15 Unexpected Ways To Repurpose Empty Soda Cans In Your Home & Garden

You're probably already recycling your empty soda cans instead of tossing them in the trash, and that's great. You might even be reusing crushed soda cans as a potting trick to help your plants drain better, and that's good, too. But when you start delving into all the ways you can upcycle empty aluminum cans, that's when things really get interesting. From large-scale art projects to convenient little containers you can use around your home and garden, there are so many clever ways to repurpose soda cans and we've got 15 of them to inspire you.

Some things you'll want to have on hand if you decide to tackle projects that require cutting cans are scissors or a utility knife and work gloves to protect your hands from sharp metal. When tops need to be removed from cans, leaving the rims in place, you can easily do that with a hand-held can opener. Some of these projects don't require any cutting at all, though; a little paint or hot glue is all you'll need. And even if you're not very crafty, it's still fun to look at all the creativity others are putting into upcycling empty soda containers in fun and useful ways.

Soda can flowers mimic many shapes and forms, including roses, sunflowers, and daisies. They can be used in the original soda can colors, turned inside out for a silvery look, or spray painted any hue you like. Once they're crafted, you can use these types of metal floral accents on wreaths. Mounting them on stakes can add some color to your garden in the late summer after your blooming plants go dormant, too. Don't forget the green soda cans for cutting out some leaves to go with your flowers, if you like. 

Cutting empty aluminum cans and molding them into stars is another crafty project with lots of lovely decorative potential. Stars like these look great hanging on the tree as ornaments but can also be attached to wreaths that need a little sprucing up before the holidays arrive. Leave them natural if you like the color of the cans you're using, or paint them to match your Christmas color scheme. They're also pretty hanging from a mobile indoors or as part of a DIY wind chime out on the patio. 

Never thought of using empty soda cans as a canvas for your painting skills? The results can be amazing as you keep empty cans out of oceans and landfills while expressing yourself artistically. Even if you're not much of a painter, an empty soda container can serve as the background for collage art or decoupage using pretty paper napkins. Painting the entire can first yields a canvas in any color that works for your project. Display them as art that makes a statement, or use them as bud vases after they're embellished.

By removing the top from a soda can, you immediately create a vessel that can be used to hold anything from pens and pencils to makeup brushes. If you want to personalize it, cover it with felt or fabric that matches your decor. Better yet, use some cloth left over from sewing pillows or curtains to create catch-all containers that give off a coordinated vibe on a desk in your child's room. Tying a piece of ribbon or rustic twine around the covered can easily completes the look.

Whether you leave them straight or crush them slightly to add a bit of texture, painted cans can indeed make interesting vases in a group setting. Leave the tops on if you just want a bud vase or two; remove them if you have a cutting garden to keep vases full of flowers. Keep in mind that soda can vases can be painted any color you like, and super glossy white paint can give them a sleek finish evocative of modern art that goes with all types of flowers. 

Need a specially shaped cookie cutter but don't want to spring for a custom-made one? Or maybe you'd just rather upcycle materials every chance you get instead of buying things ready-made. Either way, you can indeed fabricate cookie cutters using metal from soda cans whether you're baking cookies for your family or biscuits for your pooch. We love the idea of folding the material along the sides to make them sturdier and cover up sharp edges. That's particularly important if you'll have little helpers when you're using them in the kitchen.

There are many variations of soda can candleholders, including those using a large needle to punch a pattern in the aluminum. They can be painted or left original with a favorite brand's logo punched out so that light filters through when a candle is placed inside. If you're into candle making as well as soda can crafts, another idea is completely removing the top with a can opener (leaving the top rim in place) and filling a soda can with wax and a wick for a really easy way to make a complete candle and holder all in one. 

Using soda cans in this way takes some vision and creativity on a larger scale, but the result can be amazing. Just about any topic you can think of, from favorite animals to cartoon characters, can be duplicated using bits and pieces of colorful aluminum cans in collage-style artwork. Don't think this level of skill is in your wheelhouse? There are clever artisans who make and sell custom art pieces like these if you love the look and don't think you're up to the task of creating one on your own. 

You may have heard you can repurpose an old vintage tin can into a beautiful plant pot, but what about a soda can? If you like creative ways to hold small plants like succulents out on your patio or terrace, this idea is for you. These hanging mini planters made using soda cans have been cut to remove the tops and form ears, painted vivid colors, and decorated in a simple way to resemble cat faces. If you're a crafter, you might even have some googly eyes that are perfect to complete this project on hand already.

Who can resist cute and clever Halloween decorations, especially when you can make them out of empty soda cans? These adorable bats were made using partially crushed cans painted matte black and black foam sheets for wings and ears. Add some fangs and googgly eyes, and you're done. We've also seen a similar angel made using a partially crushed can that's also super cute sitting on a mantle or hanging on a Christmas tree. A variation of soda can bats uses wine corks for the body and aluminum can cut-outs for the wings.

Making tea light lanterns can be one of the easiest crafts using soda cans, provided you master the art of cutting the aluminum in straight lines all around the can using your trusty utility knife. Once you've got that technique down, all you do is squish the can down a bit, and you've got a cute little lantern. Battery-operated tea lights make a great option when illuminating these with safety in mind. Some variations of these lanterns have small wire handles attached for hanging. 

Remember those pretty flowers you were thinking about making out of soda cans a little while ago? If you need another use for them, consider grouping some of those crafty creations together to make a garden work of art to hang on your patio or fence. You can assemble a shadow box like this using treated pine as the base. Fake greenery makes a perfect background for the polychrome flowers surrounding an amazing representation of the sun made out of, you guessed it, more painted soda cans. 

This clever set of garden markers for herbs was made using the metal from empty soda cans. After carefully cutting and shaping the material, a letter punch set (available on Amazon for less than $20) was used to form the letters. When you start thinking about all the things you can label using aluminum tags made with soda cans, you'll realize that garden stakes are just the beginning. Any type of bin or container with a rustic feel looks great with this type of tag attached. 

If you like the idea of a wreath decorated with soda cans but are only a little bit crafty, this might be the project for you. With a basic wreath base made of wood or wire, all that's required is hot gluing a layer of cans to the backing and then adding another layer to the top. This would also be a fun gift to make for someone with an affinity for a particular brand of soda. Painting the cans before gluing them in place also offers a way to customize a soda can wreath. 

Yes, you can make reusable cups and mugs from soda cans. Some people even turn these projects into a cottage industry to earn extra money, creating them using two cans, plaster to hold them together, and tools to smooth out the tops. You can even make handles for mugs using scraps cut away from the soda cans. This project takes a bit more effort than some other soda can upcycles, but if you like the way they look and want to use up some empties, it can be worth it.