Umbrellas

Use your umbrella -- whether it's raining or not! 8 helpful ways to put an ordinary item to work.

From Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things

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Use as a drying rack

An old umbrella makes a handy drying rack. Just strip off the fabric and hang the frame upside down from your shower bar. Attach wet clothing with clothespins. Plus, your new drying rack easily folds up for storage.

Clean a chandelier

The next time you climb up there to clean the chandelier or ceiling fan, bring an old umbrella with you. Open the umbrella and hook its handle on the fixture so that it hangs upside down to catch any drips or dust.

Cover your picnic food

To keep flies from feasting on your picnic before you do, open an old umbrella and cut off the handle. Place the umbrella over the dishes. It will shield your repast from the sun too.

Signal in a crowd

The next time you and your sweetie go to a crowded event, carry a couple of identical bright-colored umbrellas. If you get separated, you can hold the umbrellas over your head and open them up to find each other in a flash.

Block plant overspray

Houseplants love to be misted with water, but your walls don't love to get soaked with overspray. Stick an open umbrella between the plants and the wall and give your plants a shower.

Make plant stakes

The wind caught your umbrella, turned it inside out, and ripped the fabric. Before you toss it into the trash, remove the umbrella's ribs. They make excellent supports for top-heavy garden plants, such as peonies.

Make an instant trellis

Remove the fabric from an old umbrella and insert the handle into the ground to support climbing vines such as morning glories. The umbrella's shape, covered with flowers, will look terrific in the garden.

Shield your seedlings

You thought you waited long enough before planting your seedlings outside, but now they're predicting a killer frost tonight. Sacrifice an old umbrella to save the seedlings. Open the umbrella, then cut off the handle. Place the umbrella over the seedlings to keep the frost them.

Umbrellas

Use your umbrella -- whether it's raining or not! 8 helpful ways to put an ordinary item to work.

From Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things

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