Ten Uses For Corks

Furniture pads/ floor savers

Slice discs off a cork and glue to the legs of your furniture. No more scratched timber floors or horrid dragging sound when chairs are moved.

Pin cushion

Corks make great little pin cushions and they help keep your pins sharp too

Pot mat/Trivet

There are lots of ways to do this but the easiest and quickest is to purchase a metal pipe clamp from the plumbing section of your local hardware store. (It looks like a flat metal hoop with a screw in it to adjust the fit) Open it up as far as it will go then start adding the corks by standing them on end and keep going until the clamp is full. Tighten the clamp screw and then use some tin snips to cut off the excess. These work really well and last forever!

Craft

The amount of things that you can use corks for when crafting is virtually immeasurable! They are great for kids to use and are durable. Try making cork animals, key rings, jewellery, doll/figurine furniture, boats, vests, stamps, your imagination is the only limit. To make stamps all you need to do is carve a shape into the end of a cork and either dip it in paint or dab onto an ink pad. You can also glue fancy buttons to the end to create more elaborate stamps.

Mulch

Place the corks in either a food processor or blender. Once processed simply place in the garden or pot plants. It will retain moisture well and protect the root systems. Orchids love being planted straight into ground up corks!

Pin board

Using either cardboard or thin craft wood, lay it on a flat work space then create a ‘frame’ of corks on the backing and glue in place with a hot glue gun. Once the frame is done, lay corks over the rest of the backing until you are happy with the fit and layout. Next remove one cork at a time and put some hot glue on the back of it and push back in place. Once all the corks are glued in place secure some string, fine wire or ribbon to the back of it so it can be hung up. Very easy and very handy! You can also use old picture frames that no longer have glass in them. Just glue the backing to the frame and use the same method to fill it in.

Frame stabiliser and wall protector

Cut a cork into thin strips lengthwise and glue to the back of your wall hanging. This will help stop the picture from moving off balance with the breeze and will also protect the wall from any rubbing or marks.

Knife drawer liner

Gather together the required amount of corks for the drawer space then glue them together lengthwise. Place in to the knife drawer. With the blades pointing toward the back of the drawer and the sharp edge down put the knives into the grooves. It keeps them tidy, stops the drawer from being damaged and your knives from being blunted in the drawer and is a great deal safer than just putting them in wherever.

Donate to recycling centres

Used corks can be recycled into a variety of things including flooring tiles, building insulation, automotive gaskets and even sports equipment.

Personalised decorative bottle stoppers

Cut down a cork to accommodate a smaller bottle opening, select a couple of your favourite small ornaments or embellishments and glue one to the top with hot glue. These are completely customisable and look so original they will certainly be a great conversation starter or nice little gift.

Hints and Tips

• Before cutting corks boil them in water for around 10 minutes. This will stop them from crumbling or cracking when you cut or carve into them.

Clare Whitfield Chief Editor

Clare Whitfield is the Editor of Stay at Home Mum and a recognised voice in practical home management for Australian families. Based in the northern suburbs of Sydney, she balances editorial leadership with life as a stay at home mum to two school age children. Her background in home economics and more than a decade of experience in recipe development, family budgeting, and household systems inform her work.

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