Reinventing The Wheel: Old Stuff With A New Use

Is your backyard filled with tons of old stuff? Where do you stash all the broken household items or instruments, furniture, boxes, tires, and other stuff? If you can’t seem to get rid of all the useless stuff you’ve accumulated over the years there’s a much better solution – turn them into something useful and interesting again. Many people get sentimentally attached to certain objects and never want to throw them away. If you recognize yourself in the last sentence, don’t worry. Here are a few great solutions to make use of old stuff without putting a big dent in the wallet. Besides, it’s all about being creative and having fun.

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Personal bar
If you have an old locker you don’t use it’s probably just a matter of time before it gets eaten by moss and all those bugs that eat through the wood without you even noticing it. You can be creative and empty the locker and put it to another use by simply placing the liquor bottles on the shelves. This way, you get to have your own bar that you might have always wanted, and by closing the locker door, you keep the hot air from going inside, thus keeping the liquor in dark and cool place.

Accessories hanger
Rakes can be put to great use as hangers for various items. You can hang your jewelry on them, or your hats, scarfs, bracelets, glasses, the options are endless. Your accessories will be at a nice visible place, and you’ll always know where to look for them. And the best of all, they’re super easy to set up. Just clean and polish the rakes, you can repaint them if needed, and hang them on a nail in your room. If you like small stuff sitting around it might as well be organized.

Your own library
If you have lots of vintage wooden crates you can make better use of them by using some screws and a bit of imagination. Screw few of them together into “L” shape, and stack them on each other. Make a small pyramid, and face them towards you. This way, each of them will have a dent inside of it, where you can place books, magazines, or simply anything that has to be stored.

Ottoman
Do you have a spare car tire? You can turn it into an ottoman in a few easy steps. Wash it thoroughly and once it’s clean, put 4 screws into a thin wooden plank (cut in a circle previously) by using a hand-drill. Then use a rope to cover it, by gluing the rope to the wood. Go in circles, and once you cover the top, head for the bottom part. Before you know it you’ll have a perfectly usable ottoman.

Swing
Another thing you can do with tires is to create a swing in your backyard. Simply attach it to a rope and hang the rope on a tree, or you can use a slightly more complicated method of attaching two chains on the sides of the tire and you will get a fully functional swing. Whatever you choose to do with old tires, just don’t dump them carelessly otherwise you are just adding to other peoples stuff sitting around.

Custom sitting chair / coffee table
Simple – stack one luggage case on top of another, and you’ve got yourself a great bedside table. Or, to make it a bit more complex, go to a local hardware store, and buy furniture legs. Attach them to the case, and you get a great coffee table, which can also be used to store some household stuff in it. Great for saving a lot of space, don’t you think?

There are so many things you can do with old stuff and a bit of imagination, these are just some of the ideas. If you have a lot of piled up stuff you don’t use, it’s surely better to give them a new purpose than just creating clutter in your home. Try to be a little creative with your stuff and you will find a solution for everything. Don’t turn into a hoarder and have so much stuff around that you can’t even see the floor of your home.

By: John Stone

Watch this video about more re-purposing ideas for your stuff: