10 Useful Ways To Repurpose Totes Lids In Your Home Or Garden

Storage totes and their tops may go together like peas and carrots when you're organizing supplies in the garage, but when they're ready to repurpose, they'll often go their separate ways. As you reuse plastic bins for non-permanent gardens and other DIYs, how do you manage that stack of leftover lids? With yet another round of creative at-home projects, that's how!

Plastic tote lids usually consist of polyethylene, polypropylene, and other durable plastics that can be tricky to recycle but easy to refashion into all-new shapes and sizes for new uses. When they're no longer needed for storage, think of your biggest struggles around the home and garden and whether there's a way to make them work for you. From plant markers in the garden to drip trays around the house, there are scores of novel uses anyone can enjoy to extend their utility. DIYing with them often takes little more than a utility blade to cut them to size. Get rid of the excess while solving your deepest daily issues with these clever ways to repurpose tote lids in your home and garden.

Plastic totes are such a great money-saving alternative for raised beds, and their lids can be a flexible benefit in various ways. When starting seeds in your totes, the matching lids make a perfect greenhouse seal to let in light, control the temperature, and keep pests from attacking your young plants. Cut the center panel out of a standard plastic tote (rather than a more hard-to-cut heavy-duty bin), and install some tulle fabric over the opening. You can also cut the removed center into strips and form them into arches to make a domed container cover.

You'll need some extra supplies for this DIY, but a plastic storage tote lid nevertheless makes a great foundation for a fun and decorative basket. Cut the base into a circle, square, or rectangle, and wrap it in fabric. Form some cardboard walls and interior dividers to wrap in fabric, or use hemp or jute twine for more texture. Cut a matching piece of the tote lid to match the base and make a top. Now, you've got a fitting storage piece for jewelry and other treasured items.

While a tote lid isn't the most inspired form, an artistic eye can see the potential for turning it into an impressive piece of decor. Wrap it in fabric to give it a more abstract form, and take advantage of the raised edge to make a frame for pictures or art on the interior. Given its malleability, you can make just about any shape you want out of it. If you don't want it as a backdrop, use it as a low-relief layer to make your original works pop off the wall.

A single tote lid could provide a whole garden's worth of plant markers to help you remember what you're growing and where. The durable plastic is a wise upgrade from wood markers that may deteriorate in the soil over time. Cut them to any length to make them as visible as needed, forming each into unique shapes to make them easier to identify. It may also be wise to form a point at the end to make them easy to stick into the soil, and round the other end to keep sharp corners from poking you if you bump them.

A repurposed tote lid makes a fine medium, and it can also assist artistic types as an essential painting tool to protect their work surfaces. The rigid plastic becomes a dependable cutting surface. If you wrap it with canvas or another absorbent fabric, it offers a sturdy and safe landing spot for paint on small items. Otherwise, the smooth plastic is perfect for a makeshift palette you can cut into any shape.

Birds, butterflies, and other desirable visitors are the dynamic side of a garden's design that turn a backyard from beautiful to magical. A bird bath is one of many ways to draw more feathered friends, with your old repurposed tote lid supplying an ideal foundation to get you started. The durable plastic can hold up well outdoors, especially if you use a heavy-duty style, and the raised edges maintain a shallow pool perfect for birds. With so many varieties available, choosing a certain tote lid color may even help attract more birds to the garden.

The raised edges that make the tote lid such a handy bird bath in the garden also create a helpful drip tray to use around the home. Use it for catching spills when snaking plumbing lines or changing your car's oil, or set it under the mini fridge as a drip tray. The same goes for household potted plants, and you can add some pebbles and water to the tray to help humidify them.

Durable, water-tight, and spacious — the average plastic tote lid makes a perfect stand-in for an entryway shoe mat, needing no modification to manage multiple pairs of shoes. It's particularly helpful when you need a little more water-containment due to the slightly raised lip that locks around its matching tote. Flip it upside down, and place it by the door. Now, you'll have a landing spot for muddy boots, wet gloves, and more, letting them dry in a convenient spot without damaging the floor.

If you have an extra tote lid after building your DIY bird bath, craft a complementing trough to give your birds something to wash down. A deeper lid works best here, and you may want to drill a few small drain holes to keep the seed from getting too soggy. Place it on a pedestal or post to keep squirrels and other climbers away. If you have multiple lids of different sizes, you could even whip up a sheltered feeder with the larger tote top as a roof to keep the feeder safe and dry.

A tote lid can solve a messy pet problem in several areas around the home. If your dog can't help but eat and drink like a slob, put the lid under the dishes to catch drips and dropped food, as the raised lip will manage overflow. Likewise, it could make a backup tray to put under the crate or dog bed to help contain any accidents.