15 Ways To Repurpose Empty 5 Gallon Water Jugs

If you have empty 5 gallon water jugs sitting around your house, you might wonder if there's a better use for them than just tossing them in the recycling bin. They're big, bulky, and can easily clutter your space. But because they're so durable, they're actually perfect for eco-friendly upcycling projects. Who knew water jugs could turn into ceiling lamps, aquariums, and even outdoor showers? Not only that, but they're also great in the garden to use as planters and greenhouses. 

While they're full, water jugs are heavy and hard to move around. Once empty, however, they're light and easy to cut and flip around, which makes for really fun and versatile DIYs. In most cases, you'll need to cut the plastic. To do this, there are several solutions. One is to use a sharp blade, like a sharp X-Acto knife, to cut through the plastic. You can also use a hand saw or an electric circular saw. Whichever you choose, make sure to be safe and protect yourself by using gloves. In some cases, you might also need to drill holes into the plastic. For this, we recommend using an electric drill to get sharp and even holes. Be sure to follow safety instructions and avoid common mistakes when using a cordless drill for these DIYs. 

These large jugs are a common household item you can turn into DIY upcycled planters that you can fill with soil for above-ground gardening. This is really useful for plants that need to move indoors during bad weather, or just for additional planting space. You can turn your jug into a planter either horizontally or vertically. Horizontally, use your blade to cut an opening into the side of the jug. Vertically, just cut off the top of the jug to create a pot-like planter. Either way, remember to make some holes at the bottom using a drill so that water and moisture can escape. 

Still in the gardening realm, turn these gallons into small greenhouses. This time, cut the bottom of the jug instead of the top so that you have a wide opening at the base. Remove the cap from the water jug and place it over your plants that require a bit of heat and moisture. Use this for seedlings or small plug plants like tomatoes to help them grow faster before being transferred into the ground. The jug will stabilize moisture and heat, which helps plants grow. 

You can be even more eco-friendly in the garden by using your water jug as a recipient to gather rainwater. Cut open the top of the water jug so that you have an open cylinder. Flip the top part upside down and stack it on top of the cylinder. This will act as a funnel to help gather water during rainstorms. This water is great for watering plants in the garden, but be mindful that stagnant water can attract mosquitos. Try to use the water quickly and don't let it sit for too long.

You know those loose nickles and dimes that you just don't know what to do with? Why not use one of these water jars as a very large piggy bank? This works with dollar bills too, if you'd like to reach some more ambitious savings goals. You can decorate the jug and turn it into a fun family challenge to see how much cash you can collectively save by the end of the year. Once you've got a jug full of pennies, you can celebrate by spending it on a fun experience for the whole family. 

You can really easily turn big water jugs of all sizes into powerful lanterns. These are perfect to use outdoors or even in the case of an emergency if the power goes out. The trick is incredibly simple: just place a frontal lamp on a filled water jug, with the light facing inwards. When you turn on the light, it will be amplified by the water and create a glow. While smaller water jugs can be useful to carry around, larger ones are great to leave at the center of a room or along a pathway. 

Water jugs are the perfect size to create some larger vases. Decorate your home with the creative vase by displaying twigs and branches, and setting it in a corner on the floor to add some elegance. Glass water jugs are already very elegant, but that does not mean you can't use plastic ones too. You can paint the water jugs or wrap them in fabric if you'd like to conceal their plastic look. You can even add baking soda to acrylic paints to make the jug look like clay. Let your imagination run wild.

Water jugs are great for storing some household things, like those annoying plastic bags that you never know what to do with. If you're like most people, you probably have a bag in the kitchen that's filled with other bags, and whenever you reach for one, an avalanche proceeds. Instead, make your very own plastic bag dispenser! Just cut the bottom half, flip it upside down, and attach it to a wall using some command strips (plastic bags are lightweight!). Fill it up with grocery bags at the top and pull them out from the bottleneck. 

There is another way to use a water jug to solve the perpetual plastic bag avalanche struggle. These large jugs are the perfect size to stack plastic bags over them. That way, you can neatly organize the bags, one into another, so that they're easy to grab. Either remove them from the jug once done and store them flat in a drawer, or leave them on top of the water jug as a DIY bag dispenser. 

You can create a self-watering planter with one single 5 gallon jug. To do this, cut off the top third of the water jug and flip it upside down. Thread a spongy rag through the bottleneck and make a thick knot to secure it on the inside. Fill the bottom part of the water jug with water, and flip the top part upside down, with the spongy rag touching the water. Once filled with soil and plants, the flipped bottleneck section will be your pot, and it will draw moisture directly from the water with the rag.

Turn a water jug into a pretty lamp for your home. To do this, fill the jug with some LED fairy lights and secure the switch button and battery pack at the opening of the bottle so you can reach them easily. You can keep it as is or decorate the jug to make it pop. For example, use some paint to draw patterns like leaves or flowers over the jug. You can also use some frosted paint to make it more of a glowy lamp and help diffuse the light better. 

To create a new DIY garbage can out of upcycled water jugs, cut off the top part where the cylinder starts to angle towards the bottleneck. This top part will act as the lid of you water jug. Then, cover the jug with decorative paper, fabric, or paint it so that you can't see the trash inside of the jug. You can be creative in how you transform the look of your water jug to match the decor of your home. This can also be used outdoors as your gardening trash can. 

Fill a 5-gallon water jug with some sand and pebbles, some water, and a few aquarium decorations to create a cozy new habitat for your fish. Keep in mind that you will need a large opening to get the fish in and out, especially when you change the water. For this hack, you can use a water jug with a lid to make your life easier. If you don't have one and would like to repurpose a regular 5-gallon jug with just the bottleneck as an opening, then make sure to cut an opening above the water so that you can easily reach inside. 

A water jug can make for a great DIY outdoor shower. The sun will heat the water in the jug, and gravity will allow it to flow through the hose and into the showerhead so that you can rinse off after a day at the beach or in the garden. You'll need some tools to attach a hose and a showerhead to the bottom of the water jug using a threaded fitting. Just place the water tank (the jug) high up so that the water can flow down. You could upcycle some used barrels or wood pallets to help you create a stand for your DIY shower. 

Water jugs can be upcycled into lampshades and ceiling lamps. Cut off the top third section of the water jug, and use spray paint to customize it. You can choose an opaque color to keep the light contained in the lampshade or use something sheer to create more of a glow. Once the paint is dry, you simply need to place the lightbulb socket inside the jug, through the bottleneck. Screw in a lightbulb, and your new DIY lamp is ready to be used.

OK, this one is pretty out there. Someone built a complete PC setup with a case made of a 5 gallon water jug. That goes to show just how versatile these water jugs are, and how resourceful the DIY community can be. So if you're both a tech and DIY enthusiast, take some inspiration from this setup. Maybe your next project blends the boundaries of electronics and upcycling, too.