You will be surprised to know that your home is full of stuff that you can use in your yard! Learn How to Use Common Household Things in Your Garden!
We have a detailed guide and ideas on How to Use Common Household Things in Your Garden that will help you to transform the look of your yard in a quirky way!
Have a look at easy 5-minutes hacks here
How to Use Common Household Things in Your Garden
1. Soda Bottles
- Soda bottles have many uses in the garden—you can make vertical planters and containers from them for growing shallow roots plants.
- Mosquito trap or self-watering pots are also great options.
- You can also utilize a soda bottle by making a garden sprinkler from it.
2. Mason jars
- Mason jars have some amazing uses in the garden! You can grow different types of houseplants in them. Check details here.
- Upcycled mason jar ideas also look cool in the garden.
- You can also make a mason jar herb garden—check the DIY here.
- Mason jars can also be transformed into fairy gardens—find the best ideas here.
- Mason jars can also be used to make terrariums, greenhouses, and plant markers. Read details here.
Check out the best indoor plants you can grow in jars & bottles here
3. Spices
- Cinnamon can be used in the garden to repel rabbits, ants, squirrels and to kill mushrooms. It can also be used as an alternative for rooting hormones.
- Turmeric has antiseptic properties—use it as a pesticide to repel ants and heal wounds.
- Black Pepper is a common kitchen ingredient with antibacterial properties—it also protects plants from pests and ants. Simply sprinkle some black pepper on plants or mix grounded black pepper in warm water, fill in a spray bottle, and use it on the soil.
4. Aluminum Foil
This common household item also has great uses in the garden.
- You can tie a few strips of aluminum foil from the branches of the tree to save fruit-bearing trees as birds are scared of shimmering, noisy things.
- Many other useful garden supplies can also be made up of aluminum foil.
5. Toothbrush and Toothpaste
Both toothbrushes and toothpaste have several effective uses in the garden. You can use toothbrushes for cleaning vases and plants.
Toothpaste, on the other hand, can be used in the garden for deterring pests, curing bee stings, and prevent poison ivy itching.
6. Mayonnaise
You can use creamy mayo to bring back the shine of large dusty plant leaves. Accumulated dust on the foliage makes it difficult for plants to receive nutrients from the sun. Just dab some mayo on the leaf and gently wipe it off with a soft towel.
7. Old Iron Nails
Old, rusty nails emit iron oxide that keeps the acid-loving plants healthy. Put them in pots or submerge them in a watering can for a few days and use this water on plant soil. Read in detail here.
8. Old Towel
When out for vacation, don’t need to worry about watering the plant. Just soak an old towel with water, lay it down, and place pots on it. The roots will take the moisture from the towel and stay hydrated.
9. Sugar
Dissolve a teaspoon of sugar in a vase full of water and set the cut flowers into it. The blooms will stay fresh, and the hack will promote more blossoms to open.
Have a look at some amazing sugar uses in the garden here
10. Scenty Soaps
If squirrels are digging the bulbs you planted in the garden then grate scented soap in the planting hole and on the top—it will deter squirrels easily.
11. Tic Tac Boxes
Use empty tic tac boxed to store seeds. Make sure to wash and dry before using them. Don’t forget to stick labels on the boxes!
12. Broom Handle
Old broom handles can be used to crack the crust of heavy soil that becomes hard in summer—simply push the end of the broom handle in the soil, water into the holes, so roots get hydration.
A broom handle can also be used to make straight seed drills—push it down as deep as you require, and sow the seeds.
13. Duct Tape
Wrap copper tape around the pot to keep the snails and slugs away from your pots, as it will give them a bit of electric shock when they crawl through it.
Here are some more amazing Duct Tape uses in the garden
14. Nail Paints
You can use the nail varnish to write on the homemade plant labels made up from old twigs or wooden sticks. The writing fades in sunlight or washes off in the rain but nail paint will stay there for long.
15. Engine Oil
Old expired engine oil can be used to clean garden tools. Take a bucket and fill sand in it, add engine oil, and sink spade, forks, hoes, and trowels in the bucket. Give the tools a nice scrub using a brush. The sand will clear out the dirt, and the oil will save from rust.
If you have a swing in your yard, then use engine oil to lubricate the joints and levers for a smooth operation.
16. CDs
Old shiny CDs can be used in the garden to scare birds away from ruining your crops. Loosely tie the CDs to trees and hang them from bamboo canes and fences. When sunlight reflects on the shiny surface, it will frighten the birds.
Check out our article on CD uses in the garden here
17. Liquid Soap
Without using pesticides you can repel aphids by adding one spoon of liquid washing gel in 500ml of water. Mix well, add the solution to a spray bottle and spray it directly on the aphids. Do make sure that it is not getting on the plant.
Have a look at some awesome liquid soap uses in the garden here
18. Old Carpet
You can reuse old carpets as a pond liner between the plastic liner and bricks. It will smooth out the rough edges of bricks and prevent them from making holes in plastic liners that result in leakage.
You can also cover up the weed in the garden with the help of an old carpet to suppress them completely.
19. Bubble Wrap
Use bubble wraps to cover pots during winter by tieing with twine—it will save the roots from frost.
20. Salt
Table salt can be used to kill weeds in the garden—Dissolve 2-3 teaspoons of salt in a liter of boiling water and spray on the weeds.
Check out our article on Epsom salt uses in the garden here
21. Tennis Ball
A tennis ball can be used to prevent the pond from freezing over and keep the fish safe. Simply drift a ball on the pond surface, when the water will freeze, remove it, and you will find a hole that will provide air to fish without any harm of breaking the ice with a hammer or any tool.
22. Matchsticks
Matchsticks are a good pest deterrent, help in boosting the plant’s growth and work as a fertilizer.
Learn how to use matchsticks for plant growth here
23. WD-40
If you have rust on the tools, a squeaky swing in the garden, or a toolbox that refuses to open up, then you can use WD-40 for them all!
24. Kitchen Utensils
There are many kitchen utensils that you can use to grow plants like succulents and cacti. Teapot, coffee cups, and other items can be used in a quirky way to grow plants of your choice!
Check out some amazing garden ideas using kitchen utensils here
25. Jeans
Yes! You can use your old jeans as planters in your garden! If you have always wanted to grow flowers and plants in a different way, then jeans are the way to go! You can also use them as grow bags, pot covers, plant stands, tool bags, and more!
Here are some awesome jeans uses in the garden
26. Newspaper and Cardboard
Tired of weeds in your yard? Simply lay a thick layer of newspaper and cardboard over them. Once done, soak slightly with a garden hose and cover it with a thick layer of mulch or rocks.
