Environment

50 Uses for Old Towels

September 24, 2015 By Alexa Mason 1 Comment

When towels become worn or frayed we replace them. But what do you do with those old towels? Here are 50 uses for old towels:

Apron

Use an old bath towel to make a half apron. Just add ties.

Baby Bibs

Cut your old towels and repurpose them as baby bibs. Cut the towels into bib shapes, hem the edges and add strings.

Baby Wipes

Old towels make an inexpensive alternative to expensive a baby wipes. Cut old towels into small squares. Keep them on your changing table. Dip in warm water before using. If you use cloth diapers you can wash the wipes with your diapers.

Bath Pouf

It just takes an old towel and some sewing skills to make a bath pouf.

Bathroom Rug

You will need a rubber gridded mat, three old towels and scissors to make a bathroom rug. Cut towels into thin strips of equal size. Knot each strip on the mat until your mat is completely covered.

Beach Bag

Cut an old beach towel into two squares the size of a beach bag. Sew three sides together. Add handles and you have a beach towel beach bag!

Beach Sarong

An old towel makes an excellent beach sarong. Get a pattern on Pinterest.

Block A Draft

Roll an old towel up and place against bottom of door to block a draft.

Bolster Pillow

You will need some fabric and other supplies, but you can make a bolster pillow and fill it with rolled up old beach towels.

Braided Rug

Fold towel in half and cut into 1.5″ strips. Sew three strips together at the top. Braid the three strips. Sew another set of three strips onto the braid. Continue until all the strips are braided together. Wrap braid around and stitch the rows together.

Car Rags

Cut old towels into smaller rags to wash your car. You can also keep some handy in the car to clean up spills.

Chair Pad Cover

Use an old towel to cover the seat of a chair.

Checking Oil

Tear an old towel into pieces and use to check oil.

Child’s Pool Robe

Use old towels as the fabric and make your child a pool robe that is perfect for after the pool.

Clean Glasses

Cut into hand sized pieces for a non-abrasive eye glass cleaner.

Cleaning Rags

Cut old towels into smaller rags for cleaning. You can wash them and reuse.

Cobwebs

Wrap an old towel around a broom to clean the cobwebs on your ceiling.

Cushions

Sew two old towels together and stuff to create new cushions.

Dog Toy

Make a toy for your dog with three old dish towels. Tie the towels together at one end. Braid the three towels and tie at the end of the braid

Donate

Donate old towels to your local pet shelter. They have many uses for them.

Drawer Liner

Cut an old towel to fit in a drawer and use as a liner.

Dusting Mitts

Trace an outline of your hand. Add 1/2″ and cut out old bath towels. Sew together to create a dusting mitt.

Floor Pillows

Sew two large towels together and stuff to make large floor pillows.

Halloween Decorations

Use white towels to make ghost decorations for your yard.

Head Wrap

You can make a head wrap with an old towel, elastic loop and button.

Hooded Towel

Use old towels to make your own hooded towel. Customize with ribbon or embroidery.

Hot Water Bottle Cover

Make a cozy cover for your hot water bottle from old towels.

Ironing Board Pad

Cut an old bath towel to the size of your ironing board. Then cut an old sheet large enough that you can tuck it under the board. Add a drawstring to the sheet to keep it secure on your ironing board.

Knee Pads

Cut old towels into 6″ squares. Sew four or five towels together. Then sew an elastic to secure the knee pad on your leg. Don’t make the elastic too tight!

Leaky Windowsill

Roll an old towel up and put on windowsill to stop a leak.

Mop Pad

Cut an old towel use it on your Swiffer sweeper instead of buying replacement mop pads in the store. You can either discard it after use or throw it in the wash and use again.

Mop Head

For an old fashioned mop that uses a head. Cut your old towel into equal strips. Tie the strips together and attach to your mop.

Packing Material

Wrap old towels around fragile items to keep them safe during packing. You can also scrunch them into gaps in the boxes to keep items from shifting.

Pet Beds

Use your old towels to make a bed for your cat or dog. Sew two towels together and stuff them with old plastic bags for a comfy, recycled pet bed.

Picnic Blanket

Sew old towels together to make a picnic blanket. Try using four large towels, but you can always add more if you want a larger blanket.

