Watch How To Make The Tired Old Stuff In Your House Look Brand-New Again

Time. It affects everything. No matter how shiny and new the items in your home once were, time will eventually take its toll.
But just because something isn't as new as it used to be doesn't mean it can't still look good and function perfectly. It just needs a little extra care. Here are 15 tricks that'll breathe new life into your old stuff.
Follow the links in the descriptions for more info!

1. Restore a fading leather couch.

Quirky Missy

A dry, cracked, or scratched leather couch can easily be restored with vinegar and olive oil.

2. Or just get rid of small scratches.

Mash-Upchic

Rubbing a bit of olive oil on scratches in leather couches (or leather anything, really) will minimize the appearance of scratch marks.

3. Oil and vinegar also work for getting scratches out of wooden furniture.

Lily & Thistle

Polish the scuffed legs of chairs and tables with these simple ingredients.

4. Oh, and vinegar is good for hardwood floors, too.

BrenDid

Mixing warm water and white vinegar makes for an all-natural floor wash.

5. Rid cutting boards of bacteria and general grossness.

Sweet C's Designs

Vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, and oil are great for removing germs from cutting boards. And that's important.

6. Bring a rusty frying pan back to life.

I Believe I Can Fry

The cleaning process involves things you already have in your house.

7. Restore grout the easy way.

On Sutton Place

This process takes a while, but it's worth it.

8. Give Barbie's hair a makeover.

The Vinyl Idol

Favorite Barbies often end up looking rather scruffy, but this tutorial helps bring back the glam. It's also perfect for when you'd like to donate pre-loved toys.

9. Make metal furniture shiny again.

Hip2Save

Car wax can make weathered patio furniture look like new.

10. Brighten up old sneakers.

Toothpaste whitens teeth, and it can also whiten even your grungiest kicks.

11. Get stains out of carpets, no matter what they are.

Remove Stains

Depending on what made the stain, there are multiple ways to make carpets clean again.

12. De-fog your headlights.

School of How-To

There are lots of fancy products out there that clean cloudy headlights, but you can also do it at home with baking soda.

13. Refinish an old childhood favorite.

Instructables

This one is more labor intensive, but the result is so worth it — especially if you have little ones!

14. Remove stains from leather.

La Vie DIY

Cornstarch soaks up stains from leather in a pinch!

15. Clean non-silver jewelry without polish.

EHow

A simple mixture of salt and vinegar gets the tarnish off of non-sterling jewelry.


Okay, so it might require a little more work than buying new things, but with these tips, you'll get your beloved stuff to last longer. It's also a lot cheaper than having things cleaned professionally! This is a win-win.

This Tea Light Heater Doesn't Only Save You Money, It Also Serves As Art

Though we're still knee-deep in summer, it's almost impossible to forget that the colder months are just weeks away. With those come excessive heating bills and hours spent trudging through snow to retrieve firewood. If you're looking to cut down on both money and time spent thawing your toes, you've got to check this flowerpot heater out. Not only will it save you some dollars, it also serves as a cool piece of decor!

Now your flowerpots can keep you warm in the winter and serve as homes for your budding plants in the spring and summer!

If You Recycle Containers, This Is A Trick You Really Need To Know

Hanging on to your old plastic food containers is a great way to keep organized, save money by not buying new Tupperware, and help the planet by recycling them into a new use. But we have to admit, the pesky labels don't look super classy. 

Luckily, this easy trick can make all those brand names and nutritional data disappear like magic!

What you'll need: a bottle of pure acetone, a rag, and the container you want the label removed from.

2 Busy Brunettes

Start by saturating the rag with the acetone.

2 Busy Brunettes

Make sure you're in a well-ventilated room. Gloves are a good idea, too.

Next, wrap the soaked rag around the container and leave it for 3-5 minutes.

2 Busy Brunettes

Once it's had time to work, the label should simply rub away!

2 Busy Brunettes

And now you have a nice, clean tub to use as an organizer, turn into a craft, or any other creative endeavor your heart desires!

2 Busy Brunettes

I used to think my only option was painting over this stuff, but now my mind is flooding with all the cool customizations you could do with these!