21 Clever Ways To Repurpose A Parmesan Cheese Container In Your Home And Garden

There's no shortage of clever ways to reuse your plastic containers if they're something common like soda bottles or berry punnets. But finding uses for more obscure items, like parmesan cheese containers, can be a challenge. If you're hoping to skip recycling day for these caddies or, worse, avoid having to trash them, you might be surprised by all the ways they can be repurposed. Some ideas require little more than a wash and label removal: DIYing carpet refresher, spreading deicer, sprinkling fertilizer, and storing paint brushes. If you're craft-inclined, make a bug catcher or decorative gift jar. Store sewing notions, craft supplies, children's drawing implements, and loose nuts, bolts, and screws. The shaker and pourer in the lid of a parmesan cheese container mean you can remove items with the lid still screwed on.

It's important to carefully prepare your empty parmesan cheese container for reuse. Parmesan cheese, like all cheese, is greasy and will leave residue on the inside of the jar. Wash the container and lid with soap, warm (not boiling) water, and a cloth or sponge. Then, refill the container with fresh soapy water, add in a paper towel to absorb the oil, screw on the lid, and shake well. Remove the paper towel, rinse with fresh water, and leave to dry completely. Cut the label off with sharp scissors — be careful not to score the plastic walls of the container — or soak the whole thing in vinegar or OxiClean if sticky.

Forever worried about spilling paint-stained water on the table when creating your next masterpiece? Unscrew the lid of a parmesan cheese container and fill it with an inch or so of water. Remove the snap lids and insert your paint brushes into the holes. Most containers have three holes for thin brushes; thick brushes can sit in the pourer. Make sure the water is high enough to completely cover the bristles of the paint brush; otherwise you won't be able to wash them out before picking your next color.

A two-pack of basic Grove Carpet Fresh Odor Eliminator Sprinkle Powder will set you back just over $10. Save your money and make a similar product using items from your pantry in around five minutes. Fill a clean parmesan cheese container about a third to half full with baking soda. Add up to 10 drops of your favorite essential oils. Shake to combine, then sprinkle the mixture on your carpet before vacuuming. Similarly, the container makes a great shaker for homemade scouring powder or a dispenser for DIY wet wipes.

If you regularly use baking soda around the home for cleaning and deodorizing, you probably already know how annoying it is to heft that cardboard box or bulk-sized bag of the stuff around your home. Instead, simply decant the baking soda into a large parmesan cheese container. It's lightweight, waterproof, and comes with a nifty dispenser lid, perfect for sprinkling small amounts (from the shaker side) or pouring large amounts (from the pourer side) of baking soda wherever you want it — stinky cat litter boxes, greasy stovetops, or even your hair!

Children can learn a lot from trapping bugs in their own backyard. To make a humane critter catcher, remove the lid of a parmesan cheese container (snap off the cover to reveal the air holes) and punch two holes on opposite sides of the wall, near the top rim. Thread one end of a long length of twine or ribbon through each hole and knot each end on the inside to create a lanyard. Let your child personalize their catcher with some stickers; just make sure they don't obscure the view.

The storage world's your oyster when you realize parmesan cheese container lids screw securely onto Mason jars, Ball jars, and other canning jars large and small and even lots of upcycled jars, like salsa jars. Remove the label of said jars to make them cuter. Test it out on the jars already in your possession, then start filling them with whatever you need to store whatever sprinkles, shakes, or pours, from dried spices to craft supplies. You're really only limited by your imagination when using this nifty tip.

Yup, you can turn a Mason jar into a nifty reusable cup with a parmesan cheese container. Unscrew the lid of a glass jar, fill it with your beverage of choice, and screw on an also well-cleaned shaker lid. Pop in a straw, and hand the spill-free cup to your child or take a sip yourself. You don't even need to change out the jar. Scrub the parmesan cheese container thoroughly, decant your iced coffee or your kid's juice into it, and add the straw. The plastic container has the added benefit of being unbreakable.

Handmade gifts are perfect for those looking to save the planet and their bank balance. Plus, most everyone appreciates something handcrafted. Transform a parmesan cheese container into a bespoke gift jar by drawing floral patterns on the outside of the jar using permanent markers. Decoupage the sides or cover them with patterned adhesive vinyl. Finish your gift container with borders of ribbon around the rim and base, and add a handwritten gift tag. Fill it with small knick knacks that you can pour directly from the container into your hand.

Given its inherent breakability, glass is far from ideal for small parts storage, no matter your organization skills. You can't see through a metal container, making it difficult to know at a glance what's inside without labels. That's where parmesan cheese containers come in. Not only is the plastic they're made from transparent and unbreakable, the perforated lid means you can shake or pour out just the number of nails, screws, or bolts you need at one time while the rest of the contents stays put.

Homeowners looking to clear ice from their steps and sidewalks should sprinkle environmentally friendly de-icers, like products containing calcium magnesium acetate (CMA), as sparingly and clump-free as possible. A parmesan cheese container can help you achieve this. Take off the lid, fill the container with your de-icer of choice, put the lid back on, and shake it over where you need to outside. The holes in the lid distribute the de-icer thinly over the surface. Add some sand to make the product go further and prevent people and pets from slipping.

