8 clever ways to use common household items

There are so many household items that can be used in many ways apart from their intended purpose. We don’t think about alternative uses much, since we have all needs catered to with a matching product. However, using some simple tricks, you can save money on expensive products and find great DIY tips for everyday problems.

1. Used tea bags: Do you use a lot of tea bags and just throw them away? Don’t! You can use them as deodorisers for your fridge, and also to get rid of smelly feet.
2. Old metal spoons: Get creative with a few old metal spoons and make a wind chime, or use them as mini-shovels for houseplants or small garden jobs. Have puffy eyes in the morning? No problem. Toss a pair of metal spoons into your freezer and apply them to your eyes to soothe them.
3. Baking soda and vinegar: Clogged drains needn’t wait for a plumber, or a treatment with special drain cleaners. Just pour 1/2 to 1 cup of baking soda down the drain, followed by equal parts white vinegar, and let it sit for five minutes. Douse the drain with boiling water, and see how the water runs effortlessly through it when you test it later.
4. Olive oil: Shaving creams and skin moisturisers are just so expensive these days. However, with skin-nourishing nutrient-rich olive oil found in most pantries, finding a replacement for these beauty regime staples is now a smooth affair.
5. Cinnamon: Have an ant problem? Don’t spend your money on expensive pesticides to get rid of them, just use cinnamon. Stop the pests from entering your home by spreading powdered cinnamon anywhere you catch sight of them. On the plus side, you’ll have a great natural air freshener for your home too!
6. Baby wipes: Home brand baby wipes make for excellent substitutes for pricey electronic cleaners. Use them to give your keyboard, mouse, desk and TV a good clean.
7. Cat litter: You can save your wet phone using this handy trick. If your phone gets wet, remove the battery and SIM card and try wrapping it in cloth and putting it in a container of cat litter overnight. You might have heard of doing this with uncooked rice, but cat litter is way more absorbent. Don’t forget to keep it somewhere where your kitty can’t get to though!
8. Rubber gloves: If you have cat litter, it stands to reason that you most likely have a cat, which means you have a problem of cat hair covering everything in your house. Wet rubber gloves and rub them against upholstery to remove cat hair. Another non-cat related use for rubber gloves is that they are also ideal to aid the opening of a stubborn jar.

Have you used any of these before? Do you have any to add?