Tips for Recycling and Using Your Newspaper Around the House

If you get newspaper home delivery you see how quickly the papers will pile up. Have you ever wondered if there is any other use, other than wrapping presents, for those old papers? Here are a few ideas to re-use your newspapers:

1. Deodorize food containers, ball it up and leave it overnight inside lunch boxes, Tupperware, etc to soak up any smells that will not go away.

2. Ripen tomatoes, wrap un-ripened tomatoes individually in paper and leave out at room temperature.

3. Stuff hats, purses and shows to keep their shape. Also works great in wet shoes to help dry them out quicker.

4. Use to dry/polish and wipe windows after spraying with window cleaner.

5. Stuff under doors and window cracks to keep cold air out/hot air in or vice versa, cold air in/hot air out.

6. Shred and stuff into bottom of vases to help support flowers.

7. Shred and use as a cat litter, use to line bird cages, hamster cages, etc.

8. Storing clothes for the winter, sweaters and coats that you are concerned about moths or other bugs getting to, wrap them in newspaper, tape it up shut and store clothes safely for the winter

9. Pick up broken shards of glass, after you pick up as much as you can of broken glass, most of the time there are little shards you keep finding months later, the hard way too, by stepping on them. After a glass breaks and you clean it up, moisten newspaper and place it over the spot the glass shattered, the shards will stick to the paper and you can carefully throw it away.

10. Help keep valuables wrapped and safe from breaking, if you are moving or just putting items in storage wrap in a few sheets of newspaper to help keep the items from banging into each other and breaking.

11. Add to compost, add some newspaper to your compost bin, it will help to soak up some odors. Remember to use black ink only though, and earthworms which are beneficial to your compost bin will also enjoy the paper.

12. Great drop cloth, instead of ruining a blanket or sheet, simply lay down newspaper on the floor when painting or doing craft projects. Make a table cloth with newspaper for kids arts & crafts projects.

13. Fruit and veggie drawer liner, place in the bottom of your fruits and veggie drawer in your refrigerator to soak up and messes and help keep odor away.

14. Garden mulch. I use it for existing plants, cut a hole in the paper and slide it over my plant and the paper helps keep weeds from growing and you can water right over it.

15. Rain cover, just like you see on tv and movies, if you are out in the rain holding paper over your head will keep you dry for a while!15