Corral plastic shopping bags by crumpling them tightly and pushing them into a parmesan cheese container. When you need them, pull the top one through the large pouring side of the lid. If you prefer something neater, fold them into compact triangles or make balls by stretching the bag long, twisting it to form a rope, rolling it up, and threading the bundle through the handles. You could also roll all the bags together; pull on the handle sticking out of the top of the container to release a bag.

Turning a parmesan cheese container into a piggy bank couldn't be easier! The lid just happens to have the perfect-sized slot for coins and notes and can be snapped shut after each deposit to keep your money safe. Stow away spare change, banking it when the jar is full, or encourage your children to take ownership of their savings in a fun way. Have them decorate the container with paint, permanent markers, or stickers. They'll be excited to put money into a money bank they created all by themselves!

Acrylic paint pourers are always looking for creative ways to get new patterns from the same old paint. Fill a parmesan cheese container with six or so different colored paints, pouring the paint down the side in layers until the container is about half full. Screw the lid back on, and flip open the side with the sprinkling holes. Pour the paint out slowly onto your canvas in one spot to create a psychedelic disc. We think this would also look great as a top for a side table.

Take advantage of the nifty shaker design of your parmesan cheese container to spread all manner of amendments onto and around your plants. Powder food scraps that can be used to fertilize your garden in a blender or buy granular fertilizer, pop it in the container, and shake it over your soil. The idea works just as well for grass or wildflower seeds (add sand for better distribution), weed killer, and even pest repellents. Just remember to label the containers accordingly so you don't mix anything up.

Got an active kiddo at home? You don't need to buy fancy toys to keep them entertained. Turn an empty, well-cleaned parmesan cheese container into an educational plaything for free by filling it with child-friendly household items. Plastic straws, fluffy pom poms, bottle lids, small teething rings, scrunchies, q-tips ... You're only limited by your imagination and what's age appropriate. Your child can take the items in and out of the container and shake it when full, providing sensory stimulation and developing fine motor control. This also works with your cats!

Transform clean parmesan cheese containers into nifty utensil kits for each guest at your next backyard BBQ or picnic. Fill each container with a disposable knife, fork, spoon, and a napkin. If you're being really fancy, you could put a cute party favor or wine glass charm inside, too. Use decorative napkins to theme the kits for birthdays and holiday celebrations. Or dedicate one container to plastic straws. These kits are hygienic and easy to carry, and any disused kits can be saved in a cupboard for the next time.

Are you tired of seeing crayons, markers, or colored pencils strewn across the kitchen island or dining table? If there is no room in your home for a kid's art station, make a portable one. Corral the drawing implements by dropping them inside old parmesan cheese containers. Then, your kiddos don't need to open the whole jar to take them out; just flip the lid and shake one out. This is way better than having crayons or markers strewn all across the table, and you can use this tip for (adult) craft nooks, too.

Bathrooms are notoriously damp places. Fail to protect your soft and squishy personal care products from splashes and humidity and they'll quickly go moldy. But you want to keep them handy on your bathroom countertop. The solution to this conundrum, oddly enough, lies in your pantry. Parmesan cheese containers are waterproof and come with a built-in dispenser. Fill a container with q-tips, cotton balls, reusable face wipes, or bobby pins and elastics to keep them usable for longer, and avoid having to throw these pricey products in the trash prematurely.

If your cut flowers are always splaying unattractively apart in their vase, try filling a parmesan cheese container (label removed) with water, putting the lid back on, and threading the stems of your blooms through the holes. Keep the flower stems short to avoid the arrangement tumbling over or pop a stone in the bottom to add some weight. This DIY plastic vase-meets-flower frog is lightweight, even when full of water and a rock. Take advantage of how easy it is to style greenery and florals in every area of your home.

Give the gift of relaxation by making a shaker of bath or foot soak salts. Make rainbow hued bath salts by mixing baking soda, citric acid, sodium lauryl sulfoacetate, fragrance oil, salt, and micas for color. Liquid bubble bath is optional. For something more natural, create a simple mix using an AROMATIKA Bath Salts Set with 100% Pure Epsom, Himalayan Pink, and Dead Sea Salt for under $20. Add the mix to clean, dry parmesan cheese containers or, if it's just for you, fill a jar with plain ol' Epsom salt.

Just as parmesan cheese containers make great storage jars for your kid's drawing implements, so too can you use them to organize small craft supplies and sewing tools. For example, parmesan cheese containers fit perfectly into a wall-mounted workshop aerosol can holder; use it to store scissors, spray craft adhesive, hold fabric markers ... The list goes on. The container is the perfect size for glue sticks, buttons, sewing clips, and zipper pulls, and also makes a nifty dispenser for up to three different types of twine or ribbon.

A 15-ounce pack of Sukh Unscented Aroma Beads costs about $6. Use these and a parmesan cheese container to make your own air fresheners for every room. Remove the label and clean your container to remove any greasy residue (it stops the adhesive from sticking). Decorate it with decoupage, contact paper, or stick-on wallpaper and trimmings. Fill the container with the unscented aroma beads, add your fragrance oil of choice, and screw the lid back on, minus the cover for the shaker holes so the scent can waft out.