21 ways to reuse plastic jugs and bottles at home

For small paint jobs, I find that a small paint roller works great with an old 4L plastic jug serving as a disposable roller tray. I just cut out part of the plastic to create a place to dip the roller. It even has a built-in carrying handle. — reader Fred Thies.

Check out these best-kept secrets of professional painters.

If you’re in need an easy to make disposable funnel, we have the perfect solution for you.

Simply cut off the handle from a large water (or milk) container, and use this to serve as a disposable funnel. This funnel will help you to drain anything from your leftover wood glue to the old oil in your leaf blower. This handle funnel will help you get to hard to reach places and small bottle openings. When using this funnel to drain old oil, it directs the oil to the drain pan without spilling a drop. It’s also smart to use this disposable funnel for messy projects because you can just throw it away once you are done. It’s so simple and effective!

My husband stumbled on this cheap, effective wasp trap. Cut the upper one-third off the top of a 2-litre plastic soft drink bottle with a utility knife. Pour a little soft drink into the bottom, then invert the top of the bottle and nest it inside the bottom part. Wasps are attracted to the sweet smell and find their way through the bottleneck but can’t find their way out. Eventually they get exhausted, fall into the water and drown. — reader J. Chamberlain

Nest no more – learn how to handle a wasp infestation.

Can’t find your twine to bundle that pile of recyclables? Try thi slick solution. Cut the bottom 10cm off a 2L plastic milk or orange juice container and load it with a fresh spool of twine that unwinds from the middle. Then thread the twine through the jug opening and tape the container back together. Cut an “X” in the cap with a utility knife to keep the twine from falling back into the jug.

You can drop some bucks buying storage totes for supplies like nails, screws and plumbing parts. Or you can make your own with laundry detergent jugs and a utility knife. They’re big, tough and mobile – and they’ll make your workshop smell nice.

Here are 16 more workshop storage solutions you’ve never thought of.

When there’s only a little bit of latex paint left in the can and I want to save it for touch-ups, I put a half-dozen marbles in an empty water bottle and pour in the leftover paint. When I’m ready to do a touch-up, I shake the bottle and the marbles mix the paint. A roll of tape with a rag draped over it helps hold the bottle steady while I pour the paint into it. Just be sure to use a funnel or you’ll have a mess on your hands. — reader Ron Hazelton

Learn 30 more thrifty painting tricks.

If you cut an empty 4L container about two-thirds down the bottom, you can create an effective enclosure to protect planted seeds and new shoots from birds and rodents, which is faster and more effective than trying to use sprays and traps. For busy gardens, get a marker and write the name of the plant on the jug so you know what’s growing beneath without needing to check your seed packets: Remember to eventually take the jugs off as shoots develop to avoid mould.

Here are 32 more cheapskate handy hints for the outdoors.

Here’s a fun little way to keep your screws, nails, nuts and electrical whatsits handy and neatly organised.

I’ve read many hints that advise the reader to cut off the tops of large plastic jugs and use them for funnels. I’ve found that if you replace the cap after cutting the top off, you can use the top for a scoop for handling potting soil, fertiliser or pet food. The no-scratch plastic also makes the jug/scoop ideal for bailing water out of your boat. — reader Ray Dean

For this scoop, we used an empty 2L milk jug and angled the cut so that the side opposite the handle is slightly longer, more like a scoop than a funnel. However, as Ray notes above, this scoop can also be used as a funnel by simply removing the milk jug cap. It helps to draw the cut line with a marker first, and then clean up any sharp or rough edges with the scissors after the initial cut.

When you have to move heavy furniture on carpeting, don’t just drag it around. That’s hard on carpet and you might damage the furniture legs. Make the job easier with these homemade moving pads. Cut the bottoms off four plastic water or milk jugs with a utility knife and rest each furniture leg on its own slider. The rounded, slippery bottoms make them perfect for furniture moving, and best of all, they’re free!

Discover 10 ways you’re arranging your furniture all wrong.