Thread: Make do and mend, or everyday items put to unlikely use. Board: Oblivion / Ship of Fools.
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Posted by jacobsen (# 14998) on
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I'm not sure whether this belongs in Heaven or All Saints, but the idea of it came to me in the wake of finding solutions for the limited movement which I currently experience, and which will continue for some time after my upcoming hip replacement.
Even now, it's difficult to reach my toes, poor neglected adjuncts to my pedal appendages (see Joyce Grenfell.) Long handled clippers may solve the nail trimming issue, but how to clean thoroughly between the toesies?
Answer: a flannel covered chopstick. Cut a face flannel into four equal strips, Sew each strip into a long tube, closed at one end. Insert chopstick and, holding the resulting implement by the open end, the thing is long enough to reach between the toes without breaching the 90 degree angle below which we are not supposed to bend for three months. A dry flannel chopstick containing tube can be used to dry between the toes afterwards. This does work. ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
If any cream needs to be applied, discard flannel and use the chopstick, which, incidentally, will never return to the cutlery drawer.
Do any shippies have other bright ideas involving common materials/items put to an originally unintended use? I'd love to read about them.
Posted by mark_in_manchester (# 15978) on
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Hi Jacobsen
This is up my street...but perhaps I recycle materials more than objects. So old cutlery is a good source of small bits of stainless steel, I built a small furnace to melt / recycle aluminium alloy, the house is full of (big and small) scraps of waste wood which periodically get made into bookcases, or (currently just off drawing board, but not yet into wood) a Welsh dresser.
In the de-cluttering thread, you might see my post suggesting that this can get to be a problem!
But in the spirit of your post - my kids bikes have mudguards made from supermarket plastic milk bottles!
cheers
Mark
Posted by Chorister (# 473) on
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I have to be careful not to use the same spoon, used for stirring tins of paint, for my soup. As it is a soup spoon, that is rather difficult.
Ditto the toothbrush, used for reaching awkward places in the drains. Not to be muddled up at night with my toothbrushing toothbrush.
If I ever post here from hospital, you are to assume I forgot which was which.
Posted by Boogie (# 13538) on
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My Mum used to chop up old Marigolds (rubber gloves) to make elastic bands.
Posted by Diomedes (# 13482) on
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I find a bicycle wheel spoke just the thing to remove the breadmaker's mixer paddle left inside the loaf when it's done. The machine did come with a hook-y thing for that purpose, but having lost that very early on, my spoke does a much better job - very thin and strong with a teeny hook on the end. Perfect!
Posted by piglet (# 11803) on
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quote:
Originally posted by mark_in_manchester:
... mudguards made from supermarket plastic milk bottles ...
I cut the lower end and part of one side from a plastic orange-juice carton to make a scoop for putting down road salt.
Posted by Silver Swan (# 17957) on
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This idea is great -just watch your fingers. http://youtu.be/ogvqQ2gUDHE
Repairing holes in jumpers using felting needles. You can untwist a length of yarn to get the wool to do it with, or for a small hole pull a ball of fluff from the garment. Not quite as quick and easy as the video shows, of course. Felting needles are sold at most craft stores.
Posted by Lamb Chopped (# 5528) on
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An ace bandage (elasticized bandage) for a (covert) cellphone holster, worn around the calf. (I'm allowed to have it as long as it's out of sight.) Why no, my trousers don't have pockets, how did you guess?
We use an old toothbrush to get the algae off the aquarium glass.
Posted by Palimpsest (# 16772) on
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They sell "cosmetic scrub puffs" of coarse nylon mesh. If you cut the cord holding it together it turns into a long strip of 3 inch wide coarse nylon mesh. Doubled or redoubled, this makes an excellent gentle cleaning strip for parts that are hard to reach like feet and toes in the shower.
Around here bread loafs in plastic bags often come with a little slotted nylon rectangle to reseal the plastic bag between slice removals. When done, these turn out to work very well for scraping gunk off laminate counters and pots and floors. It's stiff enough for aggressive removal but usually gentle enough not to scratch the surface being cleaned.
Posted by Huia (# 3473) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Lamb Chopped:
We use an old toothbrush to get the algae off the aquarium glass.
