25 Greatest New Uses for Old Things From 25 Years of REAL SIMPLE
Finding clever new uses for old things around the home is something we’ve got down to a science. For years, REAL SIMPLE magazine has run the column “Simple Twists,” which features a random item around your house—like a paper towel roll or cereal box—and finds a new use for it. Now for our 25th anniversary, we’re going back into the archives and pulling out our most favorite twists that have made your lives simple throughout the decades.
Sunny Eckerle
Use Tights to Corral Gift Wrap
Because people rarely finish a roll in a single wrapping session! Cut off a leg from an old pair of tights and slide it over the roll to keep the paper from ripping or unfurling during storage. Note: This also works well for that rolled-up print you’ve been meaning to frame.
Use Eggshells to Fertilize Soil
Your favorite fern wants your eggshells! (They contain calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium.) The next time you make an eggy breakfast, rinse out the shells and set them aside. When they’re fully dry, stash them in an airtight container until you’ve amassed a small collection (about 18 eggs’ worth). Then grind them into a fine powder in a blender, sprinkle them on the soil around your plant, and watch it flourish.
Use a Tennis Ball to Clear Up Scuff Marks
Those streaks on your floor are about to meet their match. Use eraser to scrub away the scuff. The best part: This little trick is safe on hardwood, tile, and all other kinds of flooring.
Use a Penny to Check Your Tire Treads
Turns out, Abe Lincoln can tell you how your tires are doing. Insert a penny into a groove of your tire with his head pointing inward. If part of his noggin is covered by the ribs (the raised portions), you’re good to go. If you can see his entire dome, you should get new wheels. The distance between the rim of a penny and Lincoln’s head is a 16th of an inch—the ideal minimum tread depth.
Sunny Eckerle
Use an Empty Toilet Paper Roll to Vacuum Tiny Crevices
For a tool that’s even narrower than the crevice attachment that came with your vac, grab a cardboard toilet paper roll. Slip one end over the hose and crush the other end to fit inside, say, window frames, your car’s console, or the spaces between your hardwood floorboards.
Use a Fitted Sheet to Cover a Picnic Table
A twin-size sheet fits nicely over most picnic tables, giving you a clean, splinter-free surface. And, yay, the elastic band will keep it from blowing around in the wind.
Use a Paper Straw to Pack a Necklace
Prevent chains from becoming a knotted, jumbled mess when you’re traveling. Just thread one end of a delicate necklace through a straw and clasp it closed. For extra-long chains, string together more straws; you can always cut them down to the length you need.
Use a Pillowcase to Dust a Ceiling Fan
After one too many accidental dust showers, we’ve become big fans of this idea. Slide an old pillowcase over a fan blade. With it clamped between your hands, slowly drag it off to remove—and contain!—dust and grime. Repeat for each blade. Give the pillowcase a shake outside before washing.
Sunny Eckerle
Use Tension Rods to File Baking Sheets
The best way to store baking sheets: upright. Empty out a cabinet (or at least one side) and install two tension rods vertically—one near the back of the cabinet and one parallel to it, near the door. Repeat as needs to add more sections. This way, you can file your baking sheets (and cutting boards, cooling racks, and muffin tins) side by side and simply pull out what you need. No more precarious stacks!
Use a Toothpick to Keep Packing Tape Ready to Go
A lost or shredded edge on a roll of packing tape is something we wouldn’t wish on our worst enemy. The fix is in. After each use, stick a toothpick under the loose end. The next time you reach for it, you’ll be able to easily pick up where you left off.
Use Clear Nail Polish to Rustproof Shaving Cream Cans
Paint a thin layer of clear nail polish around the bottom of your metal shaving cream can. Why? The lacquer protects the can from water that can corrode the metal. That’s one less ring in the bathtub to scrub!
Use a Bobby Pin to Hold a Small Nail
Save your fingers and call in a helper! When trying to hammer a too-tiny-to-grip nail, slide it through a bobby pin. Hold the end of the clip and you’ll keep your thumb at a safe distance.
Sunny Eckerle
Use an Emery Board to Revive Suede
Scuffed up your blue suede shoes? Gently rub an emery board across the fabric, working in the direction of the grain. This little cheat can remove stains too.
