11 Double Duty Uses For Everyday Household Items

We all love to multi-task, right? But what if we told you that you can with common household items? Below, check out 11 things you probably have around your house right now that you can use for other purposes.

Why go buy fancy shaving cream or weed killer when you can use products from your kitchen? Save time and money with the below, not to mention you’ll use natural products versus overly processed ones.

It’s a win-win for everyone, including your pocketbook.

1. Soda Can Tops Can Double Your Closet Space

Short on closet space? Well, save those soda can tops and use them at the base of your hangers’ hooks. If you’re in a super organized mood, you can even pair certain clothes together.

2. Parmesan Cheese Shakers

Don’t want to throw away your empty plastic Parmesan Cheese bottle? Then don’t. There are plenty of things you can do with it—like filling it with cornstarch, baking soda, laundry detergent, or water (for small plants).

3. Out Of Thread? Try Dental Floss

Yep, when you need to sew something and realize you’re out of thread, try your medicine cabinet and grab some dental floss instead. Easy, right?

4. Baby Powder To Untangle Necklaces

Isn’t it the worst when you’re running late and grab your favorite necklace to put on… but it’s all tangled? Well, not anymore. Just grab some baby powder and a pin, and it’ll be tangle-free in no time at all!

5. Zap Weeds With Vinegar

As you know, we love vinegar here at Simplemost, both apple cider vinegar and white vinegar, and now we discovered we can use it to get rid of pesky weeds, too. Personally, I HATE using pesticides—they’re bad for us, animals, and the air—so vinegar’s the perfect solution.

Just mix it with some lemon juice, salt, and a bit of dish soap and voilà, according to the Big Blog Of Gardening. Some people only use vinegar, but the blog says the addition of the other ingredients helps make the solution stick to the weeds more.

6. Wash Your Dog With Vinegar

Save some of that vinegar you used on the weeds for your dog! Not only will vinegar keep his or her coat shiny, but you can also use it to clean your dog’s ears—which will help prevent your pup from scratching them, too.

7. Clean Copper Pots These Items

Also, save some vinegar for your copper pots. But if you don’t, you can use other common household staples, too, like lemons, baking soda, or ketchup to clean your copper pots right up. Who knew, right?!

8. Shave Your Legs (Or Face) With Olive Oil

Yep, forget buying fancy shaving lotions and gels and head to your kitchen cabinet instead. Chris Inch swears by olive oil for shaving, and I’ve just become a fan, too.

9. Put Shower Caps On Your Shoes When Packing

I LOVE this idea—keep clothes from getting soiled by pack shoes with shower caps covering the soles. Genius!

10. Old Magazines Make Good Wrapping Paper

When I was growing up, my aunt used to wrap everyone’s Christmas gifts in old newspaper; I often enjoyed reading the outside of my gift before even seeing what my gift was. Other people use old magazines as wrapping paper, which is the colorful alternative (and won’t leave you with newsprint on your fingertips). You can check out some tips on how to do so at Monkey See.

11. Clean Your Toilet With Alka-Seltzer

Instead of using a standard toilet cleaner—which is full of chemicals, let’s face it—just drop a couple of Alka-Seltzer tablets into your toilet. Ten minutes later, come back and wipe away any toilet grime. Works every time!