Plants

Place under plants to absorb water when the plant does not have a bottom.

Pot Holder

Cut up a few towels into 8 inch squares and stitch them together for a new pot holder. Three or four towels should be thick enough.

Pot Insulation

Wrap an old towel around a pot to keep it warm at a potluck.

Quilt

Sew a few old towels together to use as the batting for a quilt.

Spa Slippers

You will have to Google the instructions on this one, but you can make a pair of slippers with some old towels and flip flops.

Stuffed Toys

Cut towel into pattern. Sew together and stuff to make a soft stuffed animal.

Sunbathing Companion

With two used bath towels, some stuffing and sewing supplies you can make a sunbathing towel with built-in pillow.

Superhero Cape

Add some ties to the end of an old towel and you have a superhero cape! Let your little superhero decorate their own cape with a logo.

Swim Bag

Convert an old beach towel into a bag to carry your wet swimsuits.

Swim Cover Up

Use old beach towels to make a swim coverup for your kids.

Tea Towel Cupcake

Fold tea towels to look like cupcakes. Wrap with ribbon and place in cupcake holders.

Tea Towel Cake

Create a cake base from cardboard. Wrap in tea towels and fill with kitchen utensils to create a tea towel cake.

Towel Dress

This will take a pattern and some sewing skills, but you can make a cute summer dress out of old towels.

Wash Cloths

Cut old towels into squares and hem the edges to create wash clothes.

Window Valence

convert old tea towels into a window valence.

50 Uses for Old Socks

September 22, 2015 By Alexa Mason Leave a Comment

Socks are always getting lost in the laundry. What can you do with the single socks left? Here are 50 uses for old socks:

1. Baby Wash Cloth

Take a soft old sock and use as a washcloth on your baby.

2. Ball

Roll up a sock, roll another one onto the first one, then take a very thin sock and place this over the roll. Twist the sock around the rolled insides, then fold back over itself again. You now have a soft type ball for indoor or outdoor play.

3. Bath Mat

Cut the toe off of a long sock, then begin to cut a 1 inch spiral strip until you reach the cuff of the sock. Using strips like this, crochet them to make bathmats, hotplates for the table, placemats and more.

4. Bean Bags

Fill baby socks with rice. Sew the top closed to make a bean bag.

5. Braided Rugs

Cut socks into strips, sew strips together to form long widths almost like thick yarn and use to create braided rugs.

6. Can Cozies

Cut the feet off old socks. Put the socks on cans to absorb moisture.

7. Candles

Keep taper candles from getting broken or scratched by putting them in socks.

8. Cat Toy

Fill with cat nip and tie off the end to make a cat toy.

9. Christmas Stocking

You don’t need a fancy stocking for Christmas. Hang an old sock for Santa to fill.

10. Clean Dry Erase & Chalk Boards

Wipe the boards clean with an old sock.

11. Cup Warmer

Cut the foot off and slide over cups to keep drinks warm. Also works to keep cold drinks cool.

12. Decorate Vases

Pull patterned socks over vases to decorate.

13. Dish Cloths

Cut the toe off of two socks that are roughly the same size. Cut the sock across the ankle and cut off the toe section too. You will now have a ‘tube’ with two open ends. Cut the tube to open it into one piece. Take both pieces, put smooth sides together and pin together. Sew around all four edges; then sew an X from one corner to another and you have an instant dishcloth.

14. Dog Toy

Tie a knot at each end of a tube sock. Use to play tug-of-war with your dog.

15. Doll Clothes

Old socks make wonderful pieces of fabric for children to create doll clothes.

16. Dusting

Put an old sock over your hand to dust. It makes getting into corners easier.

17. Gloves

In an emergency, put two old socks on your hands to protect from cold if you don’t have gloves.

18. Ice Packs

Put an ice pack inside an old sock to protect the skin.

19. Jump Rope

Tie socks together until the rope is the length you want.

20. Keep Game Pieces Together

Put all the small game pieces in a sock to make sure they stay together. Put the sock in the game box.

21. Knee Pads

Cut the feet off old socks. Pull over legs and fold over at knees to create a cushioned pad for gardening.

