If you purchase your food storage in #10 cans, you may wonder what to do with all those empty cans besides recycling them. Here are ways to “upcycle” them, keep your kids busy doing something useful, and maybe save you some money along the way.
Uses for Used #10 Cans
- Store craft supplies, e.g., crayons, markers, pencils.
- Store shop supplies, e.g., hardware.
- Store yard supplies, e.g., sprinkler system parts.
- Store sewing supplies, e.g., trims, lace, ribbon, thread.
- Store small toys, e.g., Hot Wheels cars.
- Store toys with small parts, e.g., Legos.
- Store packets of vegetable seeds in the freezer.
- Drain machine oil into one.
- Melt wax in one for fire starters.
- Hold paint thinner while brushes soak.
- Hold lacquer thinner while parts soak.
- Make stilts using upside down empty cans.
- Make a toy drum by covering the opening with a lid, fabric, or leather.
- Decorate multiple cans and arrange for a bean bag toss game.
- Decorate for kitchen canisters.
- Decorate for a cookie jar.
- Decorate for a utensil crock.
- Decorate to hold an extra roll of tissue in the bathroom.
- Decorate to hold bathroom supplies, e.g., cotton balls, cotton swabs, floss.
- Put a slit in the plastic lid and use as a wipe dispenser.
- Decorate to use as a “treasure” chest.
- Decorate to use as a gift holder instead of using a gift bag.
- Use as a garbage can on your sewing table.
- Turn several on their side and line up on a desk shelf to use as organizers.
- Decorate for a candy jar.
- Use for target practice.
- Make luminaries.
- Make a rocket stove.
- Make a tin can stove.
- Make ice cream.
- Make a flower pot.
- Make a footstool.
- Make a bucket by attaching a twine or wire handle.
- Use as a bag holder for filling Ziploc bags.
- Mash in one end for a mylar bag funnel.
- Use as a barrier for invasive plants such as mint.
- Cut apart and flatten for shed roof shingles.
- Use as a scoop in animal feed or fertilizer.
- Use as a kitchen compost can.
- Use to hold an emergency car kit.
- Use as a personal “safe” by including it with other cans that contain food.
- Paint to use as holiday decorations – e.g. snowmen, pyramid stacked for Christmas tree, add antlers for reindeer, etc.
- Make a large homemade Sterno stove.
Here are some websites for more ideas:
https://artsycraftsymom.com
https://www.diyncrafts.com
https://sustainmycrafthabit.com
https://www.isavea2z.com
https://www.creatingreallyawesomefunthings.com
https://www.homemadehomeideas.com
https://simpleasthatblog.com
https://thecrazycraftlady.com
https://catholicsprouts.com
