Household Tips: 27 Uses for Newspaper Uses (WWII Series)

Leave it to those wonderful women of WWII to come up with a list of frugal living tips using newspaper. Anything that was in abundant supply during that time was sure to be used for more than what it was made for and newspaper was in great supply.

I use old newspaper all of the time, for arts & craft projects, as a liner when I’m painting, I even use them for my scrapbooking. In fact the other day I saw a really unique use which I want to do in my office, Smoking Designers used newspaper for wallpaper. There are so many great ways that we use newspaper but I did you know that there are a lot of practical ways that you could use it too?

1. Containers – to deodorize,
   fill the container with balled up newspaper. Seal and let it sit overnight.
2. Funnel – to make your own in
   a pinch, use rolled up newspaper.
3. Refrigerator – to keep the
   vegetable drawer dry, line the drawer with newspaper.
4. Tomatoes – to ripen, wrap
   the tomato in newspaper and let it sit out at room temperature.

Cleaning

1. Glass – for a streak free
   clean, use newspaper with window cleaner.
2. Shoe Mat – to absorb water,
   place a pile of newspaper near the door to store wet shoes and boots.

Garden

1. Frost – to protect plants,
   cover plants with newspaper.
2. Garden – to prepare for
   spring planting, in the fall, cover the section of grass where you want to
   plant your garden with several layers of newspaper. Pile your fall leaves on
   the newspaper. Saturate it with water. This will break down into compost and
   strangle the grass.
3. Seeds – to sprout, place
   seeds between two pieces of damp newspaper. Store in a warm place, keep the
   paper damp.
4. Weeds – to discourage, line
   the rows of your garden with newspaper.

Miscellaneous

1. Bedding – to keep animals
   warm, line their bed with strips of newspaper.
2. Candles – to make them fit
   tightly into holders, wrap newspaper around the base of the candle.
3. Car – to give it traction
   when your stuck, place a thick pile of newspaper under the tires.
4. Drafts – to eliminate, stuff
   newspaper under doors and in cracks.
5. Drywall – to repair small
   holes, stuff the hole with balled up newspaper before applying drywall mud.
6. Furniture – to protect when sanding
   or painting, cover furniture with layers of newspaper.
7. Gifts – to wrap, use
   newspaper.
8. Insulation – to insulate your home, use newspaper in your walls
9. Kindling – for an easy fire
   starter, tie a piece of newspaper in a knot and place it under the fire wood.
   Light both ends of the newspaper.
10. Knee pad – to make your own,
    use several layers of newspaper.
11. Logs – to make your own,
    tightly roll up newspaper and tie it with twine.
12. Packing – to protect fragile
    items, wrap with several pieces of newspaper. Stuff crumpled up newspaper to
    fill the empty space in the box.
13. Purse – to store, fill the
    purse with crumbled newspaper to help it keeps its shape.
14. Sewing – to make a pattern,
    use newspaper.
15. Shoes – to dry, stuff them
    with crumbled newspaper and allow them to sit overnight.
16. Shoes – to tighten, dampen
    shoes and loosely fill the shoe with newspaper.
17. Umbrella
    – to make one in a pinch, use a thick piece of newspaper.

Do you have any household tips using newspaper?

** If, by some small miracle, you worked at Amway in Ada, MI in the 1980’s and were the person my mother loaned the notebook to, please contact me. The notebook is a small (aprox. 6″x9″) black leather, 3-ring binder, and contains hand drawn patterns (teddy bear), recipes and household tips and tricks. It would mean so much to my family to have it back.