In our house, an empty spray bottle is worth its weight in gold… or close to it! And why not? Refilled with our eco-friendly DIY products, these endlessly handy implements have spritzed their way through thousands of tasks and saved us thousands.
Clean them out thoroughly. Be careful not to reuse any that have held toxic or non-edible substances for edibles or on skin, and let’s get cracking… You’ll never willingly throw out an empty spray bottle again!
1. Make your own anti-aphid spray
If you’ve experienced an aphid attack on your vegetable plot or garden border, you’ll know what an irritant it is to see great clumps of these sap-suckers draining the life from your prize plants. Knock them out with a goodly dose of this homemade garlic spray.
An alternative recipe for greenfly sucking the life out of your rose bushes. Mix up a weak solution of washing up liquid and water and to douse every couple days. They’ll soon get the message!
2. Make your own low-fat cooking spray
Watching what you eat? If you’ve been advised to leave aside the rich oils and butters for the time being, reach instead for a DIY version of those expensive low-fat cooking sprays you’ll find in the shops. Just oil and water – what could be simpler?
3. Make your own anti-limescale shower spray
The secret to avoiding limescale build-up and mouldy corners in the shower? A daily spritz with one of these homemade shower sprays will keep everything fresh and lovely – and no elbow grease required!
4. Make your own non-toxic ant killer
Yes, we know the ants are just going about their business, but sometimes their business can be fairly intrusive – especially if it involves a great line of ants invading your kitchen. Stop the ants in their tracks and keep others from coming back with this non-toxic ant spray (scroll down the linked page most of the way to the bottom for the recipe.)
*** Please note that this spray contains tea tree oil, which isn’t suitable for environments with dogs and cats. Choose an alternative if you have feline or canine pets. ***
5. Make your own make-up brush cleaner
Yuck, gungy old make-up brushes that have been getting bashed about at the bottom of your bag for what seems like decades… Ring any bells? Keep those brushes going for another decade whilst keeping nasty bacteria from your face and eyes by refreshing your tools with a DIY disinfecting spray.
6. Make your own toilet wipe spray
Are you a fan of those posh ‘grown up’ toilet wipes? Get that super fresh feeling without gumming up the sewer system with a few squirts of this ‘DIY Bum Spray’ (or ‘Bidet in a Bottle’) on your usual toilet paper. Cheap and genius!
7. Make your own flexible hold hairspray
Like many of us, I’ve been trying to cut down on the number of chemical products I put on my hair and skin, yet I thought standard hairspray was something I was just going to have to live with. Nope! Turns out it’s possible to make a decent natural version of flexible hold hairspray at home. Give it a try!
How else do you use empty spray bottles? Share your tips, thoughts and comments with us here or via Twitter and Facebook!