22. Knitting Needle Case

Sew the mouth of a tube sock closed and cut off the toe. Slip it inside another tube sock so they are double thicknesses. Sew the two together and you have a thick case to keep knitting needles that won’t poke through. Tie the end shut with a pretty ribbon.

23. Ladder Socks

Slip socks over the tops of a ladder so they won’t mark the surfaces they are leaning against.

24. Leg Warmers

Cut the feet off long socks. Pull the cut sock over the socks you are wearing and up to the knee. They will keep your legs doubly warm without the added bulk in your shoes.

25. Level Table

Put an old sock under the leg of a wobbly table to level.

26. Money

Place bills inside a colorful sock and place the sock in your sock drawer. Burglars are unlikely to find it, but you will be able to see it quickly in your sock drawer.

27. Mop

Cut the end off a sock and use as a wet mop behind toilets. Throw the sock away when finished or rewash to use again.

28. Mothballs

Place mothballs inside the sock, tie closed and hang in your closet. When you no longer need the mothballs or want to replace them, simply throw out the old sock and hang a new one.

29. Pillows

Cut old socks up into small pieces and use to stuff toys or pillows.

30. Polish Silverware

Use a sock to apply silverware polish.

31. Potpourri Sachet

Fill bottom with potpourri and either tie the open end or sew it closed. Place in drawers.

32. Protect Golf Clubs

Put old socks over golf clubs to protect them.

33. Purse

You can make a change purse by adding a purse clasp to the open end of a baby sock.

34. Quilt

Cut the good parts of the socks into patches for a patchwork quilt.

35. Rough Feet

Spread vaseline on your feet and put on old socks. Sleep with them on. The next morning your feet will be softer.

36. Shining Shoes

Use old socks to apply shoe polish and shine shoes.

37. Sock Monkey

Old socks are ideal for making a sock monkey.

38. Shoe Protection

Pull over shoes to protect from mud.

39. Shoe Freshener

Stuff with baking soda and put inside shoes to absorb odor.

40. Sock Puppets

Let kids decorate with craft supplies to make sock puppets.

41. Stop Drafts

Fill the cracks under doors and windows with socks to stop drafts.

42. Storage

Store golf balls, tennis balls and other small balls inside a sock.

43. Tall Boots

Stuff tall socks with newspaper and keep in your boots to keep them from flopping over. The newspaper will also absorb moisture.

44. Trees

Tie newly planted trees to a stake with old socks.

45. Umbrella

Slip a tube sock over a wet umbrella to absorb the water. Take it off when you get home or the umbrella will be moldy.

46. Wash & Wax Car

Use one sock as a rug to wash the car. Use another sock to apply wax to car.

47. Wax Furniture

Use a sock to apply wax to furniture.

48. Wet Shoes

Place clay cat litter (not the clumping modern kind) into two socks, tie or sew the ends closed and place inside the shoes. The cat litter made with clay will help absorb the moisture so the shoes will dry more quickly.

49. Windshield Wipers

Put socks over windshield wipers before a freeze. Remove the socks and you will not have to scrape.

50. Wrist Support

Fill to comfort with split peas, lentils, or rice and then sew the end up and place either for wrist support for key board, or make a smaller one to use for comfort support for your wrist when using mouse.

50 Uses for Plastic Bags

September 22, 2015 By Alexa Mason Leave a Comment

There are many, many ways to reuse plastic bags and keep them out of the landfill. The key skill to make most of these projects is learning how to fuse plastic bags. Here are 50 uses for plastic bags:

1. Apply Wax

Wear a plastic bag as a mitt to apply furniture wax or polish.

2. Basket

Make a woven basket out of plastic bags instead of yarn or rope.

3. Belt

Fuse plastic bags together. Cut the fused bags into strips the width of your belt. Attach the fused plastic to a woven back. Cut holes and add belt buckle.

4. Bowls

Make bowls and cups out of plastic bags. The instructions are a little complicated so Google if you would like to try.

5. Braided Hanger

Cut plastic bags into loops. Join the loops and use to braid around a plastic clothes hanger. The resulting braided clothes hanger looks attractive and clothes won’t slip off.

6. Coasters

Fuse 3 plastic bags together to create “fabric.” Cut into circles the size you want for your coasters.

