10 Reasons to Keep Your Eggshells

Egg is one of the common foods on our dinning table. They can be used for various menus such as fried eggs, boiled eggs, and cakes. Statistics show that each American consumes averagely 250 eggs a year. In this era of recycling, eggshells have many creative uses instead of being directly thrown into your trash can.

1. Descaling

The thick and hard water scale in a frequently-used kettle is difficult to remove. But it is easy to cause scratches if you clean it with scourers. You can pour clean and smashed egg shells into the kettle. After boiling for several minutes, you will find the scale is gone.

2. Wash Bottles

A glass bottle with narrow mouth makes it impossible to put your hand in and wash it. In that case, you can put some eggshell fragments into the bottle as well as some water. Shake it back and forth for a while, the dirt will fall off easily. If it is a greasy container such as oil dispenser, you can also add detergent and warm water.

3. Fertilizers

It is such a waste to throw the egg shells since they contain protein, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and other nutrients, which are beneficial to plants. Boil the egg shells, then grind them into powder after they dry. Bury the egg shells powder in the flowerpot or your garden and let it get absorbed slowly.

4. Pet Food Supplement

Egg shells can also be added in the food of pets such as birds and dogs to provide nutrition. Grind the clean and dry egg shells into fine powder and add some in the pet food. Please consult the vet to decide the dosage based on the specific condition of your pet.

5. Funnel Substitute

When you need to pour the liquid into a bottle, but can't find a funnel in the kitchen, you can poke a small hole at the bottom of a clean eggshell instead.

6. Make Handicrafts and Ornaments

Painting the complete empty eggshell with oil paint and making paintings with smashed eggshells are nice handicrafts and home ornaments. Let your imagination and creativity play!

7. Mould and Container

The eggshell can be used as a unique cake mould or container for pudding. You can also DIY a cute candle with melted wax and a cotton wick.

8. Neutralize the Bitterness of Coffee

If you can’t stand the bitter taste of coffee, raw egg shells may help you with that. Grind clean egg shells into pieces and add them to the coffee grounds. Then brew, filter, and enjoy your coffee as usual. Normally 1 egg can be used for 4 cups of coffee.

9. Whiten Laundry

Yellow stains on your white shirts can be removed with egg shells. Put clean egg shells pieces in a gauze bag or sheer sock, and soak the white clothes with it in a basin for 20 minutes. Then the stains can be easily washed off. Generally, 5 egg shells can wash 7~8 clothes.

10. Cleaning Ceramics

The egg shell fragments can also be used for cleaning ceramic tableware instead of detergents.

Next time when you crack an egg, don't throw away the eggshells right away. Rinse them out and smash them into pieces or powder after they dry, so you can reuse them in many ways.