Easter has come and gone...what remains is a fridge of colorful eggs, yielding days of egg salad sandwiches and buckets of Easter egg art gone to the composting graves of Easter past. But wait...there is another path these shells can take! Within the waste lies a fortune of DIY garden, home and health projects!
Let's get CRACKIN'! Starting from your toes up to your nose, here are some ideas on how to resurrect those shells into some creative ideas that may just have you setting up a year-round designated eggshell basket!
First some eggvice: For most eggshell uses, it is better to make sure they are clean and free from bacteria, particularly if using in your home or body. If you don’t wash the eggs thoroughly before using, bake the shells at 250 degrees on a cookie sheet for about 10 minutes. Also, leave the inner membrane, as it is part of the nutrients that makes up the shell. To get a fine grind use a mortar and pestle or a spice blender.
Pest Control
Crush eggshells and scatter them around your vegetables and flowers to fend off slugs, snails, and cutworms. These soft-bodied critters don’t like crawling over sharp pieces of shell. The smell of eggs will also deter deer (its not necessary for you to bake or wash the shells if using them for this purpose)
Start Some Seedlings
Fill an egg carton with empty, rinsed eggshell halves and poke a hole in each one for drainage. Then add potting soil and one or two seeds to each shell. When the seedlings are big enough for transplanting outside, just crack the shell at the bottom and plant them, shell and all.
Garden Fertilizer
Eggshells are rich in calcium and other minerals that help your garden thrive. Crush eggshells into tiny pieces and sprinkle into each hole before planting. Then, sprinkle additional shells around the base of your plants every two weeks. This is a better technique for outdoor plants as eventually the eggshells will break down and may leave a funky compost smell behind.
Make Your Own Sidewalk Chalk!! Fun!
What you need for one big piece of chalk :
1 Tbs or approximately five empty egg shells
1 teaspoon flour
1 1/2 teaspoon very hot water (more or less, depending on your consistency)
couple drops of food coloring (for colored chalk)
Wash and dry the egg shells.
Crush the egg shell into a bowl and grind it until it is a powder. Make sure all the pieces are ground. Take out any big pieces before going on to the next step.
Mix the flour and hot water in another bowl. Then add 1 tablespoon egg shell powder and mix into a thick paste.
Add your favorite color food coloring. Just add a drop or two for colored chalk. If you want white chalk do not add anything.
Shape the paste into chalk sticks or press into soap molds for fun shapes. If making chalk sticks roll the sticks up tightly in a paper towel to absorb the moisture.
Let your chalk dry for 3 days.
House Plant Booster
Keep a mason jar of eggshells covered with water for watering indoor plants. Or, after you have boiled eggs save the water for your plants after it has cooled. The water will give them added nutrients.
Fortify your pet
After baking the shells and grinding them down to a powder, add a teaspoon to your cat or dog’s wet food as a great calcium supplement to help their bones and teeth. It's recommended you use fresh eggshells for this, rather than boiled or dyed.
Unclog your drains
Keep a few ground eggshells in your kitchen sink strainer. They trap additional solids and when they slowly break down, they will help to naturally clean your pipes on their way out.
Powerful Cleaner - especially for narrow nozzles and hummingbird feeders!
Ground eggshells make a wonderful (and nontoxic!) abrasive for those tough-to-clean pots and pans. Mix them with a little soapy water for a powerful clean.
Hummingbird feeders tend to grow all sorts of nasty stuff. Clean it by first by rinsing with hot water. Then add some crushed egg shells, fill 1/2 way with water, and shake. The shells act as an abrasive, removing mold or other built-up gunk. Rinse well before re-filling with hummingbird food.
It’s almost impossible to get a scrub brush down the narrow neck of a thermos. Clean your thermos using the instructions above for hummingbird feeders.
Treat Skin Irritations
Drop an eggshell into a small container of apple cider vinegar and let it soak for a couple of days. Dab the mixture on minor skin irritations or on itchy skin. It's recommended you use fresh eggshells for this, rather than boiled or dyed.
Which of these creative shell uses are your favorites?
Share your ideas! -- What do you do with eggshells?
(Article Source: www.rd.com, eggshells)
