11 Unexpected Ways To Reuse Leftover Bread Around The House Before Tossing It

Do you ever kick yourself when you realize that you've let your loaf of bread go stale? While most of us hate wasting food, sometimes we inevitably find ourselves tossing things into the trash that have gone past their prime. It's a fair assumption that once food is no longer consumable, it needs to head to the garbage, however, bread is one pantry mainstay that can actually be repurposed in a number of ways to help with clean ups around the house or projects in the garden. It can help lift scuffs off walls and can boost your compost and soil health in a number of beneficial ways in additional to some other clever repurposing hacks.

On average, food waste represents 30 to 40% of the country's food supply. And even the most cognizant of us can neglect to consume an entire loaf of bread before it's gone stale. It is a shame, to be sure, however, where one person sees trash, leftover bread is a repurposing expert's treasure. Reusing leftover or stale bread around the house in these unexpected ways helps extend its life, mitigating food waste just that little bit. And your garden, walls, and more will thank you!

Coffee lovers who grind their own beans are likely familiar with the annoying coffee dust and oils that sticks to the insides of the grinder. It's irritating to clean, but leftover bread can make the process easier. Tear off several small pieces, and then grind them up in the grinder. The bread's starch, whether it be extremely stale or recently left over, attract the coffee bean's oils and will pick up the dust during the grind. The bread's slightly abrasive nature will also help clean the blades themselves. Throw away the bread, wiping off excess dust afterwards. 

Leftover bread and vinegar are the surprising duo behind this natural deodorizing trick for drawers. Drawers are enclosed spaces that don't get decent airflow, and as a result, items stored in these tucked away spots retain moisture or odors that create unpleasant scents. Luckily, you can eliminate smelly odors from your drawers with these two items. Place a slice of bread in a bowl then fill it with vinegar. Set the bowl inside the stinky drawer for a day. Overnight, the scent will be absorbed by the smell-fighting pair.

Toss leftover bread into your compost pile to add nutrients to your soil that are otherwise hard to find naturally occurring in your garden. The yeast from bread contributes a microbe meal that attracts a diversity of microorganisms, which in turn bring a bevy of nutrients and benefits to your soil. Overall, bread in your compost can promote plant growth and health and contribute to rich soil structures. However, be wary that bread in soil may attract unwanted scavengers into the garden, so using it for indoor plants or in enclosed gardens is ideal.

An old Regency era hack for cleaning off wallpaper was allegedly to use a clean cloth and a slice of bread. First, wipe any dust or loose grime off the walls with the cloth. Cut a thicker chunk of bread and use the crust on as a handle. Then swipe the bread from the top of the wallpaper to the bottom, repeating as necessary. According to this historic home hack, any scuff marks should be wiped away clean with this trick. Have another clean cloth on standby though, in case any crumbs stick to the walls.

Not a hack you'll likely see on your favorite who-done-it television show anytime soon, but bread works well to lift finger prints off of glass surfaces without scratching it. This trick is useful for sliding doors, vases, windows, and even picture frame glass. Ball up the soft parts of the bread, and dab at the finger prints repeatedly until you're satisfied with the cleanliness of the glass. In an interview with Yahoo! Lifestyle, Muffetta Krueger, the owner of Muffetta Housekeeping, says using bread and a soft cloth is a good homemade hack to get glass clean, like the surface of a phone.

Accidentally breaking a glass object is always startling, and cleaning up the aftermath is a pain. But with some leftover bread, it can be less of a headache. Sweep up the larger pieces, then run your vacuum cleaner over the remaining mid-sized shards. You'll find that this doesn't always clean it all up though, so take a larger chunk of bread and press it down repeatedly (albeit with light pressure so the bread doesn't break) to pick up those smaller slivers of glass. It's a handy and safe way to ensure a more thorough clean up.

Crayon on the walls — many parents have experienced this tragedy. Perhaps the Regency era was onto something when they used stale bread to clean wallpaper. In fact, DIYers believe that you can even get crayon and other light marks off your walls using a similar trick. Ball up the bread, and rub it against the mark, moving in one direction and not too hard. Repeat as necessary until the stain has lifted. However, this hack works best on lighter marks.

Bread absorbs moisture fairly well and can even help control mold, so it makes sense that it can act as a dehumidifier for your vegetables in your crisper drawers in the fridge to keep those greens and other healthy ingredients fresh. Place a chunk of leftover bread at the bottom of the drawer to absorb any ambient moisture from the rest of the fridge that may get into the drawer. It'll keep the contents of your drawer crisp, but be sure to replace the bread after two days to prevent it from spoiling next to your veggies.

To add a little extra nutrients to your potted plants or outdoor garden, you can bury leftover bread into your soil for a boost of goodness for your garden. It attracts beneficial critters like earthworms, which promotes healthy dirt. You can either bury the entire loaf straight into the ground, or you can grind it up into crumbs for smaller potted plants. This repurposing trick effectively works like bread composting, but a little more targeted. If you go the whole loaf route, bury it really well so that mischievous outdoor visitors (like raccoons) don't steal it.

Bread has been used for generations as early precursors to the Magic Eraser, and using a slice of leftover bread to clean up your kitchen cabinets will show why. If you find your cabinet doors are in need a bit of a refresh, whether it be from food stains or scuff marks, take a piece of bread, cut the crust off, and ball it up. Dab gently or rub slightly at the spot on your cabinet surface, and those marks should lift away slowly. 

It's easy to think all hope is lost when you get grease stains on fabric, whether it be your lucky shirt or your favorite table cloth, but leftover bread can help prevent that stain from setting in. Take a slice of bread, set it on top of the stain, and gently press down. You'll see the grease soak into the bread. Though it may not get rid of the stain entirely, this method prevents the stain from setting in deeper. From here, easily remove the stain using other household staples.