I just made a discovery and have got to share it. I have been wishing for a gadget to hold my Zip Lock Freezer Bag open while I fill it. I thought about the tin can and went to my recycling bin and pulled out a 28 oz. Hunt's Tomato can.
I cut the bottom out, washed it good and gave it a try. It works great and makes putting stuff in the bag much easier. It fits perfectly down into the quart size bag and can be used on the gallon size bag also. This can will go in my utility drawer now.
By Betty from NC
What are some frugal, creative and/or crafty uses for tin cans?
Peel the labels off and smash 'em flat - 8 or so. Using an awl, punch a hole in each one. Take a larger can - coffee can or large vegetable can - fill with ice and freeze. Then in the rim of this can, punch a hole for each smashed can - space your holes equidistant along the rim. Punch another hole in the center of the can bottom. Now spray all the cans with clear rustoleum to keep them from rusting. Thread fishing line through the holes in the large can and tie knots to hold them in place. Thread the other end through the hole in the smashed can - one can per string - and knot. Finally, thread a button onto another length of fishing line and knot. Pass this thread through the hole in the middle of the can bottom, and hang. Un-canny windchimes. My kids did these and painted the large can with geometric designs. Great for mother's/father's day.
You can also cover 6 cans (same size) with wallpaper or contact paper, stack them in a pyramid (3 on bottom, then 2, then 1 on top) and glue them in place - use as a desk organizer. Make one with larger cans for a mail sorter. Can stand on the bottoms, or on the side.
You can also make a carry-along organizer with three equal-size cans (coffee or large veggie work best) and a wooden handle - cans are screwed into handle. Basically, the handle is cut from plywood, and extends deep wnough so the cans can be screwed on, three to a side, with open ends up toward the handle for carrying. Looks sort of like the carriers they have for cleaning supplies. Directions for this are on makestuff.com, or family.com. GReat for gardening stuff.
Make luminaries - an oldie, but a goodie! Fill cans with water and freeze. Use a nail and hammer, or an awl, to make holes in the cans in a pattern that you like - initials, hearts, stars, hex signs, etc. If the ice starts to melt, stop and refreeze. When the design is finished, thaw and empty water. Place a small candle inside. Voila!
Also, make buddy burners and buddy burner ovens for camping - see www.justpeace.org/buddyburner.htm for directions.
You can cover them in either fabric or paper or paint them and use them for pencil, pen holders next to the phone and computer !
You can use them to pot plants in !
You can make them into lanterns. punch holes in a pattern around the sides then put a candle inside make a wire handle and hang outside in the garden or around the patio for a lovely effect. - Sherrie from Western Australia !
Use a really large tin to make a child's drum stretch some strong fabric over the top and glue and tie very tightly ! can either decorate the tin with paint or leave silver ! if you use wet fabric when it dries it will be tighter ! - Sherrie
I had a really nice pencil holder made from a vegetable can. The relative had taken Reader's Digest pages and rolled them diagonally into tubes. They were rolled around a pencil so all the tubes were the same size. When the tubes were rolled, they were taped and cut to the height of the can. Then glued on the can.
She then took some colored laundry cord and cut short pieces, probably about 1 to 1 1/2 inches long and used the cord to connect two of the tubes. It gave the pencil holder a fancy look and made the top and bottom stronger. It really was very pretty. Because the pages were rolled diagonally just the colors showed not the actual pictures.
Take the labels off, fill with water and freeze. When frozen punch hole in whatever design desired with an ice pick or tool used for punching holes. When water is emptied, dry can, fill bottom with sand, set a tealight candle into sand. Makes a nice luminary for your porch. If you have a lot of cans, use them to outline the driveway for a party. - Lisa - NPR,FL
Cut an x in the bottom of A #10 can and push the points up.Then place A pipe over the hole.Then fill with sawdust and pack tightly. You can then pull the pipe out,wad some paper up and stick it in the hole.Light it & it will burn hot for A long time.
How do you use tin cans other than recycling them. Ideas can include craft ideas or anything else you can think of. Please specify type or size of can.
I wash them out thoroughly so as not to attract unwanted critters, and then store a few for when I need to discard cooking oil from pan frying or deep frying. I pour the cooled oil into a can, then I stuff a couple napkins into it, close the lid (which I usually keep attached to the can), and place it in my trash. I've found this to be the best way to discard oil in the least messy way. Other than that, I recycle them. Thanks for a great newsletter!!!
Here's a few ideas for re-using coffee cans, large or small sizes.
An empty coffee can makes a great container for collecting kitchen sink-side compost. When it's full, take it out to the compost bin, and dump it. Then rinse it in the dishwater and keep using it.
At work we have 2 large empty coffee cans by the coffee machine to save the used grounds. A few gardeners take the used grounds home for their plants.
Empty coffee cans are great organizers for the workbench area to hold nails, screws, and small items.
A large empty coffee can is good for holding clothespins. Thread a wire hanger through two drilled holes in the can and hang the can from the clothesline while you are hanging clothes.
Coffee cans make great planters for outdoors or indoors. Just drill drainage holes in the bottom. Paint or decorate the cans. Wire a few together -- in groups of 3 would be nice -- for a larger planter.
Use wire to hang the planters over a railing or a fence. Attach heavy cord to make hanging planters.
Laid on their sides and glued, wired, or duct-taped together in a stacked pyramid, coffee cans make a cute shelving/storage system for a desk or workbench top. Paint and decorate the cans as well.
Decorated coffee cans work well for storing dry bulk ingredients in the pantry, such as rice, oats, and beans.
Keep your garden seeds stored -- nice and dry -- in an empty coffee can.
Stack and duct-tape 2 large cans on top of each other. Make two of these and lay a board on top for an instant shelf. Paint everything to match.
You can bake bread in the oven using coffee cans as the bread pans.
I have even read that footstools can be made from coffee cans joined together and then covered with fiberfill and cloth.
Only your imagination can limit you from finding MANY more uses for coffee cans.
Ness, co-list mom of Waste Nothing discussion group
Sometimes we buy spaghetti sauce that comes in tall cans. I usually cut out the other end on them and put them around tall plants like amaryllis. I use regular sized cans around shorter plants like overgrown pansies bought at end of season sales.
Now I have a question. Does anybody have any ideas how to use those silver cardboard peanut cans? We like peanuts but cutting those things up to recycle the parts separately is a pain.
- Linne Dodds
You can make a Can FootStool. You will need 7 large juice cans, 2 yards of material and quilt batting. Full directions can be found at the link below.
- Peggy Hoehne
Contributing Editor - Household Tips
www.suite101.com/
I am going to be using tin cans from veggies and such for some crafts, and I can't seem to get the glue from the wrappers off, I was wondering if anyone had any ideas on what to use that is very inexpensive to buy?
Remember making these when we were young? This is a great indoor craft to do when it's too cold or raining outside for the little ones to play.
Take your empty can and rinse it out with soap and water. Let air dry. Find anything you're not using and cover the front. I used juice pouches to match the purse.
The photo does not do this project justice, but it's an organizer that is very easy to make, uses materials you already have on hand, is very nice to look at, and best of all will help your kids keep their things in order.
One of the ways I recycle is by burying my steel cans in my garden, I leave the bottoms on and I bury them about 12 in. deep open side up. I fill the canned with compost and then plant above it.
I would just like to have you post the following in response to the recipes I have seen here that call for using empty food cans that are on this site:
I make a lot of homemade bread so I buy flour in bulk. To make measuring easier I keep a mandarin orange can in my flour container. It measures 2 cups and has grooves inside at the 1/2 and 1 cup level.
