10 Easy Ways to Recycle Eggshells

 Emily is sharing tips for reusing eggshells.

To most people eggshells are useless things that are thrown away, but to the recycler or homesteader eggshells are natures best kept secret and useful for tons of things.

For any tips related to human or animal consumption you do need to make sure the egg shells are washed and healthy, otherwise you run the risk of getting salmonella and that’s never fun.

10 Easy Ways to Recycle Eggshells

1. Use eggshells as seed starters. The membrane inside the shell has tons of nutrients that will fertilize the seedlings as they grow. Fill shell half way with soil and add seeds. Use a spray bottle to water.
2. Supplement your birds diet. Feed crushed eggshells to your parrots and chickens. Eggshells are an excellent source of calcium and pet birds such as parrots need lots of it. To encourage them to eat the shells they should be crushed and cooked in eggs.
3. Slug preventer! Crushed eggshells sprinkled around your flower beds or veggie gardens will prevent slugs from crossing plus cats don’t like them either. Crushed eggshells also provide a nice calcium supplement for vegetable beds.
4.  Make an exfoliator. Finely crushed eggshell mixed with sea salt and honey creates an excellent exfoliate soap for the body.
5. Use to help strain water. Add a few eggshells pieces to your kitchen strainer to prevent food particulars from traveling into the drain. They also aid in unclogging the pipes as the shells decompose.
6. Take the bitterness out of your coffee by brewing crushes eggshells in your coffee granules.
7. Create textured paint. Add crushed eggshell to your acrylic paint to add texture for a unique piece of artwork.
8. Make Candles. Hallow out eggs and fill with scented wax to use as candles.
9. Make paint cups. Use eggshells as water dishes for your child’s paints to minimize spillage.
10. Add calcium to your diet. Add eggshells to your protein shakes for added calcium.

Don’t have time for any of the above activities? Then crush the egg shells and add them to your compost bin. Your garden will appreciate them next spring.

How do you use egg shells?

More Thrifty Household Hacks:

• 20 Ways to Use Honey
• 20 Frugal Uses for Salt
• 20 Ways to Use Lemons
• 7 Ways to Use Avocados
• 20 Frugal Uses for Borax
• 20 Frugal Uses for Vinegar
• 20 Ways to Use Tea Tree Oil
• 10 Household Uses for Soda Pop

Emily is passionate about growing her own food, crafts, sewing, developmental disabilities and blogging. She holds a bachelors degree in psychology with a secondary in human development from Washington State University. She also holds an associates degree in horticulture from Clark College. You can often find her blogging over at Emily’s Frugal Tips, a frugal blog dedicated to teaching families how to live with more for less money.