After consuming your favorite mineral water or soft drink, what do you usually do with its plastic bottle? Do you mindlessly toss it in the trash, contributing to environmental pollution and resource wastage?
Instead of disposing of your plastic bottles irresponsibly, why not repurpose them for various household applications?
There are several handy ways to reuse plastic bottles in your daily routine. In the kitchen, you can use clean plastic bottles to store rice, preventing pests from contaminating your grains. Additionally, you can convert plastic bottles into utensil holders or small planters for herbs and spices.
Here’s a lesser-known tip for using plastic bottles: insert a metal scrubber into an empty plastic bottle.
Metal scrubbers are essential kitchen tools for removing stubborn grime from pots and pans. However, they can be hazardous to your fingernails when used barehanded, causing scratches and trapping dirt and grease on your skin. To alleviate this issue, simply insert your metal scrubber into a plastic bottle.
The process is straightforward. First, procure a plastic bottle and use scissors or a knife to cut off the top.
Next, use scissors or a sharp object to create two holes in the bottle cap. Alternatively, you can heat a nail and pierce the cap, which is a more convenient method.
Thread a piece of string or wire through the metal scrubber. Position the scrubber inside the cut-off bottle top, pass the string through the bottle’s mouth and the holes in the cap, and tie the ends of the string together. With these simple steps, you’ve created a protective holder for your scrubber. While cleaning, simply grasp the bottle cap handle. This prevents grease from staining your hands and protects your fingernails from the sharp metal bristles.
After use, simply rinse the metal scrubber and hang it to dry.
You can also repurpose the cut-off bottom of the plastic bottle as a trash container for your kitchen sink. It’s a simple process.
Take a nail, heat it up, and create several holes in the bottom of the bottle to allow water to drain. Punch two additional holes on the sides of the bottle to insert a hanger. Thread a piece of string or wire through the holes and tie it to create a loop. Now you have a miniature trash can. Attach a hook to the corner of your sink and hang the container from it. After each meal, you can discard food scraps into the container, and the water will drain through the holes while the solids are retained. A plastic bottle can accommodate more food waste than the usual sink strainer, preventing clogging. Simply remove the bottle, empty the contents into the main garbage bin, and rinse it clean.
If you don’t use it for food scraps, you can also use the bottom of the plastic bottle to store dishwashing tools (sponges, scrubbers, etc.).