Clever Uses for Old Newspapers

20 Reasons to Keep Old Newspapers

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Newspapers are known to pile up quickly. While they are recyclable you might want to hang on to some. Newspapers are very absorbent material making them very useful to have around the home. In fact using them around the home can save you money as they work well as an alternative to more expensive cleaning materials.

Here are some clever ways to use old newspapers around your home.

1. Disposable tablecloth. If you are eating messy foods such as lobster or watermelon, simply place food over lined newspaper. Once you have finished eating toss it away with the scraps.

2. Strain greasy foods. Line a plate and place fried foods such as potatoes to soak up excess cooking oil.

3. Ripen tomatoes. Individually wrap green tomatoes in pieces of newspaper, layer them in a box and put a lid on top. They will ripen up to a lovely red color. This also works with bananas, mangoes, and avacodoes.

4. Keep the produce drawer dry. Prevent rotting fruits or vegetables and foul-smelling produce drawers in the fridge by lining the drawers with newspaper. The paper will absorb any excess moisture. Once a week, toss the old paper and line the drawer with a fresh sheet.

5. Eliminate odors from the fridge. Spray a few sheets of newspaper with water, crumple them into balls and then tuck them into corners and drawers overnight to soak up bad smells. To prevent odors in the future, line your fridge drawers with newspaper and replace once a week.

6. Deodorize food containers. Stuff a balled up piece of newspaper inside, close the lid and leave overnight.

7. Clean windows. Using newspaper to clean windows works better than a cloth for preventing streaks. For even better results, use a vinegar and water solution instead of a chemical cleaner.

8. Clean up spills. Save some money on paper towels. The newspaper absorbs just as much.

9. Clean your oven. Don’t waste paper towels on cleaning up any residue in your oven. Instead wipe it up with a few sheets of moistened, crumpled paper.

10. Protect surfaces. Place some newspaper over tables and carpets while your little ones are painting.

11. DIY pinata. Using balloons as a form, cover with strips of newspaper dipped in a thin mixture of flour and water. Allow to harden. Insert a pin to pop the balloon. Make a small hole and decorate your form. Then fill with candy and treats.

12. Packing material. Newspaper is a great substitute for bubble wrap. To pack a box with fragile contents, first wrap the items individually. Place them in the box, separated by crumpled paper.

13. Help your shoes and handbags retain their shape by stuffing loosely wadded newspapers in them. This will also absorb bad odors making them a cheap deodorizing agent.

14. Dry wet shoes or boots. Stick crumpled newspaper in the shoes overnight and let it draw out the moisture.

15. Clean the barbecue. Turn off the barbecue and allow it to cool a little. Soak newspaper in water, lay the sheets over the warm barbecue grill, close the lid and leave for an hour or two. Then simply remove the paper and wipe the grill clean.

16. Germinate seeds for your garden. Spread seeds between damp sheets of newspaper.

17. Kill weeds. If weeds are a problem in your garden, cover the flower beds with newspaper and soak them with water. Then cover the paper with compost or mulch. Eventually the paper will smother the weeds, and the organic matter will help your garden flourish.

18. Add to a compost. Newspaper works well in balancing out the vegetables in your compost pile and also helps get the carbon/nitrogen mixture just right.

19. Animal bedding. Instead of purchasing expensive over-the-counter animal bedding for your hamsters, guinea pigs, or rabbits, just cut up newspaper. It’s safe and nontoxic, plus it’s inexpensive.

20. Kindling. Save newspaper to help you easily start a fire in a fireplace. You can also roll them up tightly and tie them up, making a fire log out of the newspaper.

Do you keep your old newspapers for other uses?