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What To Do With Plastic Wrap

By
Home Stager with Upstage, LLC

I was working in the kitchen today, when a thought crossed my mind.  Now, I have made great strides in my use of reusable products, but I find that every now and then I just need to reach for something that isn’t eco-friendly.  In this case it was plastic wrap.  So I started to think, how can it be reused?

Jumping immediately to the handy dandy internet, I came across these great ideas.  Although they are not written as reuse options, most of these are perfect for a piece that just covered a bowl of leftovers in the fridge. 

The big benefits: keep the plastic from the landfill longer and make life around the house a little easier.  So before you throw that piece of plastic wrap away, consider one of these.

 

10 Uses for Plastic Wrap

By: Jennifer Stimpson, This Old House magazine

Sure, it keeps food fresh, but plastic wrap is a handy multitasker outside the kitchen, too.
paint can
1. Preserve paints and spackles
Cover paint, patching compound, or putty with a layer of plastic wrap (making contact with its entire surface area) before replacing the container lid to keep it from drying out.

2. Keep utensils in order
When packing for a move, wind plastic wrap around trays of silverware and utensils. If they're overturned in transit, you won't lose any pieces.

3. Carry a bulky package
Twist a long sheet of plastic wrap tightly to make a rope. Wrap the rope around a package, and knot the ends into a slip-proof handle.

4. Store a paint roller overnight
Wrap a wet paint roller several times in close-fitting plastic wrap and stash it in the fridge. The paint will stay fresh for the next day's use.
booties
5. Make temporary booties
Protect newly finished floors from dirt and scuffs by ­securing several layers of plastic wrap over your shoes with rubber bands.

6. Keep lumber stacked
When transporting a pile of lumber, wind plastic wrap tightly around each end of the stack to keep boards from sliding off.

7. Dress up your walls
Decorative painters call it "frottage": Press a wrinkled sheet of plastic wrap against a freshly glazed wall while it's still wet, then remove it to create a textured look. Repeat for entire wall.

8. Keep out drafts
Got old windows with lots of space between the sash and the frame? Stuff plastic wrap in the gaps to keep the wind from whistling through till you get around to installing storm windows.

9. Improve your gripseedling
If work gloves cause a shovel or rake handle to feel slippery, wind plastic wrap tightly around the handle for a stickier grip.

10. Create a mini greenhouse
Use plastic wrap to tightly cover a pot in which you've planted seeds. The seal promotes humidity, helping keep soil moist while seeds sprout. (Just be careful that you don't grow any mold while you're at it.)

 

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Upstage, LLC helps people sell their homes quickly and profitably.  Our staging and marketing techniques help attract buyers and increase the perceived value of a home.  Upstage the competition! 

Sherry Scales
Austin Texas Homes, LLC - Leander, TX
Realtor, for Austin, TX and surrounding areas

I have purchased containers with lids, as I am so tired of fighting with plastic wrap!

Nov 12, 2009 02:54 PM
Sherry Siegel, Managing Broker, EcoBroker, ABR
BrokersGroup, serving Sequim and Port Angeles - Sequim, WA

Hi Sheridan (that is such a lovely and unexpected name). I'm all for green, practice many of the recyclable habits, yet these are new to me. So, we just wipe the damp off one side and adapt as posted above. Neat, and easy.

Nov 12, 2009 03:15 PM
Darrell Backen
Darrell Backen 1.855.216.6010 - Vancouver, BC
Digital Marketing

Great ideas , Thanks.

Nov 12, 2009 03:42 PM
Sasha Miletic - Windsor Real Estate
RE/MAX Preferred Realty Ltd. - Windsor, ON

Hi Sheridan, Good post. Thanks for sharing.

Best - Sash

Nov 12, 2009 08:38 PM
Michelle Minch
Moving Mountains Design Home Staging, Pasadena, CA - Los Angeles, CA
Home Staging Los Angeles and Orange County, CA

Sheridan: Great ideas for reusing plastic wrap. I don't use it often, but I always feel a little guilty when I do. Thanks.

Nov 13, 2009 02:36 AM
Sheridan Corrie
Upstage, LLC - West Linn, OR

Michelle, it's the guilts exactly that got me thinking about this.

 

Sherry, I've been so good with reusable containers also.  Love them!  Sometimes, I just find myself wrestling with the plastic wrap, though. Old habits die hard.

 

Sherry, yep wipe the damp!  That's really all that gets on most of the time, just a little water.  What a waste normally!  And it's not like ziploc baggies that can dry and be reused.  I suppose it could be dried and put back on the roll...

 

Thanks for reading, Darrell and Sasha.

Nov 13, 2009 01:13 PM
Brenna Harrington
Windermere Real Estate/Gig Harbor - Gig Harbor, WA

Good post.  I can imagine that in my Grandmother's generation, plastic wrap was just rinsed and reused, as I've seen her do often with plastic bags.  The original recyclers. :)

Nov 23, 2009 02:55 PM
Chris Minion
O'Brien Realty - Lexington Park, MD

Hi Sheridan,

Great tips!  Thank you for sharing them with us!  Have a great week!

Chris

 

Dec 06, 2009 10:07 AM