Hi friends! welcome to part one of the sustainable home series! Since I've been exploring sustainability at home, I decided that this year the theme here at the holistic health nut is "Sustainability" in every aspect of the word. From reducing waste to cultivating a lifestyle that is sustainable based on your current circumstance. Check out this blogpost on making sustainable health goals.
In today's blogpost we will be exploring the practice of reusing! This one is particularly exciting because there is so much you can do with containers from food you bought at the store! Let's go!
Reuse old jam containers for storage
Old jam or peanut butter jars are wonderful for storing food. All you need to do is wash out the container and soak them in warm water so that you can remove the label. Once clean you can use the container to store nuts, seeds, grains, cereal and sugar etc. Not only do they look really good in the cabinets, they are a great way to organize your food items. you can also use them as propagation jars if you have plants. Simply fill the jar with water and place your plant cuttings into the jar. Once the roots grow out, you can plant that baby!
Reuse old bottles as decor items
If you're looking for a way to spruce up your space, whether it be your room, apartment or house, you might want to take a look in your kitchen! Old kombucha bottles, oil bottles, wine bottles, or even cans can serve as inexpensive vases! Just remove the labels if possible, wash them out and add your favorite flowers. You can place them by a window, in your kitchen, bathroom etc.
Turn your old milk carton as a watering canister
So I have accumulated a few plants in my apartment and I wanted a cute watering can. I didn't want to spend money on one so I challenged myself to figure out a way to make one using anything I could find around the house. I had this almond milk bottle that I was using in the mean time; so I decided to paint it. I cut the handle from another milk carton and cut a hole in the bottle cap and placed the handle that I cut through the hole and used some lace and glue to seal it.
Reuse egg cartons for seed starting
If you're a gardener, consider reusing your egg cartons as seed starters. Now that the new gardening season is upon us, starting seeds indoors is a great way to prepare for the season. Use egg cartons to get your seeds going and then as the time gets warmer you can transplant them into regular planters or in the soil outside.
Reuse Bottles to store homemade beverages
Remove the label and wash out the bottle. I like to brew a few teabags and transfer the tea to a bottle and place it in the fridge. Old juice bottles can be reused to store homemade juice as well, or even homemade broth.
Reuse produce containers and old package boxes as planters
This one is quite self explanatory. Once you've used up the contents, add your soil and get to planting!
Reuse takeout containers as lunch carriers
I think we've all been doing this one for years, so this one is just a reminder. No need to buy containers if you have take out containers laying around. They can also be used for food storage in your fridge, like strawberries or veggies or leftovers.
Stay tuned for part 2 where I'll share how to grow food from kitchen scraps! Until then, happy reusing!
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