Use Rubber Bands to Straighten Wobbly Tapers
Tilted tapers are a serious fire hazard. To straighten them out, wrap a rubber band around the base of the candle, the way you’d put a hair tie around a ponytail. This should fill the gap between your taper and the holder (the likeliest cause of the lean) while providing some extra nonslip grip. If there’s still a tilt, add another rubber band until the taper stands tall.
Use a Coffee Filter to Clean a Mirror
Unlike paper towels or rags, a coffee filter won’t tear or leave lint behind as you clear up glass or mirrors. Spritz, swipe, shine!
Use an Empty Tissue Box to Hold Plastic Bags
It seems like every household in America has a plastic bag filled with more plastic bags. (Yes, even in 2025.) Ditch that messy, bulky system and employ an empty tissue box. It makes for tidy, one-at-a-time dispensing and saves space.
Use a Wine Bottle to Water Plants While You’re Away
If you’re going on a trip, find some time to drink a bottle of wine before you leave (you can do it!) and rinse it out. Fill the bottle with water, replace the cork, and hammer a nail through it to create a small hole. Remove the nail and place the neck of the bottle in the soil at a slight angle. Water will drip slowly out and hydrate your plant.
Use Banana Peels to Dust Leaves
Dust is not only bad for you, it can be bad for your plants too. When it covers the leaves, it can reduce light absorption, inhibiting photosynthesis. About once a month, treat your waxy plants—like elephant ears, snake plants, and fiddle-leaf figs—to your morning banana. After you’ve eaten the banana, rub the inside of the peel along the leaves to pick up dust and make the leaves nice and shiny. Don’t worry: Your living room won’t end up smelling like bananas.
Use Salt to Extend a Candle’s Burn Time
You know that pricey, amazing-smelling candle you save for special occasions? What if we told you there was an off-label way to make it last longer so you can enjoy it on a regular old Tuesday? Next time, after you blow out the flame, sprinkle a pinch of table salt into the pool of wax (avoid the wick). Mix the salt into the liquid with a toothpick, then let the wax harden as normal. This can slow down the rate at which your wax melts, resulting in a slightly longer burn time.
Use a Warm Glass to Soften Butter Quick
Need room temperature butter stat? Grab a tall glass, fill it with hot water (as hot as your faucet will go), and let it sit for about five minutes, getting nice and toasty. Then dump the water, stand a stick of butter on its end on a plate, and place the warmed glass over it, upside down. This will create a steamy, sauna-like situation, softening your butter in just a few minutes.
Use a Slice of Bread to Keep Soft Cookies Fresh
If you’re mailing boxes of treats to loved ones, consider adding bread to the airtight containers. Weird? Maybe! But the bread slices will transfer their moisture to the cookies, keeping them from drying out and getting superhard. White bread is your best bet, as it won’t transfer any flavor to your creations. To make it festive, use cookie cutters to stamp out fun shapes, like stars or snowflakes. Oh, and just let us know if you need our address.
Use a Potato and Salt to Restore Rusty Cast-Iron Skillets
Potatoes can turn into french fries, power a clock (remember middle school science class?), get carved into custom stamps for art projects, and yep, remove rust from your skillets. First cover the trouble spots with a thin layer of salt. Then cut the potato in half and scrub in a circular motion. Its oxalic acid will help dissolve and lift up the rust so it can be rinsed away. Is there anything potatoes can’t do?!
Use a Rubber Band to Open Stubborn Jars
Raise your hand if you’ve ever waged (and lost) a battle with a pickle jar. Yep, thought so. Skip the struggle and wrap a wide rubber band around the lid. The elastic will help you get a good grip and provide a bit more cushioning for your hands. Twist the lid and prepare to be wowed by your own strength. Then crush that kosher dill.
Use Coffee Grounds to Deodorize Fridge
If you’re anything like your parents (or grandparents, or great-grandparents), you likely have a box of baking soda perched inside your refrigerator to absorb funky smells. We have another idea: Swap that box with a bowl of used, dried-out coffee grounds. The pantry staple works as a natural air freshener thanks to its odor-eliminating nitrogen. And you were just gonna throw those grounds out anyway, right?
Use Ice to Fix Dents in Carpets
Let’s say you’ve decided to rearrange all the furniture in your living room (the cheapest way to update a space!). There’s just one problem: The sofa, coffee table, and accent chairs have left little footprints in your cushy area rug. Add a small ice cube to each dent and let them melt. Get on the floor and use your fingers to zhuzh up the fibers. Then admire your redesigned room! It looks great!
