Just because something is old or broken does not mean it has to be discarded. Most household things are subjected to extensive wear and tear and eventually gets worn out after some time. But we often have sentiment attached to these items, or we simply do not want to throw them out. Preserving damaged things and up-cycling them into something useful and beautiful is a great way to kill more than two birds with one stone. Firstly, you reduce your waste by recycling. Secondly, you get new and unique home décor items which you cannot buy from the market. Thirdly, you save money and contribute to sustainability with your creative ideas.
So let’s get started with some simple yet stunning DIY home décor recycling ideas right below.
1. Turn broken plates to wall decor
Having glass plates mean at least one of them will break every six months. Do not throw them out. Dishes with cracks glued together might not be a great fit for the dining table, but they look great on the wall. You can style them in many ways. If it has broken into too many pieces, you can create a small mosaic design in a blank frame and hang it up on the wall as well.
2. Turn old paint tins to plant pots
If you got paintwork done in your house in the recent past, you probably have leftover paint cans stashed in the storage. You can easily use them to grow small flower plants or cactus. You can get rid of the paint marks inside using hot vinegar and a paint scraper. Once the paint is off, fill the tins with soil, plant your saplings, and start growing your cute little garden. You can paint over the cans or keep them as it is for a more rustic look.
3. Turn broken ladders into towel holders
Big things like ladders are difficult to dispose of. So, if you have a broken ladder at home with a missing rung or balance issues, fret not. Tilt it across your bathroom wall and use its remaining rungs as towel and cloth holders. It would be quite an exciting and quirky addition in a space like bathroom, where opportunities of experimenting with décor are less.
4. Turn old CDs to tea and coffee coasters
No one really listens to CDs anymore. You can stream the songs and movies you so cautiously treasured in those disks, right on the internet. So what do you with the CDs then? Turn them into bright and colourful coasters. You can take any route to recycle them. You can straight up paint them with acrylic, or cover them up with canvas or denim cloth pieces, or go the extra mile to get them a crochet cover. In any case, they will look amazing on your tables and also save you the trouble of cleaning water stains.
5. Turn mason jars into tea light holders
Mason jars come into our house as containers of a wide variety of things. From skin care products to local honey to mousse cake sample you picked up from the new confectionery store. When the products are over, you can wash them clean and turn them into tea light and candle holders. You have to do nothing – just place the tea light or the candle inside the jar and you have got yourself a beautiful décor at no cost at all. You can add a strip of lace around the jar to refine it some more.
There are several other ways to recycle or up-cycle an existing household item and make it something better and more useful – old cardboard boxes into bathroom hampers, bed sheets with stains as a tapestry, old suitcases as pet beds, frames of broken mirrors as a hearth – the options are endless. The only things you will need are a few basic tools and a whole lot of creativity to pull this off.