If you love fresh squeezed oranges there’s one thing you probably have many of – besides oranges, peels, and juice. You’ve likely accumulated quite a few of those mesh bags that used to contain the oranges. There are a lot of really cool things you can make with those bags, including helpful cleaners, useful containers, and much more. When you open the oranges, cut them with scissors, and cut as close to the closure as possible. With the bag lying flat on a table, cut across the top, and even it up to prepare it for use.
Make a useful pot scrubber by wadding up an orange bag and securing it with a rubber band. You can even use a onion bag if you don’t have an orange bag. Just throw the scrubber away when you’re finished with it. Use the same technique to make a loofah sponge for the bath.
Make a kitchen potpourri holder by making it look like the mesh bag still contains oranges. Crumble dry, orange-scented potpourri into small pieces and wrap them in an orange tissue paper. Shape like an orange, poke a few holes with a pin, and place the ball in the bag. Fill the bag with the balls and they’ll appear to be a bag of oranges.
Start with a neat upper edge of the mesh bag and you create a carrier for all sorts of things. Just sew on straps made of an old belt, a piece of fabric, or a ribbon. Sew both ends of one strap to one side of the bag, and do the same to the other side, to create two handles. Use this helpful bag to carry things to – or home from – the beach, toys, books or magazines, and more.
You’ll never worry about tangled yarn when you use an orange or onion bag. Sew handles on, as stated above, then stack skeins of yarn inside. As you do, reach into the center of each skein, and pull out the end of the yarn. Pull the yarn piece through one opening in the mesh and you’re ready to crochet or knit. When the yarn pulls out from the center you rarely encounter a tangling problem.
After cutting the top edge to be straight, sew a strip of Velcro across one side, and its opposing piece on the opposite side. The closeable bags are perfect for laundering lingerie, socks, booties, and other small items. Use them in the same manner to wash small things in the dishwasher, like measuring spoons.
Every time you buy oranges, now, you’ll always want to save that mesh bag. You know they can be made into things you can use around your home. Use mesh bags from onions or other produce to make even more handy things.