Unexpected New Uses for Laundry Room Items

A few surprising spins on utility-room essentials.

New Uses for Bleach Bottles

• Pick up a scoop: Cut diagonally across the middle of an empty, clean bottle and use the half with the handle to scoop up fertilizer, rock salt, or pet waste.
• See your garden grow: Slice the bottom off an empty, clean jug to make a miniature greenhouse for seedlings. (Place the bottle open-side down over the plants.)
• Start a home gym: Fill two empty bottles with sand and use as dumbbells.
• Keep them afloat: Tie empty bottles together to use as buoys or to mark the deep part of a swimming area.
• Speak up: Cut off the bottle's base to make a megaphone for refereeing pickup soccer games in the park.