I was visiting friens once when the teenage daughter came into the room to complain that her 8 year old brother had used her toothbush to do that. ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
Posted by Lothlorien (# 4927) on
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Make do or mend. This is a mend. I wear hand knit socks made by me. I hate the commercial type which are uncomfortable and which dissolve into holes quickly.
One of my favourite hand knit pairs developed a hole in each sock. No shame to them, they are possibly ten years old. I fished out my large cowrie shell, passed down through family as a darning aid and darned them. My socks last a long time and I was out of practice. But I now have both socks usable again.
I have also just sewn back a button from a woollen cardigan. Checked the other eight buttons and have reinforced their stitching.. I feel so virtuous and my grandmother who taught me to darn would have been happy to see the mend.
Posted by Pigwidgeon (# 10192) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Huia:
quote:
Originally posted by Lamb Chopped:
We use an old toothbrush to get the algae off the aquarium glass.
I was visiting friens once when the teenage daughter came into the room to complain that her 8 year old brother had used her toothbush to do that.
His parents had probably told him, "Don't use your toothbrush to clean off the algae." So he didn't.
Posted by Adrienne (# 2334) on
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I'm currently growing veg seedlings in paper egg cartons. When they get big enough, cut the sections apart, soak them in water and plant the whole thing.
Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on
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The cardboard tubes from the insides of toilet rolls can be used for the same purpose with cuttings.
Posted by PeteC (# 10422) on
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Note to North Americans: In India, toilet paper tubes are Sherman tanks compared to the thin flimsy tubes used in North America (Canada/USA sector)
Posted by Huia (# 3473) on
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In 2011 when the most damaging quake hit I had food on my crock pot that I was cooking for tea. The crockpot slid off the bench, but was prevented from falling by being plugged in. The glass lid hit the floor, breaking the knob and the food spilled out.
Getting new parts for crockpots here is almost as expensive as buying a new one, so I went the the council recycling centre to see what I could find. No crockpot lids, but quite a few for electric frying pans. So my crockpot now has a recycled knob.
I also love Freecycle and have passed on various bits and pieces I'm never going to use, two were long velvet skirts which I had never taken up. This was just as well because the delighted recipient was a lot taller than I am.
Huia
Huia
Posted by Jade Constable (# 17175) on
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Hair removal cream (Veet/Nair etc) works very well for removing hair from shower plugholes. Just squeeze some in and leave for ten minutes before rinsing. Pound shops often have the cheaper brands of them, Veet can be expensive.
Posted by Huia (# 3473) on
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That is totally brilliant Jade.
Posted by L'organist (# 17338) on
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Toothpaste is brilliant for the white plastic that so many kitchen appliances are made from, especially seals on refrigerators, etc.
And biological washing powder gets rid of soap scum and mould on shower curtains - also good with baked on food on oven trays.
Posted by Adrienne (# 2334) on
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Denture cleaning tablets (cheapest own brand) are great for cleaning flasks, bottles and stained mugs.
Posted by Lamb Chopped (# 5528) on
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Toothpaste is also great for cleaning up old ivory (we have an ancient piano).
Posted by blackbeard (# 10848) on
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True of boat toolboxes, and probably tool boxes generally; it's incomplete without an old wire coat hanger. Can be twisted into all sorts of shapes for retrieving items dropped in awkward places, and has lots of other uses.
Similarly, boat cleaning kit is incomplete without the ever-useful (as noted above) toothbrushes (never throw away an old toothbrush while it still has a few bristles). Also, old paint brushes - their use is not confined to paint.
Galley (kitchen) scissors, grapnel anchors (useless for anchoring) ... the list goes on, only needs a bit of ingenuity......
Posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe (# 5521) on
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A wire coat hanger, bent into the shape of a five-pointed star, makes a great trivet for placing over a burner on the stove when even the lowest setting is still too hot to keep a sauce warm but not at the boil.
Posted by Pigwidgeon (# 10192) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Adrienne:
Denture cleaning tablets (cheapest own brand) are great for cleaning flasks, bottles and stained mugs.
We use them to clean the glass cruets at church.
(They also work well to clean toilets.)
Posted by Jengie Jon (# 273) on
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I have a fine chained pendant that I wear most of the time. However, I remove it when swimming or in the gym. The problem is that if I just leave it loose in a pocket in my bag it always gets tangled.
I have sorted this by doing the following. Cut a rectangle (1.5 in x 2 in approximately). On one short side cut two slits and at the other cut one. I also cut away about 0.25 in so the card is bobbin shaped.
Now just put the pendant against the card. Thread the chain either side of the pendant through the two slots at one side, then wind around and finally tuck the tail part through the slot at the bottom. This can be dropped into a pocket and the necklace stays untangled.
Jengie
Posted by Lamb Chopped (# 5528) on
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That is the same solution I have seen sold for embroidery thread collections!
Posted by Jengie Jon (# 273) on
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Not quite, its a cross between that and the foam cards they often sell pendants on. A pendant necklace has a loop while the embroidery thread has a single strand with two ends.
Jengie
Posted by Twilight (# 2832) on
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This fits some place in between this thread and the de-cluttering one.
My mother made quilts by hand, beautiful quilts. Ever since she died, 25 years ago, I've kept them carefully stored and protected. A few weeks ago it occurred to me that I'm old for heaven's sake, what am I saving them for? So I have them out on the beds and sofas and I'm enjoying them so much.
Posted by Brenda Clough (# 18061) on
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You could also hang them on your walls, if you have a sufficient swathe of flat empty wall. (If you do this, google and find a safe hanger for quilts.)
In the creative reuse department, my daughter once took all the corrugated cardboard in the house and constructed an M-1 Abrams tank. It was 3/4 life size, and took up the entire garage. Some people came over that evening and when I let them have a peep they murmured, "What IS that?" Somehow she contrived to get it to high school, where of course she got an A for it.
Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on
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Jacobsen, in her OP, wasn't sure whether this was an AS thread or a Heaven one - watching it develop it looks far more like Heaven so over it goes.
WW - AS Host
Posted by Sparrow (# 2458) on
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quote:
Originally posted by L'organist:
Toothpaste is brilliant for the white plastic that so many kitchen appliances are made from, especially seals on refrigerators, etc.
And biological washing powder gets rid of soap scum and mould on shower curtains - also good with baked on food on oven trays.
Any kind of washing powder is great for cleaning the stained inside of a teapot. A tablespoon or two, fill up to the brim with water, and leave overnight.
Posted by Moo (# 107) on
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To remove badly-burned food from a pan, fill the pan with water, add a lot of baking soda, and boil for awhile.
Moo
Posted by Jade Constable (# 17175) on
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If you have to wash something very smelly/with bodily fluids on at a low temperature to prevent shrinking or damage, sprinkle some olbas oil into the drum before washing. The oregano oil and thymol it contains are very effective disinfectants, and will make washing smell very fresh.
Posted by blackbeard (# 10848) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Moo:
To remove badly-burned food from a pan, fill the pan with water, add a lot of baking soda, and boil for awhile.
Moo
I have a suspicion that if you did this with an aluminium pan, it would remove more than the food.
Posted by L'organist (# 17338) on
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Sprinkle bicarbonate of soda on tired carpets (add a drop of lemon juice if you like). Allow to dry / stay on for at least half-an-hour. Vaccuum up and the carpets will be refreshed.
To keep rats out of a compost bin: buy fine gauge chicken wire and add a layer (stapled in position) on bottom and sides inside and out.
Posted by BroJames (# 9636) on
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The little drawstring bags that used to/sometimes come with washing powder tablets are very useful for putting small items through the dishwasher.
Also the bottoms of old plastic milk bottles have a great many used.
Posted by The5thMary (# 12953) on
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I've seen some very cool things done with broken guitar strings, broken cymbals, very used drum heads, etc.
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa440/Sticks4drums/Restoring%20the%20old%20Leedy/IMG_3194.jpg
Posted by The5thMary (# 12953) on
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Continuing the previous post about old drums, cracked cymbals being put to good use... one of my former roommates, who was a major jerk in almost every respect still did some really cool things with some broken cymbals that he had. I don't know how he did this, exactly, but he turned a small cracked cymbal into a shade for a previous naked light bulb. Around the top of the cymbal he festooned a string of Christmas lights. It was very cool looking. He took a well worn drum head and made another lampshade out of it...wish I had pictures of these things.
