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Convert vintage keys into Christmas decorations, wine charm holders, or curtain weights for home adornment.
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Use keys as small scrapers, spreaders, or embed them in concrete for home improvement.
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Convert keys into hooks for your entryways or workspaces to keep things organized, or utilize them as an inexpensive method to detect pests.
Next time you come across an outdated key while rummaging through drawers or bins at home, hold off on discarding it immediately. According to specialists, these obsolete keys have numerous practical applications as well as aesthetic ones, and you may find their versatility surprising when put to use around your residence.
In this section, we present seven distinct approaches for repurposing discarded keys that you should explore after your subsequent decluttering session.
Meet the Experts
-
Sarah Teresinski
is a skilled do-it-yourself enthusiast and the creator of Redeux Style. -
Danny Niemela
serves as both a contractor and the vice president at ArDan Construction.
Convert Keys into Wine Charm Accessories
Instead of buying wine charms from the store, consider making your own with used keys. Sarah Teresinski, a seasoned DIY enthusiast and the creator of Redeux Style, recommends gathering several keys and spray painting them various colors. Then, simply thread some twine through the tops.
Next, when visitors arrive, everyone can choose a key in their preferred color and use it to mark their glass so they know which drink belongs to whom.
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Utilize weights to keep curtains anchored down.
If your curtains are flapping excessively and you want to add heft to them, you can use some spare keys instead. These keys can be pinned or stitched into the hem of the curtains, as TeresinskI points out. She has personally implemented this trick lately.
outdoor curtains
and has discovered it to be a fantastic solution.
Convert Keys Into Christmas Decorations
It’s always fun to
Create your own DIY Christmas decorations
, and you can really elevate keys so that they look special on the tree, Teresinski explains.
She recommends coloring vintage keys with holiday hues like red and green or blue and white, then attaching multiple keys at their bases with super glue to form snowflakes. Afterward, simply secure some twine or thread to your decorative pieces, making them ready for hanging.
Add Old Keys to Concrete
Danny Niemela, a contractor and the vice president at ArDan Construction—a firm specializing in home renovations—mentions that his company has incorporated used keys into
poured concrete
to add intrigue to patio steps or garden edging.
“Clients love the texture,” he says, noting that he will mix keys in with coins, bottle caps, and other metal scraps. “It gives the concrete a unique mosaic feel and keeps garbage out of the landfill.”
Turn Keys Into Hooks
Create your own DIY hooks for your home with some discarded keys. Collect around three to five old keys and mount them side-by-side onto a wooden board—Niemela suggests opting for a slender plank of wood, ensuring approximately two inches of spacing between each key. According to Niemela, you should drill holes at the bottom of each key and secure them to the wooden strip using 25-millimeter screws.
He mentions that it performs excellently in hallways or beside a home office. It prioritizes functionality above all, yet still manages to look good.
Utilize Keys for Tackling Home Repair Tasks
Next time you tackle a home improvement task, check for unused keys instead of immediately going to the hardware store. Finding these could reduce your shopping list since keys can serve as handy little flat tools with their edges filed smooth. As Niemela points out, they work well as improvised spreaders or scrapers.
He notes they excel at eliminating adhesive leftovers, detaching old paint fragments, or refining narrow spaces filled with putty during refurbishment tasks,” highlighting the key’s heat-resistance, slimness, and durability. “There’s no necessity to continually purchase plastic instruments since robust metal ones are readily available for reuse.
Hang Keys Throughout the Home
Imagine having a method to detect whether pesky intruders are secretly moving around your house without your knowledge. According to Niemela, keys can serve as useful tools for this purpose, recommending that you hang several of them behind storage cabinets.
He describes how the sound activates effortlessly, alerting you whenever anything shifts, pointing out that this is an excellent method for accurately locating things.
critters
Best of all, it’s a solution that comes at no cost whatsoever.
“There’s no hassle, no batteries involved, just simple mechanics,” Niemela explains.
Read the initial article on
The Spruce
