General

New life for coffee filters

You just switched to a coffee pod system but you’ve got some coffee filters left over. Don’t throw them away…they can be surprisingly versatile around the house. Try some of these techniques, you just may find yourself buying filters for everything but coffee.

Window cleaner – they make excellent cleaners, simply spritz a mixture of water and white vinegar and clean off with the filters. They don’t leave behind streaks and those dreaded particles. They are also useful for cleaning prints off of your favourite dvds.

Pot liner – next time you’re preparing a new plant pot put a coffee filter in first then add the stones for drainage and then soil. The filter will stop the dirt from washing out of the pot.

Scent sachets – when you’ve got a nice bouquet or some flowers in the garden why not dry them and put them in a coffee filter. Tie with a fancy ribbon and stick it in your drawer. Your clothes with smell great!

Protect your dishes – place filters between your fancy china to prevent them from chipping and scratching when you stack them. This trick also works for glasses and other delicate items you may have (think Christmas ornaments)

Homemade flash diffuser – if you’re taking up photography as a hobby and want to experiment a bit with flash, try covering the flash unit with a filter. It is an effective and cheap diffuser to eliminate harsh light and shadows. This leads to more natural looking photos.