Austin Fit Magazine April 2022: The DIY Issue

Page 58

WELLNESS AUTHOR

Mia Barnes

NEW LIFE, OLD ITEMS n Check out these seven household items

you can repurpose, in the name of health!

T

here is no planet B — it’s everyone’s responsibility to do what they can to preserve the Earth’s resources, and doing so will benefit human health for years to come. Fortunately, doing so can also save you money while providing new uses for old objects! Instead of tossing everything into the recycling bin, employ a bit of creativity. Many items that are easily repurposable can pose a threat to our health if we keep using them for their original purpose for too long. Here are seven household items you can repurpose into something else.

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You might not think of your pillow as something that gets particularly germy unless you recently recovered from a cold. However, they tend to contain over 100,000 dust mites. These are living organisms that poop! Each of the little buggers excretes 20 or more times per night. Now that you are ready to replace your pillow, hit pause before throwing it in the landfill. You can use that soiled stuffing for a gardening pillow — your knees are far enough away from your nose to keep you safe from germs. You could also create narrowly stuffed rollers to stop drafts from under doors, doubling the eco-friendliness of your craft.

Shower Caps

It’s far eco-friendlier to shower than bathe, especially if you keep things short. You don’t always have to shampoo unless your locks get limp and greasy without lathering up. Many people can go two to three days without scrubbing their head, and their hair will stay healthier for it. Of course, that means protecting it from stray spray while you wash the rest of your body. All those plastic caps can create an ecological nightmare. Instead, use them to keep your white carpets clean. Dry them out when they get worn or germy and use them as shoe covers. You and your family might take off your sneakers at the door, but these are good to keep on hand when maintenance pays a visit.

APRIL 2022

Pillows

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Toothbrushes

You could pay a small fortune for a professional tile and grout cleaning job. However, it’s nothing that you can’t DIY with a little elbow grease — and the right tool! The CDC recommends swapping out your toothbrush once every three months

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