Do you love reading The Mountain-Ear in print every week? Thank you – we appreciate you. Do you find yourself with a collection of newspapers at the end of every month or season? Don’t have a wood stove to use them as kindling? What about taking them to the recycling center? Who has time for that?!

Thanks to some innovative individuals, the newspaper is no longer only for sitting around on a Sunday morning with a nice warm cup of joe, tea, or hot toddy. (Kidding! It’s best to enjoy warm whiskey – hot toddy – after dinner.) If you’re wondering what to do with the stack of newspapers in the corner, stress no more. This article will inspire you to give your old editions of The Mountain-Ear new purpose.

Cleaning

1.Are you tired of ruining rags or wasting paper towels on cleaning? Use newspaper to clean windows, mirrors, and other glass surfaces for a lint-free clean.

2.Have you broken your favorite glass or mirror? No need to worry about seven years of bad luck. Wet newspaper enough to soften it. Watch the shards of glass cling to the moistened newspaper, making it safer and easier to place everything into the trash.

3.We love our pets! But for those with traditional litter boxes, it can become daunting to deal with the smell of urine, or to keep up with the cleaning. Clean the litter box and dispose of the used litter. When dry, place sheets of newspaper in the bottom of the litter box before filling it. The newspaper helps absorb odors and wetness.

4.The mouth-watering taste and smell of a grill cooking a tender piece of meat or a kabob of vegetables is a welcome treat, but have you ever tried cleaning one? After your grill has cooled a little, soak newspaper pages in water, laying the sheets over the warm barbecue grill and closing the lid. After one hour, remove the paper and wipe the grill clean. You’re welcome!

5.Do you prefer your food prepared in an oven versus a grill? Moisten a few pages of the newspaper, crumbling them up once moistened, and wipe away any residue.

Food

1.Need to speed up your produce’s maturation? Gently wrap avocados or tomatoes in newspaper and watch it work like a charm.

2.Keep apples from rotting by wrapping them in newspaper.

Outdoors

1.Calling all gardeners! Start your indoor seedlings using newspaper pots, which can be transplanted directly into the ground.

2.If you’re starting a garden from scratch, place newspapers over the soil in your garden as a makeshift weed barrier or ground cover to help reduce the invasion of weeds.

3.If a cold snap is coming and the weather is dry, cover outdoor plants with sheets of newspaper, securing them to plant stems with clothespins.

4.You can use crumpled-up bits of newspaper to start a bonfire, charcoal grill, or campfire. But remember, please do so responsibly to avoid starting wildfires.

5.If you’re roughing it out in the wilderness, you can put several sheets of newspaper underneath your sleeping bag to help keep your bag dry and free from dirt and grass stains.

6. If you find your garden infested with earwigs, get rid of them by making this eco-friendly trap: roll up a wet newspaper, tie it with a rubber band, and leave it in the infested area overnight.

Vehicle

1.Winters are harsh. Even more so in these here mountains. Getting stuck on a patch of ice can be frustrating, but not if you keep a stack of newspapers in the trunk of your vehicle. Placing a wad of newspaper under each rear wheel will help get you unstuck and back on the road. Please remember not to leave the newspaper in the wild.

2.Tired of replacing or washing your vehicle’s floor mats? Lay folded newspaper on the floor of your vehicle, allowing it to absorb water and help keep dirt off the carpet.

3.Are you tired of scraping frost from your windshield? Place newspaper across your car windshield during winter to protect it from frost.

Indoors

1.Are you cold inside the house? By folding newspapers and using them to plug any gaps in your windows or doors, you can also save a few pennies on your heating bill.

2.For carpets or rugs with foam backing, use newspaper underneath them to keep them from sliding and to add a layer of protection.

Personal items

1.Use tightly wadded newspaper, molding them into the appropriate size and form, to keep the shape in your hats, purses, etc.

2. Stuffing loosely wadded newspaper into soaked shoes will help absorb the moisture, allowing the shoes to dry faster. This method also helps avoid mildew and other not-so-pleasant odors.

3.Speaking of stinky things…. Hey, you! The one with the smelly gym bag. Crumple up some newspaper and throw it in your bag (or suitcase, briefcase, backpack, etc.). Leave the newspaper in it for a few days. It works like baking soda works inside your fridge.

Art

1.Use newspapers in place of gift wrapping paper.

2.Looking for something fun to do during family night? Challenge your family, lover, or friends to create something unique using only newspaper and glue.

3.To protect your creating surfaces, place newspaper down before letting your creative juices flow to prevent soiling floors or furniture.

4. If you love reading, you know that book covers can be sensitive to damage. Why not use newspaper pages to make a protective book cover?

5.Cut parts of your favorite stories or images and use Mod Podge or medium gel to attach them to a canvas, creating a work of art without any paint.

There you have it. Numerous ways to upcycle your old editions of The Mountain-Ear. If you haven’t subscribed, now you have 26 reasons to do so. If you’d like to try some of these tips and tricks, but need newspapers, come see us in Nederland at 98 W 1st Street.