Have you also often held the empty wet wipe packaging in your hand and wondered if you could not do something with the rather interesting lids? Actually, it’s much too bad to just throw them in the trash. And you don’t have to, because there are really creative recycling ideas for crafting through which you can reuse them. Have you become curious? Why don’t you plan a nice crafting afternoon for the weekend now, because you will surely want to get started as soon as possible.
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Sensory boards for babies and toddlers with waste products
Surely you have heard of the Sensory Boards (Activity Board)before. These contain various objects to touch and puzzle with and are designed to develop the motor skills of little ones in a fun way. Wet wipes lids are a wonderful variation for such recycling ideas for crafting, not only because of the opening and closing of the door-like lid. Behind it, you can also attach different materials that feel different:
- Velvet fabric
- Felt
- Pieces of wool
- piece of carpet
- fine sandpaper
- pompons
- beads or glass stones
- paper straws (cut into pieces)
- mosaic stones
- buttons
- Shells
- Feathers
- Paint patterns on the lids with hot glue
If you use small parts, make sure not only that they are really very well fixed. Also, don’t let kids play with them unsupervised, as there is a risk of swallowing!
You can read about how to make Sensory Bottles yourself here.
Recycle plastic waste and practice words with toddlers
Of course, simple cards are also suitable for this purpose, but as with the Sensory Board, if the little ones have to open the little doors first, the whole thing becomes even more interesting and also a little more challenging for them. Draw or print out any designs and label them. Then cut them to the right size and glue on cardboard or cardboard and over them the lids.
We have prepared a few templates for recycling ideas for crafting for you, which you can print directly and use for this purpose – both with motifs and labeled, and blank variants on which you can draw motifs and label them yourself.
You can practice not only words. If you have older children, you can instead learn spelling, arithmetic or geometric shapes, or even English vocabulary.
Blank template to print
Recycling ideas for crafting – mural with photos as a gift idea.
On a thin board or cardboard, you can glue photos and stick the lids over them. Make sure that the photos are not larger than the ceiling. Then frame the picture without glass or use it that way as a gift. Alternatively, you can cut smaller sheets of cardboard and make an album out of them by tying them together with binder rings. Depending on the size of each cardboard sheet, you can also include two to three lids with photos per album page.
Homemade containers for wet wipes on the go.
It’s not uncommon for the classic wet wipes packaging to be quite large and impractical to carry in your purse. On top of that, there is the waste that ends up in the trash after each package is emptied. You can craft a more compact and, most importantly, sustainable version yourself with the waste products and, more specifically, the lid and a sealable freezer bag or cosmetic bag. So simple is this recycling ideas to craft:
After peeling off the lids, place them on the desired container, open it and trace the inner opening in a slightly smaller size (basically the same as the original package). Then cut out a hole along the outline (be careful not to cut through the bag on both sides, just the one. Then glue the wet wipe lid in place with hot glue. Once the glue is set, you can put in any amount of wet wipes by simply opening the top of the bag and then resealing it so the wipes don’t dry out and, of course, don’t slip out.
After wipes are used up and before adding new ones, clean the container well to prevent mold.
Recycling ideas for crafting – Advent calendars for small gifts or vouchers.
For the Christmas season, original Advent calendars can also be made in no time at all using wet wipe lids (assuming you’ve already collected enough lids in advance). You label the lids with the respective dates. Underneath you then hide gifts such as vouchers, congratulations, other flat gifts or simply Christmas pictures and motifs.
Or how about using them to craft Secret Santa doors as an alternative to the purchased or homemade wooden ones? Quick to make so perfect for a last minute project! This is also a great idea for an upcycling project with kids in elementary or preschool.