7. Diaper Bag

Keep plastic bags in your diaper bag to pack dirty clothes and to discard dirty diapers.

8. Donate

Donate your excess plastic bags to an animal shelter, food bank or thrift store.

9. Fill in Gaps

Stuff plastic bags into gaps around pipes and ducts before filling with spray foam or caulk.

10. Flowers

Many different techniques exist to form flowers of different shapes and sizes from plastic bags.

11. Frost

Protect plants from frost by putting plastic bags over them.

12. Gift Bows

Cut as many strips from the plastic bag as you can. Strips should be about 1/2″ wide and the width of the bag, but experiment with strip width to see which look you like best. Firmly bind your bunch of strips in the middle with a wire kitchen tie. Trim your bunch so edges are even. Fluff and separate strips from one another, and pull strips up towards center to form a pouf shape.

13. Hand Protection

If you have to pick up something gross, wrap your hand in a plastic bag. It’s a free substitute for a glove!

14. Holiday Wreaths

Using a wire hanger, make a circle shape with the help of pliers. Cut the plastic bags in 1/2″ wide strips. You will have multiple plastic bag “rings.” Cut both ends of these rings. Fold strips in half. Cut the folded end. Fold the strips in half again. Cut the end. Repeat until you have strips that are 5-6″ long. Tie strips onto the wire. Tie the strips tightly together next to each other until you no longer see the wire.

15. Ice/Snow Protection

Wrap your side mirrors and windshield wipers in plastic bags to reduce the amount of scraping you have to do during cold weather.

16. Jewelry Beads

Cut the bag into a 3″ long triangle. Put glue on inside of triangle. Put a thin straw on the long end of triangle and wrap plastic around it. Put modge podge around bead. Let dry for 12 hours. Cut off excess straw. You now have beads to string together into bracelets or necklaces.

17. Juggling

Use three plastic bags to practice juggling.

18. Jump Rope

Cut plastic bags open so they are one flat piece. Then cut off the handles and any extra pieces so you are left with one large rectangle of plastic. Next cut each rectangle into long strips. After cutting a few bags worth of strips, start tying the strips together to a little longer than the length you want the jump rope. Make a total of 12 long strips. After twisting the two braids together, tape the ends with duck tape to create a handle.

19. Keep Cast Dry

If you have a broken arm, put a plastic bag over the cast to help keep it dry during a shower.

20. Kite

Cut a bag into the shape of a kite. Tape thin, bendable sticks for frame to the bag. Tie a string to the kite and add a tail made from a long plastic bag strip.

21. Knee Pads

Cut holes in the bottom of two plastic bags and wear them as knee pads while you are gardening.

22. Litter Box

Line the litter box with a plastic bag. It will make cleanup easier when you change the litter.

23. Lunch Sack

Use a plastic bag to carry your lunch to work or school.

24. Miniature Greenhouse

Put a plastic bag over your potted plant to create a miniature greenhouse. Use a bamboo stick to keep the bag from touching the plant.

25. Motion Sickness

Keep a few plastic bags in the car for motion sickness emergencies.

26. Pack Wet Clothes

If you are travelling and have to pack wet clothes, put them in a plastic bag first so that the rest of your clothes won’t get wet.

27. Packing Material

Use scrunched up plastic bags as stuffing to pack boxes, protect fragile items, and keep contents from shifting.

28. Paint

Place a plastic bag over a can of paint before you put the lid on to keep dried paint flakes from falling in can.

29. Paint Brushes

If you need a break while painting, put the brushes in a plastic bag so they don’t dry out.

30. Parachute

All you need to make a toy parachute is a plastic bag, some string and a paperclip.

31. Pet Bed

Stuff an old pillowcase tightly with plastic bags. Sew the open end closed and you have a bed for your cat or dog.

32. Pick Up Dog Poop

Instead of buying special poop bags to pick up your dog’s poop, use a plastic bag.

33. Pillows

Create woven floor pillows by weaving plastic bags into a pillow shape and stuffing them with more plastic bags.

34. Placemat

Fuse 3 plastic bags together with your iron and then cut into the shape of a placemat.

