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Living Earth Day, Everyday. Tips to easily upcycle.

by Sashee Chandran

This year, the U.S. celebrates Earth Day on April 22nd, but at Tea Drops we try to live a eco-conscious life daily by re-purposing, recycling, and living as kindly as possible. Here are some of our favorite ways to re-use common household objects (including our beautiful paulownia wooden boxes)!

T-Shirts 
Once upon a time, I ordered $200 worth of plain adult t-shirts with lofty goals of decorating them and selling them at a local craft fair. Well, let's just say, about a month ago, I came upon a large box full of more plain t-shirts than I will ever have a use for and so I got creative on ways to give them a second, well-deserving life. I cut them up and used them as shop towels for projects like painting and love using them as rags when I clean. I absolutely loathe seeing my paper towel rolls dwindle down, knowing that I waste a ton of paper towels everyday mopping up messes and tidying windows and floors. There is something incredibly satisfying about dirtying a cloth and then being able to throw it in the wash to re-use again when it's clean and new. (Also, if you're a parent, and old t-shirt yields a pile of re-usable face wipes that are soft enough for baby's delicate skin.)

Jeans
From cute cut-offs to gardening shorts, to sturdy quilts and handbags, jeans are a versatile and wonderful base for up-cycling purposes! Check out this tutorial for an adorable and functional denim bag using old jeans. Here's another DIY for slippers made out of jeans.

Tea Drops Wood Boxes to Planters

While both our cardboard boxes and wood boxes are compostable, our wooden boxes are wonderfully re-purposeable being both lightweight and sturdy. Our favorite reincarnation of these containers is as a tabletop planter box. It looks modern and sleek with succulents lined up inside. Click here for even more ideas!

Socks 
Finally! A solution for lone socks. Keep one in the bathroom to use as a toilet rag and then toss! Here is another great tip for parents: wrap it around kids' cups to help buffer them from drops and falls.

Toothbrushes
Old toothbrushes make excellent precision scrubbers for everything from knives to sink drains after a quick cleaning in the dishwasher. Imagine the time you will save using those bristles on stubborn food crammed into inconvenient places. 

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