, we'd love to hear about it.

Everyone who adds their thoughts to this thread will be entered into a prize draw to win a £250 Amazon voucher.

Thanks and good luck,

MNHQ

Never throw away butter/marg pots - wash them up and use them as sandwich boxes to keep them from getting squashed on a picnic or in a school lunch box.

We also do the toothbrush, carrier bags and suitcase ribbons thing.

I saved DD's first dinky baby grows and they're back again now as dolly clothes. And it's lovely to see them again!

Also using big squares of favourite fabrics from DD's outgrown clothes and sewing a few pieces together to make a dolls blanket, or something.

I chop and freeze leftover fresh herbs. This is actually new to me. I didn't know they would freeze and would just chuck them away if I couldn't use them. But not any more..

My mum told me to stew fruit (apple, pear etc) before it's out, to use for baby food or ice cream toppings.

I've always used hair bands for keeping wrapping paper tidy but might well try the loo rolls idea now.

Cut off the buttons from old work shirts for replacements and then cut shirts into cloths and dusters.

Reuse gift bags - add new tags. And I often don't even write on my gift tags if I'm handing over in person so the recipient can reuse. Some of those bags coast a fortune and are too lovely not to do at least a couple of outings!

Sure there are loads more.

Old margarine tubs for lego.
Old carrier bags for picking up dog poo in the garden
Old toothbrushes for cleaning my glasses/specs.
Old potato brush for scrubbing the hen house.
Old carpets on the veg plot in winter to stop weeds and also it warms the soil up for seeds in spring.
Old toddler cups for animal feed scoops.

And old t-shirts cut up. Can be used for all sorts, shoe polishing cloths, to tie young trees to stakes as they grow (better for the tree than rope), dusters, to oil bike chains, for oily rag for garden tools.

this will blow your mind

ferraro rochet boxes - once you have taken the stickers off are sturdy clear boxes that i use to store jewellry and bits and pieces such as playing cards, i also use them to store make up - you can see what you have in there you see - and you can stack them, and they look quite nice

Yes, my button box is a ferreo rocher box!

My mum used to give me all her old Ariel tablet boxes for storing small stuff in as well.

And for travelling light, hair conditioner doubles up as shaving cream, it's silky smooth and moisturises at the same time. No nicks or cuts.

Elastic band on hangers looks like worth a try.

Reminds me of my grandma's tip - elastic band on toilet roll holder to stop the roll falling off!

I love the ideas on the video - definitely will use the cake case next summer. This year was our first holiday in ages and I treated us to new cases - but being black I knew I had to make them stand out. But with no ribbon I tied nappy bags to the handle (classy!).

I use clothes pegs to seal big bags of crisps. The charity bags that come through the door (2 or 3 each week!) are used as refuse bags. Anything like empty kitchen rolls don't get used for anything practical as normally used for craft activities. Empty takeaway containers used to store screws, crayons etc. Old toothbrush is used to clean bathroom.

Liked the video, some things on there I hadn't thought of.

I reuse newspapers to light the woodburner, fancy biscuit tins to keep tea and coffee in and jars for screws and nails.

Old tights are incredibly useful:

I cut thick cotton ones in half at the crotch, cut the feet off, tie the cut waistband corners together, and bingo - storage for carrier carrier bags. Stuff them in at the wider crotch end, pull them out at the toe end, and pop the knot over a hook to hang it up.

I cut very stretchy ones at roughly 10" lengths and use the pieces to store balls of wool.

I cut shorter lengths, knot one end, and store a stack in the bathroom cupboard. When I want to run an oat bath I put a handful if porridge oats in a piece of tights, knot the other end and chuck it in the bath (and into the bin after the bath).

Very pretty kids' tights sometimes get converted into hair bands or scrunchies.

• Re-use biscuit / chocolate tins for storing homemade cakes
• Re-use old toothbrushes for cleaning in between bathroom tiles
• Re-use pegs to keep fresh bags of food (ie. packet cereal)
• Re-use jiffy bags that have been sent in the post

I don't use any of those tips but will start using elastic bands on coat hangers. It will save a lot of cursing!

I also use cardboard tubes to hold wrapping paper neatly. I use the super strong red elastic bands the postman leaves round our post to hold bags closed (crisps for DD, dries fruit, sugar bags etc).

Oh, and I use 2 litre pop bottles as demi johns for home brew! You don't even need an air lock with them - you just half tighten the top!

I already tie a colourful ribbon onto luggage handles to help identify our suitcases. It's always worked so far! I'll suggest the peg/nail idea to DH; he's forever hammering his fingers!

I don't think I do anything unusual. When I get a parcel through the post I keep the post bag/box for when I need to send something. I also keep carrier bags and use them as bin liners. When I'm especially organised I keep takeaway boxes (the plastic kind) to use for batch-freezing homemade meals too.

Use toilet roll tubes to stop your rolls of wrapping paper unraveling - cut it open and use it as a cuff

Use an empty plastic bottle as an egg yolk seperator - hold it over the egg yolk, squezze it a little to create a vacuum and then 'suck up' the yolk leaving the white behind and then transfer the yolk to wherever you need it

An empty cd/dvd tower case (the circle ones blank disks come in) make a great bagel lunchbox

I reuse shopping bags as rubbish bags. I reuse containers from Chinese takeaways to freeze smaller portions.
Cotton wool pads get split into 2 to double their use.
We reuse jam jars as paint brush pots etc. and decorations from Halloween, easter etc get packed away to be adapted for next year.
Clothes are either sent to school who sell for rag, passed down to friends, sold on ebay or sent to relatives in Africa who pass them to orphanages.
I always peg bags of peas etc. I keep ribbon etc from wrappings for when DD needs a costume for school or a crafting activity.

We use pegs instead of food clips. It's cheaper and easier for DS1 to use them too.

plus it annoys my Mum

foam swimming noodles under fitted sheet on holiday as a bed rail.

I love little useful tips like these!
Will try the cupcake case idea next summer.

We re-use Dh's old ties to tie round the suitcase handles to easily identify them on the luggage carousel.

I hoard/keep everything & my DH gets very annoyed but I feel vindicated reading this. Old clothes to make puppets or dolly clothes, boxes/packets for crafty stuff.

Re-use gift bags for storing/carrying round craft projects; nicer than a plastic carrier bag.

Old CDs/DVDs (or the free ones ) can be used as drinks coasters.

Use the last bits in shampoo or shower gel bottles for handwashing things llike delicate underwear or tights.

We do the luggage one - I also used to put ribbons on my buggy because everyone around here used to have the same one!

We also use old CD's (usually the ones you get free in papers) to make Xmas Decorations by sticking two together, shiny side out, with a ribbon stuck in the middle to hang it from. The kids then decorate them with glitter, marker pens and any other bits from the craft draw. They are making them for all the relatives for Christmas this year.

Our spare socks are used for cleaning shoes to keep hands clean.

Pringles tops serves as a cap for half used tins of cat food.

I use elastic bands for bags of shop frozen food (ie peas), be sure to make sure you fold it so you can easily see what's in there.

:)

I use sealable sandwich bags for cables and chargers etc. I'm a sad individual indeed :)