10 ways to use old spices

Clean Your Carpet

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Use old spices to freshen up your carpet and even your vacuum. You can try using spices such as rosemary or ginger, or create an assortment of spices by mixing things like cinnamon, cloves, thyme and nutmeg. Sprinkle the spices on your carpet and vacuum it up.

A note of caution: make sure your spices’ colours will not stain your carpet before you apply them to the entire carpet.

 

Repel Bugs

Instead of using chemical insect repellents, try using old spices to deter bugs from entering your home. Spices with strong smells tend to keep insects away, so consider placing spices such as pepper, oregano, sage, and peppermint in places where you find insects frequent.

 

Spice-Scented Soap

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If you’re into making your own soap, try throwing in some old spices to make your very own spice-scented soaps. You can consider spices such as cinnamon, ginger and cloves.

 

Mix Up Paint

Love art? Take a step into the past by making your own paints with natural pigments just as many painters have done so throughout history. All you need are some colourful spices such as nutmeg, paprika, cinnamon and turmeric, and mix them with water in containers to produce some bright, natural paints.

 

Keep Animals Out of The Garden

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Keep small animals and neighbourhood critters away from your plants by sprinkling some hot spices in your garden. Chilli powder, red pepper and cayenne are good for keeping your plants safe from harm.

 

Add To Laundry

Black pepper can work wonders for your laundry. It helps to keep colours bright and prevent them from fading. Just add a few teaspoons of pepper into your load of laundry to help extend the life of your clothes.

For more conventional laundry products, check out Bio-home’s natural and delicate laundry detergent here. Additionally, for some handy laundry tips visit our Complete Guide here.

 

Make Spiced Candles

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Save some money on Yankee Candles by making your own spiced candles. Find a basic candle-making recipe online and add a nice smelling spice into your candle mixture. Make sure you only use ground spices, as whole spices can cause a fire hazard.

 

Grill

Old spices still stand a chance when it comes to cooking. Toss old spices on your grill to help release any remaining volatile oils that will help to flavour your food.

 

Deodorize

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Spices are good at neutralizing odours and can help freshen up your home. Fill some sachets with spices and place them in drawers, bottles and thermoses to eliminate stale and unpleasant odours.

 

Grow Them

If you really can’t find any use for your old spices, you can try planting them to see if they will grow. Use whole spices such as anise stars, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, dill and more. These types of spices are seeds all along, and therefore may germinate. Its success, however, may be dependent on how old the seeds are.