Great Hunt: Breathing new life into otherwise worthless items for use around the home

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Former_MSE_Joanne
Former_MSE_Joanne Posts: 113 Forumite
edited 6 January 2015 at 11:48AM in In my home (includes DIY) MoneySaving
We want to tap MoneySavers' collective knowledge on ways you've turned things you no longer need and can't sell (think CD racks, cassette tapes, items you've ripped out of a property you're fixing up, etc) into useful things you use around your home or perhaps even pieces of furniture.
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  • knitowl
    knitowl Posts: 1 Newbie
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    We have a local charity (Refurb) that will collect for free any furniture and household goods. They provide employment and training to adults with disabilities to recycle and refurbish the goods which are then sold at nominal prices to people on benefits. So a win win for on several fronts. psychological the council charges £25+ to take away unwanted large household goods
  • charityshopaddict
    charityshopaddict Posts: 3 Newbie
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    My dad has recently used an old wall mounted CD rack with a couple of the shelves removed by the front door as a small shelving unit.... he puts his hat and gloves in one section, and uses another for a letter rack! Its great!
  • fatpiggy
    fatpiggy Posts: 388 Forumite
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    MSE_Joanne wrote: »
    We want to tap MoneySavers' collective knowledge on ways you've turned things you no longer need and can't sell (think CD racks, cassette tapes, items you've ripped out of a property you're fixing up, etc) into useful things you use around your home or perhaps even pieces of furniture.



    Ooh, what a cheek! I have CD racks, full of yes, CDs. I don't own an MP3 player or whatever they are called and don't want to. Many of my CDs come from charity shops and the racks were a fiver each from Ebay. As an amateur musician, I like to practice my orchestral part against a CD.
  • alahol2
    alahol2 Posts: 62 Forumite
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    I'm a bit of a DIYer and amateur wood worker so any old furniture gets carefully taken apart and any reasonable bits of wood stored in the garage, hanging from the eaves. Wood is surprisingly expensive to buy for small tasks.
  • Furrball
    Furrball Posts: 9 Forumite
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    This tips is only really useful if you're thinking of having an 80's or music-themed party... I used a load of old cassette tapes to create bunting for a party, threading them onto some ribbon. I also made stacks of 4 or 5 tapes, tied them together and used them as balloon weights. It all looked really good, kept the cassettes out of landfill and apart from the ribbon, was completely free!
  • manda1205
    manda1205 Posts: 2,366 Forumite
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    charityshopaddict wrote: »
    My dad has recently used an old wall mounted CD rack with a couple of the shelves removed by the front door as a small shelving unit.... he puts his hat and gloves in one section, and uses another for a letter rack! Its great!

    I did exactly the same thing just before Christmas. :) It was easy enough to pull out the internal CD rack bit, then I just turned it on its side and it sits on the side as you walk in our back door, to house my peg basket and dog lead. I've also done it to another one but have yet to find a spot for it.
    Pinterest is great for finding upcycling ideas, I could spend hours searching through it....
  • keanufan
    keanufan Posts: 15 Forumite
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    I was getting a new fridge freezer & the delivery company were to take the old one away, before they did I took the freezer drawers out. They now have a place in the shed on the shelving racks & hold loads of small items that would usually fall off the shelves.
  • poisondwarf3
    poisondwarf3 Posts: 6 Forumite
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    I have an old wood freestanding cd rack H170cm W16cm D24, with a few extra shelves added it makes an excellent wine rack
  • TINT_2
    TINT_2 Posts: 3 Newbie
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    updated our bathroom,we use the old shower curtain over the car windscreen when it is frosty,saves a bit of time and only have to defrost the side windows now.
  • gloriouslyhappy
    gloriouslyhappy Posts: 596 Forumite
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    Before throwing out a broken electric fan, I removed the two mesh guards, flattened the clips with a hammer, sprayed them gold with non-tox paint, and turned them into fruit bowls. Kept one which I still use, filled the other with fruit and sweets, tied it up in cello with a pretty bow, and it was second prize in a charity raffle.
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