Using things for a purpose other than for the intended purpose for which they were sold

My grandmother's steel for knife sharpening.
As did she, we keep it by the front door for burglars.
Just in case ...

A Lancashire potato peeler is the perfect fit for tightening that very hard to reach screw under the milk pan handle.

I have a long spaghetti spoon thingy with a toothed edge, I use it to pull tins and jars towards me from the high shelf in the kitchen cupboard, I have to be quick though when the tin starts to fall towards me.

I use my Grandfathers ‘last’ as a door stop.

Decanters with fairy lights in them not used for alcohol.

Old jugs used for flowers.

Vintage embroidered bed covers used as table cloths, so soft and lightweight.

I could go on….

When my son lived at home he had a pool table. It was second hand and when the table was past it’s best I kept the cues. They are so useful for so many things. I keep one near where I sit in the living room. Its for if I’m having a wobbly day with my knees. GS also uses it to play limbo with. I keep one in each bedroom. If I’m putting bags away in the top boxes they’re handy to push them in. The other night I used one to kill a moth on the ceiling. Endless uses ?

Typical is a screwdriver used to open tins of paint!
Toothbrush to clean round taps.

I keep a few chopsticks in the drawer for stirring things in tall containers.

Barbecue tongs for lifting things from shelves I can’t reach. An old school wooden ruler for opening/closing the window vents.

A screwdriver for pricking out seedlings - as well as for opening cans of paint, like grandMattie does..

I use old wooden spoons to plant seedlings, the handle end obvs!

Socks out of the laundry basket for dusting bedrooms with, when I can't be bothered to go downstairs for a duster,

An empty A4 ring binder as a wedge to stop a door from slamming shut in a draught
Old sheets for collecting prunings in the garden
Loads of Amazon packaging for composting

I save those hinged lid clear plastic containers strawberries and grapes come in, and use them as mini windowsill greenhouses for my seedlings - they are the right size to put on one of those long windowsill plant pot holders, and the seeds grow well because it’s a bit warmer due to the lids.

An old paint bucket which I leave in the shower cubicle to collect the excess splash water, which I then pour down the toilet, as I always have a wee before my shower?

A fish gutting knife used for opening paint tins, getting weeds out, a multitude of things.

An old wheelbarrow with holes in the bottom as a planter.

Blossoming I use BBQ tongs too!

When our bathroom window is open, I can't reach high enough to pull it back in to close it, so I use a coat hanger.

A jug for scooping out clean cat litter from the sackful, to fill up the litter tray

RichmondPark1 Very pretty.

A table-runner that I have worn as a very elegant scarf.

( to be honest, I thought it was a scarf when I was given it as a present - much to the amusement of the gift giver who didn’t let on for some time that it wasn’t )?

RichmondPark1

An old wheelbarrow with holes in the bottom as a planter.

I have the same full of stawberries, to keep slugs at bay. It works!

Old net curtains over a coloured sheet for large family dinners. They look pretty and are so forgiving with spills. Come up like new.

A toy arrow ( bendy and longer than a chopstick) from my sons bow and arrow set used to be perfect for cleaning the out the Dyson vacuum brush head when it gets jammed up. Unfortunately the arrow got lost when we moved house, so now I have to search out a suitable twig from the garden.

I use:
The point of a vegetable peeler to hull strawberries
A spatula to tease items from high shelves
An old toothbrush to clean around taps
A meat injector to refill bottles which sprinkle their contents but refuse to be parted from their tops (I cannot always buy the bottles I prefer)
A plastic pipette to squirt disinfectant into the sink overflow point
A fork to uproot small weeds
A separate shower puff and vinegar to clean the bath
Thoroughly cleaned hair dye bottles which squirt and small jug-shaped detergent dispensers which pour when the DGC’s have bath time fun in our house - they favour these rather than the toys we have bought for them
DH uses sections of my flesh-coloured tights from yonks ago to tie up plants. Make do and mend, eh? ?

mrswoo

A table-runner that I have worn as a very elegant scarf.

( to be honest, I thought it was a scarf when I was given it as a present - much to the amusement of the gift giver who didn’t let on for some time that it wasn’t )?

I had never heard of a table runner until now.

LINK > themillshop.co.uk/blog/what-are-table-runners-and-how-and-when-to-use-them/

Something more that I have learned on Gransnet.

Old credit card:
- to fill holes with plaster or wood filler, then I pass the card over the surface to achieve a virtually flat surface
- to scrape away baked on food on ceramic dishes and baking trays. It won’t scratch.

Tin foil:
- folded to sharpen knives as they cut through it
- scrunched up to clean oven shelves