I do like to recycle, and I’m lucky enough to have a garden, and a compost pile. Usually after using eggs, I just put the shells in the compost pile. I had heard of people using them for other things, and decided to find some other uses for them and try them out. I’ve listed the top 10 ways that I found to recycle and use egg shells for you.
For Safety, I wash my eggshells in a 1tsp bleach to 1 qt hot water mixture, dry them and pop them in a zip lock bag . They’re handy, and easy to crush inside the bag.
- Add 1 tsp. of crushed egg shells to your coffee grounds before brewing. The shells’ alkaline calcim carbonate will help neutralize the coffee’s acidity, making the coffee smoother and a lot easier on your stomach. This one really works!
- Use 1/2 the egg shell as a seed starter for your garden plants. The calcium carbonate is great for your seedlings and gives them a boost. You can just crack the egg shell when you’re ready to plant, and sprinkle the shell in the hole before placing your plant. Egg shells are especially beneficial to tomato plants.
- If you bake some eggshells in the over at very low heat (250) until they’re dry, but not browned, cool them, then crush them finely, you can then add them to your bird feeder. The birds will love them, and if you use them in the spring it’ll be a great natural supplement for the female birds who will lay stong eggs with the added calcium.
- Crushed up eggshell put in your sink trap will help keep your pipes clean. When you turn the water on, the fragments acts like little scrapers removing gunk and grease from your pipes, keeping the drain pipes clear and running smoothly!
- You can use the bake and dry then crush method with eggshells to help your dog, too. Simply sprinkle a small amount of crushed egg shell on his food to give him an added calcium boost.
- If you sprinkle lightly crushed egg shells around your garden, shrubs, landscaping, or right around plants that have been nibbled on, you will deter pests. Deer don’t like the smell of egg. Pests like snails and slugs can’t travel safely over the jagged obstacle course you’ve set up.
- To clean thermoses and narrow necked vases and bottles, just drop one or two crushed egg shells in the container, add a drop of dishwashing soap and some warm water, and shake shake shake. The soap softens the gunk and the egg shells will scrape away at even the hardest to reach areas. They’ll also remove any tea stains that may be in your thermos, or tea pot!
- Dissolving egg shells in a jar of apple cider vinegar (usually takes 2 – 3 day) – presents you with a natural soothing liquid for skin irritations. Some people even rub the liquid into arthritic joints and get relief.
- You can make sidewalk chalk from egg shells! Here is a link to a recipe Sidewalk Chalk
- Perk up your complexion with this eggshell/egg white mask. Crush up 1 or 2 egg shells very finely then whisk together with one egg white. Apply this all over your face and let dry. Rinse with warm water. The gentle abrasiveness of the egg shells will exfoliate your skin and the calcium in the eggshells will help even out your complexion and promote cell regeneration!
If you have any other tips for reusing eggshells, please add them in the comments below!
Remember to egg shell safely – only use egg shells that have been boiled, or sanitized with the bleach and water!