1. Cleaning Windows
This seems totally counterintuitive, but a friend of mine recently told me that using newspaper to clean windows works better than a cloth in preventing streaks. Weird, right? Wouldn’t all that newsprint transfer to the glass? It certainly does on my hands. It seems, however, that the newspaper-window-washing Internet population agrees with my friend. For even better results, use a vinegar-and-water solution instead of a chemical cleaner like Windex.
2. Gift Wrap
In a pinch, newspaper works well for wrapping gifts. Most folks generally choose the comics because of the color and humor, but if the gift recipient is in, say, finance, why not use the business or money sections instead? The wrap will seem more thoughtful that way. If you’re super crafty, you can even make a newspaper bow to top it all off.
3. Book Covers
When I was a kid, my parents wouldn’t spring for store-bought book covers when newspaper worked just as well. I probably hated it back then, but now it seems kind of cool. To tell the books apart once they’re covered, use a section of the newspaper that represents each book. For instance, if you’re covering a science textbook, pick the tech section of the paper. Follow these easy instructions to make a newspaper book cover.
4. Disposable Table Cloths
When I’m from (Hello, Baltimore!), it’s a summertime ritual to buy (or catch) a bushel of crabs, steam them up, and dump the red devils on a newspaper-lined patio or porch table. If you’ve ever picked and eaten crabs before, you know how messy they can be (which is why I don’t do it; sorry, Baltimore). The newspaper serves a dual purpose for messy outdoor eating: a) it keeps your table clean, and b) it makes clean up a breeze because all you have to do is fold up the paper starting from the edges and dump it in the trash.
5. Packing Supplies
Bubble wrap and other paper packing supplies are expensive. Honestly, I don’t know why people purchase these things when there are probably plenty of materials lying around their own homes that will suffice in sending the package safely. Newspaper is lighter than bubble wrap too, which will reduce the shipping fees. To pack a box with loose or fragile contents, first wrap the items individually (if they’re breakable, then stuff the open space with crumpled up paper. Just make sure that everything is tight so there’s no opportunity for movement during transit.
6. Weed Blocker
Another tip from a friend that I had never heard of — if you have a garden and weeds are a problem, cover the bed with newspaper and water it to the saturation point. Once that’s done, cover the paper with organic matter, like compost or mulch. Eventually, the newspaper will smother the problematic weeds, and the organic matter will help your garden flourish.
