I’m talking about newspaper, of course. There are quite a few things you can do with a newspaper after you’ve scanned the headlines. Here are a few of my favorite.
1. Keep the weeds at bay. Apparently, weeds can’t penetrate wet newspaper. The next time you have some planting to do, lay down sheets of newspaper around your plants and wet it thoroughly before applying a top layer of mulch.
2. Clean windows. Crumpled newspaper cleans glass better (and much cheaper) than paper towels. Save yourself even more money by making a homemade cleaning solution of vinegar and water. And no, ink will not rub off on the glass, but do be careful that it doesn’t run onto window frames or walls.
3. Birth day gift. Not a birthday gift — a birth day gift. Keep a local or national paper printed on the day of your child’s birth or for a friend or family member’s new baby. I have one fore each of my boys and I know they will enjoy reading through them when they’re older.
4. Reusable bag. If you have a few spare minutes and some patience, make a reusable or gift bag from a newspaper. Check out this cool tutorial for instructions.
5. Odor eater. Newspapers absorb odors. Place a stack in a smelly shoe closet, your refrigerator or in a cooler to prevent stinky-cooler-syndrome.
Photo by Hamed Saber.
Love the newspaper bag tutorial!