Stop Tossing Plastic Bread Tags When There Are 14 Clever Ways To Reuse Them

Before a loaf runs out, a plastic bread tag is essential for keeping the bag sealed and preventing your bread from becoming stale. However, once the loaf is finished, that plastic bread tag is most likely destined to find its way straight to the trash, contributing to the millions of tons of plastic waste generated by the U.S. every single year. Finding ways to repurpose items that would otherwise be chucked in the bin is a great way to help the planet and reduce your overall carbon footprint. 

While there are several great ways to repurpose plastic bread bags in your home and garden, it may prove difficult to find uses for those tiny tags. Don't worry though, we've found several clever and useful ways to reuse plastic bread tags around the home. From creative art projects to useful organization hacks, there are a surprising amount of ways to repurpose these little tags in your home, and we even have one for your garden.

Most of these upcycles only call for a bread tag or two, but we've also got you covered if you've amassed a giant collection. Another great reason to reuse these tiny items is that some of these upcycles can save you money. For example, simple bread tags can take the place of organizers and labels that you'd otherwise purchase new in stores. Plus, they're so tiny that they'll hardly take up any storage space during the time between you saving them and giving them new life.

The beauty of extension cords is that they allow you to plug multiple electronics into an outlet where you'd otherwise only fit two. However, that convenience can quickly become a hindrance when you go to unplug something specific and are left staring at a jumble of cords with no idea which plug powers what. A clever way to solve this problem is to take your old bread tags, label the electronics, and place them at the base of each cord. Then, you'll know exactly which cord to reach for when unplugging something.

A cute and easy tablescape idea for every occasion is to add wine charms to the stems of glasses. These help you keep track of who each glass belongs to or denote table settings for your guests. While you can make these out of old earrings and ribbon scraps, you can also make them out of old plastic bread tags. To keep things simple, simply pop a different colored bread tag on each wine glass for each guest. Or, spruce them up with a sparkly coat of paint and use a Sharpie to write names on them.

If you've been collecting old plastic bread tags for quite some time, this bread tag chandelier upcycle might be just what you need. To get started, you'll need a ring or chandelier frame to hang the bread ties from. Then, link the bread tags down the chandelier using small metal loops. For a funky and eclectic art piece, leave the bread tags as they are. Alternatively, paint them to make it a little more personalized. In addition to a chandelier, you could also apply the same method to create a cute nursery mobile.

One clever way to repurpose plastic bread tags is to use them as a bookmark. This doesn't need to be an overly complicated upcycle, as it's easy to simply slip the bread tag onto the page you want to keep track of. However, if you want to make your bookmark cute, you can paint it, put stickers on it, or even glue a few together to create a longer one. While this hack will work with any plastic bread tag, try to use longer bread tags so you'll have more room to customize them.

We all know how annoying it is when you're using a roll of tape and the end gets stuck to the roll. This is especially frustrating when attempting to scrape it free results in the tape splitting in half. A simple solution is to take your old bread tag and stick it to the end of the roll of tape. With this trick, you'll never lose the end of a tape roll again or have to scrape your nails against the roll to dig it free.

If you toss your chargers and cables in a box while they're not in use, there's a good chance of them getting tangled. While some people may turn to tying the cords in a tight knot to store them, this can actually be damaging to the cables. A better way to keep them from tangling is to gently fold them, then slip a bread tag around them so they stay in place. This works well with thinner electronic cables like phone chargers, headphones, and anything slim enough to fit in the bread tag slot.

Junk journaling isn't just a cathartic and crafty pastime. It's also a way to save little mementos and keepsakes that you'd otherwise throw in the trash or let pile up in a junk drawer and contribute to the clutter in your house. If none of the more practical ways to repurpose bread tags are calling to you, consider using them as a funky addition to your junk journal instead. Just take a little hot glue or scrapbook tape, attach them to a page, and have fun scribbling or decorating around them.

Bread tags and electrical cables go together quite well when it comes to organization. This time, a plastic bread clip can be used to keep your phone charger more accessible near your bed. All you need to do is take a little piece of tape and attach the bread clip with the open side up on the edge of your nightstand. Simply slide your phone cord into the bread clip, and it will stay within reach. Then, you won't have to dig around on the floor for your phone charger every night.

There's nothing worse than pulling out your favorite spool of yarn or thread and discovering that the entire spool has unraveled itself. Or even worse — the spool has somehow miraculously turned itself into a tangled mess. A quick and easy way to prevent this disaster is to loop the end of your yarn around an old bread tag. The same method applies for spools of thread, but you will probably have to loop the thread around the bread tag a couple extra times to make sure that it really stays in place.

Sometimes product stickers are placed in the most inconvenient locations and you just want them gone. Instead of reaching for a kitchen knife, turn to something that you probably already have and that's not going to cause damage — a plastic bread tag. Simply take the plastic bread tag and slide it under a corner of the sticker, then push against it until the sticker comes off. Since the tags are made of plastic, they hopefully shouldn't scratch the item beneath but should still be sharp enough to remove the sticker.

Old plastic bread tags aren't just useful inside the home — they're also handy in the garden. Rather than buying some from your local nursery, consider upcycling your old plastic bread tags into adorable plant labels. All you need to do is use a marker to write the name of the plant on the bread tag and stick it in the dirt to mark which plants are which. Not only will this save you a few bucks from the nursery, but by reducing the overall amount of plastic that you purchase, you're also helping the environment.

Making a spare key for all the locks in your home is a great idea. However, if you have a ton of spare keys, it can become real tricky to tell the difference between them. This is especially true if the keys look similar. Rather than needing to test out every single spare key you have, try labeling each key with an old bread tag. This will not only keep things organized but also save you valuable time when trying to find the key you need.

A cute, clever, and creative way to repurpose old plastic bread tags is to turn them into curtain tiebacks. You'll just need a little bit of fabric and two bread tags. Cut the fabric to the appropriate size to fit around the curtains when they're pulled back and attach elastics to each side with fabric glue or stitches. Next, loop the elastic through each bread tag. To tie the curtains back, simply interlock the bread tags together. Bonus points if you use bread tags that match the color of the curtains!

Believe it or not, bread tags can even help you clean your house, and we're not just talking about removing stickers. You know those tiny narrow cracks that are too small to clean using normal methods? They still somehow manage to accumulate a shocking amount of dirt and grime. An easy way to finally clean them is to take that old bread tag and scrape it through the hard-to-reach space. This is the perfect way to clean tiny lines around outlets, trash handles, and anywhere else in your home with a small crack.