Don't Throw Out That Plastic Bag

Plastic grocery bags may be the bane of the modern kitchen - what to do with them? Recycle? You have to remember to take them with you! Throw them out? And suffer the twangs of guilt. Reuse them? But, really... there are only so many you can use.

Does it seem like they multiply silently every night? Do they crawl out of their storage area and explore strange corners? Here's help. You can use every last one of them and be looking for more. (Don't go shopping just to get them, though!)

Use plastic bags for containers

Containers for what? Dirty laundry, wet diapers, produce from the garden, weeds from the lawn. Books from the library, litter from the litter box, things to give away, things to throw away, things to hide away until Christmas. Use them to store small, alike items and hang them from hooks or nails. Use them to keep bigger items clean, like teddy bears and sweaters. Use them to haul food in containers for parties or when giving away leftovers after a family dinner. Set the food in the bottom tie up the handles and you have a carrier-to-go.

Plastic bags are perfect to protect from dirt and grime

Put some in the trunk of the car in case you have to change a tire. You can kneel on them and keep your good clothes clean. Use them also to protect the floor mats when it's rainy or muddy.

Plastic bags make great knee protectors when pulling weeds or working otherwise in the garden. Use the handles to tie them around your knees.

Put one on the counter or table when you're peeling potatoes or other vegetables to catch the peelings. When you're through, gather up the whole thing and toss it - no guilt.

Cover your shoes with them when you weed-eat, or have to walk through wet grass or muddy areas. Use plastic bags to keep your feet dry when your shoes or boots leak. Put one on each foot over your socks.

Still have plastic bags? Make something with them! Plastic bags can be crocheted or knitted into rugs for doorways, kitchens, bathrooms or wherever you need one. Use any pattern and substitute plastic bag strips for the yarn. It's sturdier than it seems and wears well.

Cut the handles and bottoms from plastic grocery bags, then cut loops about an inch wide from the body. Tie these together to make one continuous strand and wind into a ball. You can join them rubber band style to make a slightly smoother strand. Slip the end of one loop through another loop, then pull that end back through the first loop and pull taut. Continue until you have a long strand.

You can use plastic bags and a wire hanger to make seasonal wreaths. Choose the bags according to the season: red and/or green for Christmas, orange and/or brown for autumn, etc. Logos and lettering won't be noticeble as such, so use that part, too. Cut loops as before, then cut the loops in two or more pieces, depending on how big you want the wreath.

Fashion the wire hanger into a circular shape with pliers, leaving the hook for hanging. Begin tying the plastic bag strips onto the hanger, pushing them together closely. When the hanger is completely covered, trim it to shape, then attach decorations with thread or glue. For Christmas, a big red bow (made of another plastic bag!) might be enough decoration.

Ok, so what's Halloween without a few ghosts? Cut three equal squares from white plastic bags. Take two of them and wad them up and place them in the center of the third. Bring the corners together and tie a piece of yarn or string around the center tissues to make a head. With a marker or pen, make a couple of eyes. Make a dozen or two.. they're happy to peek from under a plate on the table, hang from the chandelier, or be pinned to the curtains.

Again, using white grocery bags and permanent markers, you can make larger decorations. Turn them upside down, cut off the handles, then cut equal strips about half way up (like a fringe). Gather the top half, stuff it lightly with more plastic bags and tie it with a string, then hang it from the porch or a tree limb.

That's just the tip of the iceberg. There are many, many things you can do with plastic bags. Just keep your eyes and your mind open to what they really are - raw material for your imagination!

And if you run out, don't look for me. I used all mine already.