Multi-Taskers

**nuisance26** · 08-25-2011, 08:33 AM

~So many of us want to keep less things in our homes that I thought it might be helpful to make a list of items we have that have multiple uses.
Kitchen things come immediately to my mind but any items from any room that you use for several things would be helpful to add!
It's easier to store one item that has 3 uses than 3 separate items.

Here are a few to start:

-I'm donating my sifter. I always use my fine mesh strainer for dusting things anyway.
-I use my potato ricer for purees, mashed potatoes, and squeezing the excess liquid from cooked greens and canned fruit.
-I'm thrilled with my Foreman style grill. I use it to "broil" garlic bread, grill burgers and veggies, make toasted sandwiches and fry bacon.
-Besides food, I use my kitchen food scale for shipping items I sell online. It weighs packages up to 7lbs accurately.

**Libby** · 08-25-2011, 12:00 PM

Ha! I thought this thread was going to be about people who do several things at once with tips on being successful at it.

I use my coffeepot not only for coffee but for brewing tea/as a teapot.

My forks - not only for eating, but I use for mixing, mashing, salad tongs and as a flipping tool when frying. I also use it as a juicer - jab it into the middle of a citrus fruit, press & turn as you squeeze the citrus with the other hand.

**heartofmine** · 08-25-2011, 10:51 PM

I use my grater for cheese, cabbage, onions, carrots and to grate my soap for my homemade laundry soap.

I have an old antique milk can that I hand painted to be decorative. Inside it holds my plastic bags that I recycle. In a pinch it can be an extra seat at the table.

Those plastic bags I recycle in my trash cans as well as to take care of any icky stuff before putting it in the big trash can.

All I can think of right off.

**krbshappy71** · 08-29-2011, 02:31 PM

I save all used tinfoil, crumple it into a ball with dirtiest side in, and use them as SOS pads. I have a basket under the sink to hold them, its an ugly basket that used to go around a plant pot with a plastic insert. Too ugly to display but still has found a new use.

I only have 1 or 2 butter knives because I keep grabbing one for weeding the front yard. There is nothing like a butter knife to pop up dandelions! I've tried screwdrivers, spades, but my favorite is to just grab a butter knife.

I have a HUGE ceramic bowl that I use instead of a dishpan because its prettier. Its deep blue with white "snow" dots all over and snowmen. Its a matching set of 3 so I use the biggest as a dishpan, medium I use to catch the water from draining pasta (my dogs love it) and the third one I use to display fruit in the fridge after I've washed it. Then they get re-stacked as decoration on the countertop when not in use.

I am currently using kiddie pools to house a few small animals, so easy to clean and gives them lots of room to run around, and fresh air instead of the stuffiness that aquariums have for small animals.

Ok I could probably go on forever as I am a huge fan of repurposing items all over my house. I love that there are no rules...you know? Everyone just does what works for them.