10 Ways to Re-Use a Plastic Milk Jug

Every other Thursday I would like to have a sort of top ten list here at Household Cents. A list that has to do with recycling/re-using a household item in interesting, useful and creative ways. Here is my first list:

 10 Ways to Re-Use a... Plastic Milk Jug

1. Poke holes in the bottom of it, fill it with water and use it to water your garden/flowers/plants.



2. Cut the bottom off and use the top to cover your seedlings in your garden. My mother-in-law does this in her garden. She says it protects the little plants and acts as a sort of greenhouse (above is a pic of one of the many of her little "greenhouses").

3. Put in your toilet tank to reduce the amount of water used with every flush.  (My hubby says to make sure you have water or rocks or something in the milk jug to weigh it down.)

4. Rinse well and fill it with water. Let it sit uncovered for a day or two. Use this water to give your house plants a drink. My mom swears that her plants do better on this day-old water. I'm not sure why...

5. Fill 2/3 full with water and freeze. Store them in your freezer to keep it full. A full freezer doesn't need to run as often or work as hard as a freezer that is only half full or less. Plus, if the electricty goes out, all those frozen ice jugs will aid in keeping the food frozen longer.

6. Cut a slot near the top for putting coins in and use it as a "piggy bank". If it is for your kids, let them decorate it, too.

7. Cut in half. Both halves make great sandbox toys.

8. Cut the bottom off and use the top part as a funnel for lots of different things: sand in a sandbox (see #7), food in the kitchen, changing the oil in your vehicle, etc.



9. Cut it like the above picture and use it as a scoop. This type of scoop works great for kitty litter, dog food, bags of bulk foods (such as grains or flour), birdseed, etc.

10. An empty milk jug makes a great dog toy. My mom's dog LOVES to play with them.


Phew....I came up with 10 of them. Got any more ideas for re-using a milk jug?