How To Do Everything

Is it time to upgrade your shower curtain?  Is it showing some holes or is the design faded?  Before you decide to throw the old one out, consider keeping it to use around the house.   Below are some great ways to prep and use that old shower curtain.

** Wash the curtain.  You can wash a shower curtain in the washer by putting in a cold, gentle wash.  This will help to remove soap scum and mold.  When done washing, hang it out to dry.  If it has finished its cycle and still needs cleaning, throw it back in with some soft items like towels or socks. At the end of the cycle, remove the curtain, and respin the soft items.

1. Use it as a drop cloth.  You can easily use an old shower curtain as a drop cloth for small painting or redecorating jobs.  Just lay the curtain on the area you want to protect from paint, sawdust, or masonry dust.

2.  Protect your floor, while the little ones finger paint.  Just lay the curtain on the floor then cover with newspapers.  The children can enjoy painting the papers on top, while the curtain protects your floor.

3. Make a Water Slide.  In the summer, tack or peg down the shower curtain on a small slope and run the hose down it.  This gives the children a small water slide in their own backyard.
4. Protect outdoor furniture. Draping a shower curtain over your outdoor furniture to protect it from the rain is a great and easy use for an old curtain.  Just wrap the piece of furniture in the shower curtain and then tuck it under the legs or base of the item.  You can further secure it using strings or elastic.
5. Cover your grill.  If you don’t already have a cover for your outdoor barbecue grill, a shower curtain can be a great fix.  You can also use it to cover your lawn mower.  Just make sure that either item you are covering is completely cool before you do so, or your curtain could melt to the item.
6. Make a Pattern.  If you don’t like using the paper pattern pieces that come with your sewing pattern then turn them into plastic using an old shower curtain.  Just lay your pattern pieces on top of the shower curtain and pin them into place. Next, outline the pieces with a permenant marker and also put any notations you may need on them.  Then cut them out.  You can easily store these pieces by rolling them up and placing in a zip-lock baggie.  You can also easily keep track of them by writing what pattern they are on the outside of the baggie.

7. Use it to sit on the grass.  Put the old shower curtain in the trunk of your car, with some old blankets.  The next time you are out and want to sit in the grass, just lay the curtain down and then the blankets on top of it.  The curtain will protect you from any moisture that may be lurking on the ground.

8. Use it for working on the car.  You can keep it in the garage or in the trunk of your car.  Lay it underneath the car, to avoid staining your clothing on the ground.  You can also remove any spills that occur by quickly wiping it with a cloth or towel.

9. Use it when camping.  By attaching your (not clear) shower curtain to the spines of an open umbrella that is hung upside down from a branch, you  have created a changing room or even a small bathing room.

10. Make a sled.  You can either choose to go it alone or have a few people in a line on a curtain.  Just have the front person pull up their end over their feet and get a good push and you are off.  You may consider using the top of the curtain where the holes are to secure some rope.  This way you can steer the sled more easily.

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