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It’s spring and we’ve been doing some Spring cleaning including the garage. I wanted some containers that would fit on our shelves and hold the objects that tend to clutter up spaces. The cat litter pails worked awesome! They were very simple to prep and label. Now our balls, sand toys and play tools have a place. I think I may be adding some to our collection…..there’s chalk, bubble toys and maybe even my gardening tools.
Our cat is at least 15 years old….we think. We got her from the Denver Pet Adoption Center called the Dumb Friends League. We were not sure of her age when we adopted her. Kitty has been in our family for 15 years so we know at least that. We have used the same litter since we got her and we are not about to change now. I don’t think the cat could handle it. Anyway we use Tidy Cat litter in the 35 pound pails. They are heavy when full of litter, but can hold a ton of odds and ends.
We typically would toss the cat litter pails into the recycling bin and move on. One day I finally realized that these containers would work great for storage and organizing. We started using them for random stuff in our garage last fall like sand for the ice. Then winter came and the pails in the garage didn’t get used as much, except for the sand for the ice. This spring we cleaned out the garage and found more uses for our bins.
Let’s get down to it
I was tired of looking at the cat litter label and wanted to label them my own. Here’s the steps on how to remove the label with ease. All you need is a bottle of Goof Off , rubber gloves and a rag. Make sure you are in a well ventilated space, like outside. Also as a side note if you do this on your grass, like I did, you may want to lay down a drop cloth. The Goof Off will kill your grass.
Start by squirting your Goof Off on the label and let it sit for a few seconds.
Rub the label with your rubber gloves, don’t use the rag yet. Your gloves should loosen up the label pretty well.
After awhile it will look very messy. If it you can’t get it all loose, just squirt a little more Goof Off and keep on rubbing. It will quickly look like this.
Now grab your rag, squirt a little bit of Goof Off into the rag and rub off the container. Until the surface is clean.
Super duper no more label!
My upcycled cat litter pails are going to be in my garage and I wanted them to be rather straight forward. I grabbed my stencils from scrap booking and a classic black Sharpie. Labeled those buckets and fit them just right on the shelf. You could always fancy them up with some material and Modpodge.
This make it Monday worked out great for me and I hope it will for you too. After I made a few of these I got the idea to use them for more items. Hopefully this will help me to organize more areas of our garage and maybe even our basement.
Candy
Excellent upcycle idea! We should all do more of this and help Mother Nature! 🙂
Kim Amy
I always felt so bad when I threw these out even though they went into the recycling bin, that still seemed like a waste. Thanks!
Tanyi Melvis Bechemnyo
Nice Post. Thanks for taking the time to teach me these tips.
http://www.blogtoolscorner.com
Danielle @ A Sprinkle of Joy
Love it!! So easy, and useful. 🙂
Kim Amy
And very stackable, thanks!
Christine
That’s a great way to re-purpose a large container instead of just throwing them away. I love it!
Kim Amy
My garage is starting to look like a litter storage facility, but it’s actually working
Elizabeth
That’s a great way to use those big containers! We don’t have cats (aside from the occasional transient in the barn), but we use 5 gallon buckets from paint and fertilizer and laundry soap for everything once they’re empty. #allformommas
Kim Amy
Yes I love those huge buckets they work similar! They are great as make shift stools also.
Stephenie - Blended Life Happy Wife
I am all for recycling and reusing. This is a great idea with simple to follow instructions. Thank you so much for sharing this post in the All for Mamas Link Party Week 8 #allformamas. Please make sure you stop over and comment on the hostess post and add the badge so your posts can be shared through social media and be considered for the featured post. 🙂 It is good to have you participating
Kim Amy
Thanks for the reminder I always forget the details!
Beverly
Great upcycle. Thanks for sharing your wonderful posts at Over The Moon Party.
See you next week.
Hugs,
Bev
Linda
This is a wonderful idea. I have at least 3 of those buckets in my garage since that’s the litter I used for my cat. I will be trying this.
Kim Amy
Great! Let me know how to end up decorating them!
Stephanie Abbott
Clever idea! Thanks for sharing at To Grandma’s House We Go!
Amber
What a great idea to use the old pails for storage Kim
Kim Amy
Thanks, I keep finding more places to use them.
Leanna
Great tutorial on how to remove a label from a bucket. Five gallon buckets are perfect for so many things in the garage, but I am fussy about not wanting thing to look junky. Great solution.