Recycle, Repurpose, Reuse

Give a second life to everyday items, like plastic spoons and old t-shirts.

A T-shirt Produce Bag is displayed, as seen on Food Network's The Kitchen, Season 12.

A T-shirt Produce Bag is displayed, as seen on Food Network's The Kitchen, Season 12.

Photo by: Jason DeCrow ©© 2016, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved.

Jason DeCrow, © 2016, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved.

Plastic Spoon Vase:

What you'll need:

  • Leftover plastic spoons
  • Hot glue gun
  • Mason jar (a 12-ounce jar works best)
  1. Snap off the tops of the plastic spoons.
  2. Glue a plastic spoon top to the top of a mason jar where the lid would screw on (make sure the spoon top is facing upwards).
  3. Repeat this process until you've gone all the way around the top.
  4. Begin gluing spoon tops beneath the row you just completed, covering the bottom of the spoon tops on the row above. (Tip: Make sure you glue the next row of spoon tops in between the ones above--it helps create a flower petal effect.)
  5. Repeat going all the way down the jar until you reach the bottom.
  6. Finish with your favorite floral arrangement.  

T-Shirt Tote Bag:

What you'll need:

  • Old t-shirt (size medium works best)
  • Sharp scissors
  1. Turn the t-shirt inside out and fold in half vertically.
  2. Cut along the neckline, just below the seam.
  3. Cut along the sleeves, just below the seam (you should have space leftover between the neck and the sleeves).
  4. Cut along the bottom of the shirt, just above the seam (save the strip of fabric you cut off here).
  5. Using the strip of fabric you just cut off, tie the bottom of the shirt together tightly.
  6. Flip your shirt right-side in and you're done!

DIY Cleaner and Wipes:

What you'll need:

  • White vinegar
  • Water
  • Pitcher
  • Lemon and orange peels
  • Scissors
  • Old kitchen towels/dish rags
  • Mason jar (the bigger the better)
  • Mesh strainer
  1. To make the cleaner, add 2 cups of vinegar and 1 cup of water to a pitcher. You can always double the recipe depending on the size of your pitcher.
  2. Add approximately 5 lemon peels and 5 orange peels to the pitcher.
  3. Let the pitcher sit for 24 hours.
  4. Cut old dish towels into smaller squares.
  5. Roll up the dish towel squares and line them around your mason jar and in the center until the jar is full.
  6. Pour the mixture through the strainer over the cut-up towels in the jar.
  7. Take a towel out to clean and sanitize when needed. The best part of all--you can wash and reuse the dish towels when they're dirty!

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