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10 new uses for old newspaper

  • Story Highlights
  • There are many uses for newspaper after it's read
  • Keep some in car trunk in case you're stuck in mud, snow
  • Wrap it around an undeveloped tomato to soften it
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This Old House

(This Old House) -- We're all watching more news than we read on paper, but there's still plenty of newspaper to recycle?about 9 million tons every year. Here are other ways to consume the newspaper.

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1. Patch a hole. To fix small holes in drywall, This Old House general contractor Tom Silva stuffs wadded newspaper in the breach as a backer for joint compound.

2. Eat odors. Work boots smelly? Stuff 'em with newsprint. The odor disappears.

3. Make animal bedding. It's warm and healthier than sawdust or straw, since it inherently resists bacteria and is nontoxic if eaten. This Old House: Pet projects

4. Get rolling. If the car's stuck in mud, sand, or snow, a hefty section of the thick Sunday edition, slipped under the drive wheel, lends enough traction to move you on.

5. Wrap presents. The sports section makes a great gift wrap for that new cordless drill Dad's getting on Father's Day. This Old House: Choosing a cordless drill

6. Make a dry workshop funnel. After sorting through fasteners spilled out on a section, roll it up and let the hardware slide back into your coffee can storage.

7. Sprout something. TOH landscape contractor Roger Cook germinates seeds between two sections of damp newspaper, kept in a warm place.

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8. Kindle a fire. Crumpled newspaper works, but rolling sheets diagonally and tying them in a lazy knot works better, suggests John Gulland, of Woodheat.org. The knot concentrates flames in a single area.

9. Enhance compost. Add it to an indoor worm bin to feed them?and the decomposition process. This Old House: All about worm bins

10. Soften a tomato. Ross Siragusa, of the California Tomato Growers Association, wraps slightly underdeveloped tomatoes. E-mail to a friend E-mail to a friend

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