35. Pom Poms

Fold the bag so that the sides are tucked in and it lays nice and flat. Then, fold it into thirds lengthwise. Cut off the sealed bottom and the handles up top. Fold this strip in half and then half again. Thread a twisted length of plastic bag as a “string” through the center of the folded top as pictured. You will use this to gather the pom pom later. Notice at the bottom one flap will have a fold while the other side has raw edges. Just snip along that bottom fold so that all the bottom edges are raw. Cut strips up from the bottom, but leave 1/4″ at the top. Take that ‘string’ along the fold and tie it loosely. Slowly pull it tighter and tighter to ‘gather’ the fringe. Tie it into a knot. Fluff your pom pom.

36. Pom Pom Light

Cover the dome lids from drink cups with double-sided tape. Cut plastic bags into 2″ strips. Wrap each strip around a pencil and stick them to the tape. Put a LED light inside and snap two domes together.

37. Pot Filler

Put a plastic bag at the bottom of a pot before putting in soil and plant. The pot will be lighter to lift and you will use less soil.

38. Pot Scrubber

Cut plastic bags into 1″ strips. Crochet together into a pot scrubber.

39. Purse

Sew plastic bags together to create an environmentally friendly purse.

40. Rain Hat

If you are caught in a downpour, you can use a plastic bag to protect yourself from the rain.

41. Reusable Sandwich Bags

Design cute, reusable bags are from fused plastic bags and fabric scraps.

42. Rug

Weave twisted plastic bags into a rug.

43. Rolling Dough

Put a plastic bag over dough for a nonstick surface when rolling.

44. Rope

Cut plastic bags into sheets. Tie sheets together and then twist. Braid three twisted sections together to create rope.

45. Shoe Protector

Tie plastic bags over your shoes to protect them if you are caught out in the rain or snow.

46. Shoes

Stuff plastic bags into your shoes so they keep their shape while air drying.

47. Shower Cap

A plastic bag can be used as a shower cap. Wrap a plastic bag around your hair and tie it closed.

48. Storage

Use a plastic bag to store old rags.

49. Trash Liners

Use plastic bags to keep your trash cans clean. Just pull the full bag out and throw it in the dumpster.

50. Woodworking

Before clamping up a woodworking project that’s just been glued, slip a plastic bag between the piece you’ve worked on and the clamp blocks. The blocks will slip off easily when the glue has dried.

Climate Change to Boost Arctic Mosquito Population

September 20, 2015 By Alexa Mason Leave a Comment

Climate change to boost mosquito population

There is good news for at least one type of insect, the arctic mosquito. This is because climate change will boost Arctic temperature thus increasing the increasing their survival rate and hatching time.

The rising temperatures undoubtedly have a strong impact on all ecosystems, and it’s important for researchers to understand the response displayed by wildlife and insects in order to better develop preventing measures. Or at the very least, know what’s coming. By observing one change, it paints a clearer picture on how the rest of our environment will act as they are all in careful and dependant relationship to one another.

Researchers at Dartmouth University, at the Institute of Arctic Studies, have assessed data drawn from 2011 and 2012 to observe what the future holds for a particular type of mosquito and its main food source alike.

The Arctic mosquito (Aedes nigripes) will be one of the insects that will see to advantages due to the warming temperatures around Greenland. They are bigger and furrier than the common mosquito most of us know throughout the United States, and it turns out that the nuisance will benefit from climate change and that will further harm the population of the Porcupine Caribou.

According to lead author of the study, Lauren Culler, the mosquitoes will also “absolutely bite people”, and are active during any time of the day. Meaning, there is no break from these bloodsucking pests if you find yourself within the Arctic during mosquito season. It’s enough to “drive a person mad”. With warming temperatures, it’s now worse than ever.

The team of researchers found that for every 1 Celsius in temperature rise, the mosquitoes need 10% less time to emerge from hatchlings to full-blown blood-seeking adults. And, naturally, with quicker maturity comes a larger population due to the fact that more of them will get the chance of reaching adulthood.

As much as a 2 Celsius rise will increase their chances of survivability by 53%, due to the longer “summers” when they tend to hatch. While this is good news for the mosquitoes, and the birds that feast on them, it’s terrible news for the Porcupine Caribou, which is their first choice for a blood meal. In fact, the caribou often center their lives around the need to get away from the Arctic mosquito.