Posted by Sir Kevin (# 3492) on
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I bought an old chest of drawers from the local St. Vincent de Paul thrift shop (where I often drop off old clothes) to replace the dead television set that I used to stack unpaid bills and unanswered letters on top of. I have a wire rack that was no longer used in school to keep them filed in chronological order of due-date. I use the three drawers for printer paper and important documents unrelated to taxes. Only the bottom drawer has out-of-season clothes in it. This item cost me all of $15 US!
Posted by Moo (# 107) on
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quote:
Originally posted by blackbeard:
quote:
Originally posted by Moo:
To remove badly-burned food from a pan, fill the pan with water, add a lot of baking soda, and boil for awhile.
Moo
I have a suspicion that if you did this with an aluminium pan, it would remove more than the food.
It leaves the pan looking very white inside, and it may make it imperceptibly thinner, but it's still usable.
Moo
Posted by Jade Constable (# 17175) on
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Old TV cabinets can be turned into children's play kitchens.
Posted by jacobsen (# 14998) on
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Those play kitchens are amazing!
Not simply to bump the thread, but after coming home with a thick wodge of printed info about before, during and after my hip replacement, it seemed a good idea to practise some of the ways of functioning which are advised. Some, of course, I've been doing for years - dressing sitting down, for example.
However, the command (it was no less) to shower seated seemed worth exploring.
The first discovery was that I couldn't reach the shampoo, which lives on the window sill. And no, we may not bend from the waist to pick it up from the edge of the shower tray. So a caddy was needed. I could not find one which would accommodate the size of bottles in my bathroom, so decided to make one out of a 4 pint plastic milk bottle.
Cut away the top, and the corner triangle opposite the handle, leaving handle intact. String looped through the handle and over/round/through any handy bathroom sticky out thingy, and problem solved.
A couple of small holes pierced through the bottom of the caddy will allow water to drain away.
[ 07. July 2014, 18:20: Message edited by: jacobsen ]
Posted by mark_in_manchester (# 15978) on
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To make use of today's tip from me (currently running in my front garden) you'll need a cement mixer, an old petrol tank full of rust which you want to render useful, a pile of screws and sharp bits of scrap metal as an abrasive medium, and some blankets to wrap the tank in as you rotate it in the mixer, to cause the screws to rattle about for a few hours.
Among church people this behaviour is deviant. Among people who do this kind of stuff, churchgoing is deviant. Oh well.
Posted by cattyish (# 7829) on
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I sew, and so I'm mad keen on recycling bit of old t-shirt and repairing clothes, adding pockets to things and generally making things work. And then I found the Love Your Clothes campaign , so I'm now sharing it.
There was a nice lady in Aberdeen when we went shopping who was demonstrating how to create darns which were both functional and beautiful by essentially hand-weaving patterns onto old jumpers with embroidery thread.
Cattyish, happily crafting.
Posted by Heavenly Anarchist (# 13313) on
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quote:
Originally posted by cattyish:
I sew, and so I'm mad keen on recycling bit of old t-shirt and repairing clothes, adding pockets to things and generally making things work. And then I found the Love Your Clothes campaign , so I'm now sharing it.
There was a nice lady in Aberdeen when we went shopping who was demonstrating how to create darns which were both functional and beautiful by essentially hand-weaving patterns onto old jumpers with embroidery thread.
Cattyish, happily crafting.
I do lots of clothing upcycling and have needle felted old jumpers before but I love the idea of darning patterns in! I've been taking some embroidery classes recently. This morning I discovered a couple of holes in a favourite vintage dress and decided that not only should I patch them (with similar fabric and some bondaweb with some stitching) but that I should also add some embroidery for good measure.
I use old toothbrushes for all sorts of things; art, applying shoe polish, cleaning around the taps...
Posted by Curiosity killed ... (# 11770) on
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I had one pair of jeans with flowers twining up my legs for that very reason. Each of the centres of the flowers were holes burned by acid which I had satin stitch darned with embroidery silk - yellow iirc, edged in backstitch, added lazy daisy petals in white, stems (can't remember if it was stem stitch or not) and lazy daisy leaves in green to connect the flowers into a design and make it look deliberate.
I had carelessly worn new jeans into the Chemistry labs and dripped acid down my legs. Not a mistake I made again. But the jeans were much admired.
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