DIY watering can

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

Transform a milk jug into a watering can

This project will have you saving your milk container to create a kid- friendly watering can. But, obviously, it can also used by an adult.

Children love to water plants. Generally this is good news, and watering is a helpful chore the children can take on in the garden. Sometimes, though, overenthusiastic watering can be bad news – plants can become waterlogged and seedlings can rot away. Sometimes seedlings can be damaged in a deluge. For children the standard watering can with seven or more liters can be a little on the heavy side. This DIY watering can with a rose head could be the ideal solution.

Made from a plastic milk bottle or similar container, it is free and a great way to upcycle your junk into something practical. It is easy to make and holds just the right amount of water, so it is not too heavy for young children, as I said above.

Materials

2-3 liter (maybe 4 liter even if can be had) plastic milk or juice bottle with lid

Small drill bit (3-4mm), gimlet or bradawl

Instructions

1. Start by washing out your milk bottle.

2. Use drill with drill bit (you could use a gimlet instead, or even a bradawl) to make small holes in the bottle's lid. Make sure the holes are big enough to allow the water to come out freely.

3. Remove the bottle top to fill your new watering can with water, pop the lid back on, and you are ready to go. The handle on the bottle makes it comfortable to hold, and if necessary, a gentle squeeze can help the water come out.

© 2018

From plastic lotion bottle to tool holster (Reuse Recipe)

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

Those plastic bottles that held hand lotion, or sun lotion, or the larger ones that held cleaning product of one kind or other, lend themselves very nicely to be upcycled into belt pouches/holsters for small tools like secateurs, etc.

And it does not just have to be lotion bottles. There are also plastic cleaning material bottles that can thus be upcycled. Lotion bottles are somewhat smaller/shorter than the cleaning ones and thus the former need a belt loop of sorts added. The larger bottles can have it incorporated. One could also use purchased metal belt clips and attach one of those to the thus created holster.

The lotion bottles also make for useful “pocket protectors” in that they can be slipped (with the tool or without) into a back pocket or such. Those are also extremely useful for the DIY-er for screwdrivers, spanners and such, so as not to damage the pocket(s).

Ingredients:

• Plastic lotion bottle (or similar)

Tools:

• Xacto knife (Stanley knife in UK)
• Cutting mat/board (I use an old plastic cutting board from kitchen)
• Scissors

How to:

• Using the Xacto knife carefully cut off the bottom of the bottle
• With the scissors trim the cut off area (if it is a larger bottle then you may wish to cut it similar to the one on the left in the photo)
• For belt wear you could cut slots in the back through which to thread the belt or, alternatively, using some other plastic stock from, say, plastic milk bottle, you could create a belt loop (see Harvesting Tub). (If you don't have rivets to use then a couple of small short bolts, nuts, and washers will do that equally well).

And, voila, ready...

© 2017