7 Ingenious Ways To Repurpose Coconut Shells In Your Home & Garden

Do you find yourself buying more and more mature coconuts to eat at home these days? Whether it's a plant-based lifestyle or using dried coconut as a fertilizer in your garden that drives you, have you thought about what to do with all those leftover shells? There's really no need to toss them in the trash when you can reuse them in so many ways around your home and garden. Ideas range from creating planters to crafting clever soap dishes, and you can even paint them if you're feeling extra crafty and creative.

Before you can make something out of a coconut shell, however, you'll need to remove the water and meat inside. After finding the soft eye on the top of the coconut and piercing it with a skewer, drain the coconut water out into a cup (and yes, you can drink it!). If you want the shells to have even edges, you can carefully cut the coconut with a saw (use a dish towel to steady it for safety). Then put the halves in the microwave for about two minutes, let them cool, and scoop out the meat. If what you're making doesn't require even edges, you can place the coconut in the freezer overnight and then crack it with a hammer. The meat will easily come out and you can decide what to do with the shells afterward. Need some inspiration? Here are seven ideas to get you started.

Half of a coconut shell is the perfect size and shape for a bowl. If you're making a dish to hold something on your gardening bench and want a natural vibe, you might decide to leave it rough looking. On the other hand, if you're using it as a catch-all or for small items like jewelry, you may want to paint it, or at least sand it down slightly. Crafting bowls you can use for eating everything from fruit to ice cream usually requires the most prep work in terms of sanding, since you want them to have a beautiful natural finish that can be waterproofed or lacquered for repeated use.

Maybe you've heard of the coconut hack that can save a perishing orchid, but you can actually make hanging planters for all types of plants using coconut shells. They can either be perfectly cut or jagged for a boho vibe. You can drill or cut holes or patterns in them or leave them more natural looking. Pieces of rope or twine can be tied to the planter or joined to cradle it. Place these indoors or outside on your patio after filling them with little pops of greenery like succulents or small versions of your favorite flowering plants.

Have you ever thought about making soy candles using your own favorite scents? This isn't hard to do when using some coconut shells that you've saved from the landfill as the containers. All you need other than coconut shells are wicks (either wood or cotton), your favorite essential oils, and a pound of wax like the TooGet Pure White Soy Wax Flakes on Amazon. To be extra safe with coconut shell candles, always place them on a sturdy non-flammable surface to burn and blow them out when about a half inch of wax remains in the bottom to avoid cracking.

If you want to transform coconut shells into whimsical planters, first completely clean and sand off the roughness. You can then get creative with your paints and a brush. A trio of see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil monkeys is one super cute idea you can try. Other whimsical projects for painted planters include people, fruit, and insects like butterflies or ladybugs. These look adorable sitting on a windowsill to hold small potted plants inside your house. Be sure to use weatherproof decorative accents and allow for adequate plant drainage if placing them outdoors.

If you have a fish tank or have been toying with the idea of getting one, here's a way you can use a coconut shell to add another natural element to the décor. By cutting a hole in a shell, cleaning it, and boiling it to remove bacteria, you can create a great hiding spot for your fish. We've also seen aquatic plants growing right on top of coconut shells, so that's another use to consider. Some tank owners even make little huts out of coconut shells to use as breeding caves for certain types of fish, too. 

Coconut shell soap dishes can take several different shapes depending on how you open the coconut. If your shell has uneven edges, you can smooth the points to create a pretty scalloped border or a leaf shape. If you want a round soap dish, the coconut shell will need to be cut more symmetrically. Either way, you'll have to remove the rough outer layer of the shell and use sandpaper to smooth the surface. Drainage holes can be drilled into the bottom or cut with a saw, depending on the look you like best. Finally, just place it next to a sink and put your soap bar inside.

Finally, you can also create a DIY bird feeder out of coconut shells. There are many different ways you can go about making a bird feeder out of a coconut, depending on the style you like best. Some use material from holes cut in the shell to form perches for your feathered friends, while others require cutting a coconut in half and suspending the bottom from the top with twine for hanging. You can also either leave the coconut rough or smooth out the surface, depending on how polished you want your feeder to look. Once completed, fill it with seed and hang it in your garden.