9 Unusual Uses for Plastic Bottles

Don't throw away your old plastic bottles. Don't drop them off at a recycling location for cash either. Instead put those plastic bottles to use everyday in your house. When it comes to reusing old plastic bottles you can't go wrong with one of the following ideas.

1. Make camping luminaries. Cut the bottom off of a couple of 1 liter soda bottles. Take the cap off. Turn upside down and line with aluminum foil. Shove a stake or thick stick into the ground so that only a couple of inches stick out of the ground. Place the mouth of the bottle over the stake or stick and shove bottle neck into the ground. You should have at least one inch of the stake or stick that pokes up into the actual bottle. Spear a candle onto the stake or stick. Make sure it is extremely secure and light.

*Caution - If you do not line the bottle with aluminum foil it may catch on fire. If the candle is not secure on the stake or stick it may fall over and catch the whole thing on fire. Use plastic bottle luminaries to light pathways and add ambiance lighting around your campsite.

2. Gift Wrap. Clean and dry a 1 liter plastic bottle. Remove the label. Use craft paints or wrapping paper to cover the outside, including the cap. the idea is to completely cover the entire bottle. Cut the bottom off. Line the inside of the bottom piece with more paper or decorate with paint. Shove your gift inside. Use the bottom piece as a cap. Tape cap on and viola you now have a way to wrap small, strange shaped objects.

3. Place in toilet tank. Fill a 16.9 ounce water bottle half full of water. Place inside your toilet's water tank. Your toilet will not fill up as much and use less water.

4. Make a homemade sprinkler. use a leather punch, a knife or scissors and cut a ton of holes into a plastic bottle. A 1 liter size works best. Duct tape the end of a water hose to the mouth of the bottle. It will require a lot of duct tape to get it good and secured. Turn on the water and you have a homemade sprinkler.

5. Panty hose organizer. Cut the very top off of a regular Pepsi bottle off. Roll your panty hose up into balls. Shove into the bottle. Now you have a way to keep your panty hose organized. Plus they are easy to store this way, either in the fridge or the drawer.

6. Decorative artificial flower pots. Cut the tops off of water bottles. Cover the outside of the bottle with contact paper, wrapping paper, fabric, plastic paint or whatever your heart desires. Place a small styrofoam brick at the bottom or fill with colored marbles and stuff with artificial plant and flowers. Now you have a cheap and pretty vase.

7. Make a level. If you're trying to hang a shelf and don't have a level available try this trick. Fill a 16.9 ounce water bater partially full of water. Lay it on its side on the shelf. If your shelf is level the water level inside the bottle will be level. Use the water to indicate whether you need to raise up or lower a side of the shelf.

8. Build a raft. I don't know why anyone would want to build a raft with plastic bottles but it is possible. All you need is a 4 foot by 6 foot piece of plywood. A plastic shower curtain. Gorilla glue and a ton of 1 liter plastic soda bottles. simply glue bottles (with lids on) to one side of the plywood. Completely cover the area. Then glue another layer of bottles on top of the previous layer of bottles. Glue the plastic shower curtain to the other side of the plywood. You should now have a floating platform.

9. A strainer. Cut the top off of a 1 liter plastic bottle or milk jug. Use a knife or scissors to punch several good sized holes in the bottom. Now you can put fruit inside the bottle and use as a strainer to rinse them off in.