10 Ways Paper Bags Are Handy (or Just Plain Cool) All Over the House
You'll want to remember these next time you hear "paper or plastic?"
1. Craft a Basket - It looks like a pricey wicker piece, but shh! You got it for free (plus labor) at the grocery store! A yogurt container makes up the base, but the woven trappings are all rolled paper bags.
2. Refinish your floors with a paper bag and a lot of "know-how". We used a water-and-glue mixture to adhere torn pieces of the paper bags to her floor, and then covered the finished product with sealant.
3. Dryout Clothes - Got a puddle jumper in your house? Then our friends at Woman's Day recommend stocking up on the paper bags. Scrunched up, the paper will absorb excess water, helping soggy shoes or wet sleeve dry faster and retain their shape.
4. Update Thrifted Furniture - For a finish mimics polished hardwood (but has a little more DIY personality), this blogger used wood glue to slab paper bag pieces on this vanity's top.
5. Ripen fruit faster - place fruit in a paper bag for 2-3 days to speed up the ripening
6. Clean Playing Cards - Oily hands and snack stains got your poker night down? Our home care expert Heloise likes this shake-and-clean trick: Place the cards in a paper bag along with a few tablespoons of cornstarch or flour. Give 'em a shake, and then wipe clean with a paper towel.
7. Protect Breakables: Resurrect this timeless trick when you're in the midst of a move or packing up holiday dinnerware: Instead of newsprint (which can be quite messy), use paper bags to keep things safe.
8. Make a Wreath: cut bags into leaf shapes and then glue to a foam wreath.
9. Remove wax stains: a warm iron over a paper bag will draw wax out of carpet or clothing.
10. If you are old enough, you'll remember this one: Cover a textbook and then decorate.
