For many people, the family home can be a graveyard of old outgrown toys, drawers full of mysterious cables that no one wants to throw away “in case they’re useful one day”, and the odds and ends of outdated technology, most commonly including the famed Nokia 3310.
If this sounds like your home, here are four ways you can turn your household junk into treasure without needing to throw it away.
1. Old Charging Leads
If you have a drawer full of old charging leads, but you’re not quite ready to throw them away, you can create trinket bowls with them. These can be used for car keys, fobs or anything else you can think of!
Simply place a piece of fabric over a bowl template and cover in PVA glue, which you can find in retailers like W H Smith. Allow it to dry and set into shape and then wind your chosen charging leads around it until completely covered and then fix in place!
If you eventually find a purpose for your charging lead, you can always reverse the process to gain a fully functioning charging lead.
2. Old CDs
CDs had a huge heyday way back in the early 2000s, but since the dawn of digital downloads and the phasing out of CD players in cars, CDs tend to gather dust and take up space on shelves.
However, the reflective disks can make effective decorations. You can cut up CDs to create mosaic mirrors for your garden, or even hang several together on a string to act as effective bird scarers for your vegetable patch or allotment.
3. Old Car Parts
If you’re a wannabe mechanic, or just a car enthusiast, it’s likely that you might have a few spare car parts knocking around in your garden shed.
While these parts may be obsolete, with some creativity they can find a new lease of life as decorative ornaments in your home. Whether you make a clock out of a brake disc, or a lamp from pistons, ensure to stock up on your precision components from companies like Accu, who can supply you with a wide range of components including washers, nuts, bolts and hand tools to help you with your project.
4. Old Light Bulbs
If you ever find an old light bulb hanging around in a drawer and aren’t sure whether it’s broken, you can repurpose it easily.
You can make a small vase for a table top by removing the inside of the bulb, and filling the glass with cold water. Simply fix it to a flat surface to prevent it from falling over for a quirky alternative to a standard vase.
You can use this method for smaller bulbs, or larger edison bulbs. If you’re aiming for a particular aesthetic, you can even buy extra bulbs from retailers like The Vintage Light Bulb Company.
Do you have any ideas for repurposing old household junk? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!