Sustainable swap: 12 ideas for repurposing waste eggshells
Make use of your food waste with these clever home hacks to repurpose leftover eggshells.
Image: Extracted from Simply Living Well by Julia Watkins (Hardie Grant, £16.99) Photography © Kate Macate/Shutterstock
Whether you’ve upped your baking output during lockdown, or are just treating yourself to more delicious egg-based brunches during the day, if you’ve suddenly found your food waste full of eggshells, did you know you’re throwing away a useful commodity?
Julia Watkins, author of new book Simply Living Well, gives us her top 12 ideas for repurposing egg shells for you and your home.
Deter garden pests
Sprinkle crushed eggshells around the garden to ward off slugs and snails. Grind them into a powder and sprinkle on plants to deter beetles.
Brighten white laundry
Put eggshells in a mesh or muslin bag, secure tightly with string or twine, and add to the washing machine with a load of whites. minerals to the mix.
Feed to chickens
Feed eggshells to your chickens as a calcium supplement. Let the eggshells dry out for a day or two, crush them, then mix them with the regular chicken feed.
Boost indoor plants
Fill a glass jar with crushed eggshells, top it with water, and soak for a few days. Strain and use the liquid to water houseplants.
Start seedlings
Instead of pots, use eggshells as seedling starters. Poke holes in the bottom of eggshell halves, place them in an empty egg carton, fill each one with potting soil, and plant one or two seeds per shell.
Fortify garden tomatoes
To prevent blossom end rot in tomatoes, use a coffee grinder to crush eggshells into a fine powder that can be sprinkled in the hole before planting seeds or young tomato plants.
Scrub pots and pans
Mix crushed eggshells with hot water and use as an abrasive to scrub pots and pans. Rinse with soap and water to get completely clean.
Use in vermicomposting
Pulverize the eggshells, then feed them to your worms and use them to neutralize the pH of your bedding.
Treat skin irritations
Soak eggshells in a jar of apple cider vinegar for a couple of days, then use the solution to treat itchy skin and minor irritation.
Use in art projects
Dye white eggs different colors, then use the crushed shells to create mosaic artwork with glue, paint, and cardboard.
Make a skin-tightening face mask
Combine 2 tablespoons of finely powdered eggshells with an egg white and mix into a paste. Apply as a natural face mask. Allow to dry for 15 to 20 minutes, then wash off with warm water, using circular motions to exfoliate.
Extracted from Simply Living Well by Julia Watkins (Hardie Grant, £16.99) Photography © Kate Macate/Shutterstock
Would you consider repurposing eggshells for any reason in your home? Tweet us @goodhomesmag, or post a comment on our Facebook page!