The caribou are found in two Canadian national parks, and the Arctic National Wildlife refuge, in a herd that is estimated around 100,000. They are already endangered due to the rising temperatures and the possibility of oil drilling companies to expand upon their shores, but mosquito season may also have a substantial impact on the Caribou population.

The peak of their time coincides with birthing season for the caribou due to climate change, so the herds are being met with the pest when they are at their most vulnerable. They could further trim down the population with not only their ability to kill their young, but also due to the fact that they push the caribou in higher and windier areas where there’s less food.

On a positive note, if temperatures continue to rise as fast as they have been until now in the Arctic, hatching season for the mosquito might come even earlier, so most of them may die before breeding season comes around for the caribou.

For more on this, check out our stories on how climate change can cause a serious threat to world health and ten ways that climate change can impact your finances.

8 Things That Should Never End up in Your Trash

July 23, 2015 By Will Lipovsky 1 Comment

Many people have the tendency to just pitch items without a care in the world. That’s crazy! There are plenty of household items that deserve a second look. Here are a 9 things you should reconsider before tossing:

1. Food

Food waste is a huge problem. In the US, we throw away 40% of our food supply every year. Many people often toss food because they either don’t want to eat leftovers or because they don’t want to put in the effort to preserve it. For instance, if you make too much food to eat before it spoils, considering freezing a portion of it for a later date. Or if you have fruit that is slightly bruised, cut out the bruises instead of merely tossing it in the garbage. Old bananas are great for banana bread, remember.

2. Printer Cartridges

Printer cartridges can be pretty expensive, which is why it doesn’t make too much sense to throw them out. It’s cheaper to buy printer ink and refill cartridges yourself than to buy new ones each time your printer runs out of ink. While it may seem like a hassle, it’s the cheaper option in the long run. I even know a millionaire who finds it worth his time to refill his own ink. There are also a few companies that will refill your used cartridges for a discounted. Watch this YouTube video to see how the process works. It’s pretty simple.

3. Paper or Plastic Shopping Bags

It’s easy for the number of shopping bags to fill up your trash can. While you don’t need to keep all of them (consider donating them), it’s smart to keep a few to reuse them for other purposes. For instance, plastic shopping bags make great trash bags for waste baskets.

4. Electronics

Electronics are also something you probably shouldn’t just throw in the trash. Sometimes people throw out perfectly good electronics because a newer model came along. If your electronics are in decent condition, consider finding a place to recycle them instead of letting them go to waste in a landfill. Earth911 has a directory of places that will take used and unwanted electronics.

5. Shoe Boxes

These boxes are really just boxes, after all. They make great storage containers. Of course, if you have dozens upon dozens of shoe boxes lying around, go ahead and get rid of them. But before you do, see if you can use them for a different purpose. Because of their shape, they’re easy to stack and store. Some people also keep their shoe boxes so they can put their shoes back inside to make for easier storage.

6. Torn Clothing

It’s easy to want to discard clothing with imperfections. But if you have torn clothing that is easily mended, don’t toss it into the trash. Instead, invest in some thread and a needle and begin sewing. Or, if you’re not that handy with sewing materials, drop it off with a friend. Heck, even consider paying a tailor if it’s a quality garment.

7. Food Jars

Like a couple of the other items on this list, food jars are something you should consider reusing. After you clean them, they can be great storage containers for loose spices, soup you want to freeze, or fruit or vegetables you want to can for later. They’re also great storage containers for other household items you want to keep in one place. Saving and washing old pasta jars or baby food jars will save you the money you would have otherwise spent on storage containers.

8. Scraps of Cardboard or Newspaper

While no one wants to keep a pile of cardboard or newspaper scraps, they may come in handy. If you like to go camping or have bonfires, newspapers are great to use to help start a fire. Old newspapers are also good if you’re planning on painting and don’t want to stain your furniture or floors. Cardboard is great to use to steady the back of picture frames, as well. There are plenty of uses you can find for these materials.

Embrace Minimalism: 10 Things You Should Donate Today

July 23, 2015 By Will Lipovsky 3 Comments

One beautiful aspect of minimalism is that you can help yourself while helping others. You can free yourself of overabundance while helping someone else. Sometimes in life, win-win opportunities really do arise. This post is about how to declutter your home through donations. We’ve even included a few unorthodox way of giving donations (especially numbers three and four):

1. Paper Shopping Bags

Paper shopping bags are a great item to donate. Often, donation centers will use them to organize small items they receive. Donation centers can also simply reuse them as shopping bags. A lot of charities also use paper shopping bags to store or deliver items, such as delivering boxed meals to the homeless.

If you visit a grocery store that still gives out paper bags, you probably have a couple hanging around your home. These paper shopping bags are great to use in your own home to store or carry things, but if you have an overwhelming amount of them, consider donating to a charity.

2. Cards

Have you ever bought a stack of greeting cards and then never used them? Maybe you have a couple boxes full of holiday, birthday, or thank you cards. You probably never thought about donating these items but a lot of non-profit organizations will happily take them off your hands. You may not use paper cards anymore but others still do.

3. Bone Marrow

If you’re someone who is incredibly generous and doesn’t mind undergoing surgery and a stay in the hospital, you could consider donating bone marrow. Bone marrow is the tissue found inside of human bones, contributing to 4% of a person’s total body mass. Bone marrow diseases can be fatal and patients often rely on bone marrow donations.

4. Plasma

Plasma is the largest component of human blood. It’s another resource you could donate to help save someone’s life. Plasma patients often suffer from such diseases as blood clotting, immune system deficiencies, hepatitis, liver or lung conditions, or bleeding disorders. This is another epic form of donating. It’s probably not something you would think of when trying to declutter your home.

5. Crutches or Prosthetic Limbs

There are organizations out there that will gladly accept lightly used or unused crutches, braces, wheelchairs, or prosthetic limbs. These are often donated to hospitals, healthcare centers, non-profits, or people who cannot financially afford such items. You might find it unusual to donate a prosthetic limb, but someone who receives it might be incredibly grateful.

6. Cars, Construction Equipment, or Agricultural Equipment

In this economy, most people are trying to sell their old cars or equipment. But if you have some you can’t get rid of that are still in working condition, there are non-profit organizations who will take them off your hands. For instance, Big Brothers Big Sisters has a Cars for Kids’ Sake program, asking for donated vehicles of any kind. Habitat for Humanity also accepts vehicle donations.

7. Coat Hangers

If you ever get your clothing dry-cleaned, you probably have a ton of hangers in your closet. If you have more hangers than clothing, consider donating the hangers. You can send them back to the dry-cleaners or you can offer them to a secondhand clothing store. Stores like that are always in need of coat hangers. Even just a few hangers help.

8. Writing Tools

Do you have a lot of pens, pencils, crayons, or markers lying around your home? Maybe some are leftover from your children or maybe you just have a habit of buying too many writing utensils. We’ve all had a surplus at some point. With the amount of technology we have today, most writing utensils can be donated. If you’re looking to get rid of them, you can donate them to places such as schools, day cares, community centers, or libraries. There are also plenty of charities that accept writing and drawing utensils for lower income communities. Some people may be really grateful.

9. Hotel Toiletries

Have you ever gone on vacation and packed away the small hotel toiletries in your luggage? Those toiletries are the perfect size for traveling. But sometimes you end up taking more of them home than you actually need. If you have a pile of them, donate some to a local shelter. They’ll be more than happy to accept them. Also consider donating fast food items.

10. Bedding and Towels

Do you have a lot of extra sheets or towels stuffed in a closet? Maybe some of them have a tear or are worn down enough that the colors have faded. Maybe the towels aren’t as fluffy as they once were. If they’re still in a decent condition, you can donate them to a homeless shelter. The sheets and towels that are worse off can be donated to an animal shelter. Please make sure that any sheets you donate to a homeless shelter are either new or lightly used, and that if they’re used, they’ve been washed.

Remember when donating to ask yourself, “Would someone else want this?” Don’t ask yourself, “Would I want this given to me?” A lot of people end up throwing stuff away just because they don’t think of things from someone else’s perspective. Another person will want what you don’t.