Reuse Your Eggshells in These 20 Creative Ways
Posted on: December 7th 2021
If you cook with eggs frequently, you’re probably used to seeing mountains of eggshells pile up in your trash can. But did you know that you can repurpose eggshells in practical and inventive ways? Whether you’re looking for a new craft to do with the kids, a better way to clean your dishes, or a beauty hack, there’s no shortage of what to do with used eggshells. Breathing new life into your eggshells can also help you cut down on food waste, save money, and be extra friendly to the environment.
Even if you reuse eggshells already, you can always use more ideas on what to do with eggshells. That’s why we put together this ultimate guide to repurposing eggshells in useful ways. From the kitchen to the garden, we’ve got plenty of suggestions for reusing your eggshells. Keep reading to learn how to make the most of this egg-shell-ent resource from nature.
20 Creative Ways We Can Reuse Eggshells
What can you do with used eggshells? Check out the top 20 tips on how to reuse eggshells below.
1. Use the Shell as Compost to Boost Your Gardening
An eggshell is full of beneficial nutrients, including calcium, calcium phosphate, magnesium, and fibrous proteins known as keratins. These properties make eggshells an excellent fertilizer for feeding your soil and enhancing your garden’s growth. In particular, the calcium in eggshells helps moderate the soil acidity while delivering extra nutrients to the plants to help them build strong cell walls.
Because eggshells can be composted, there’s no need to ever toss your used eggshells into the trash can. Instead, you can crush up your eggshells and add them to your compost pile. As a bonus, adding eggshells to your garden’s soil will help to keep pests like snails, slugs, cutworms, and cats away. Unlike unnatural chemical-based pest repellants, eggshells will nourish your soil while keeping bugs at bay.
2. Brew Calcium Water
Nourish your plants by providing them with calcium water. Much like putting eggshells in your soil, incorporating a concentrate of eggshells in your gardening water can give your plants the extra dose of calcium they need. Calcium water allows your plants to flourish, and it couldn’t be easier to make.
Prep your calcium water by boiling about a gallon of water on the stove, then adding about ten clean and dry eggshells to the pot. If you want an even more calcium-packed brew, add up to 20 eggshells. Once you’ve added the eggshells to the water, let the mixture sit overnight. In the morning, remove the shells from the water. The remaining liquid is your calcium water, which you can pour directly onto your soil to increase your plants’ calcium intake.
3. Turn Your Shells Into Seedling Pots
Eggshells are the perfect seedling pots because they are small, biodegradable, and free. Although you’ll have to use caution when potting your seeds in eggshells because the shells are incredibly delicate, planting seeds in your used eggshells is easy. All you have to do is create a small drainage hole in the bottom of the shell, fill the shell with soil, then plant the seed.
To ensure the shells stay upright, you will want to store your eggshell seedling pots in an egg box. Once the seedlings are ready to be transferred to a more permanent home, you can plant the whole eggshell into the ground or a larger pot. After starting your seeds off in eggshell seedling pots to help them grow stronger and bigger, transplanting them to a larger pot will allow their roots to continue to expand.
4. Plant Herbs in the Shells
Eggshells are good for more than just planting seedlings — you can use your shells as miniature pots for herbs, too. Transform your leftover eggshells into an herb planter by using a sharp knife to cut off the top of the shell, leaving the bottom intact for holding the herbs. Wash the shell thoroughly once it is cut.
After rinsing and cleaning your eggshell, use scissors or a small needle to make a small hole in the base of the shell. This small hole will serve as a drainage hole for your soil. Try to do this step while the eggshell is still wet to avoid any cracking. Finally, use a spoon to fill the eggshell with soil and plant your herbs. Make sure you keep your eggshell herb planter in a warm and sunny spot, such as in front of a window, and use a spray bottle to water your herbs at least once each day.
5. Transform the Shells Into a Succulent Planter
In keeping with the gardening theme, you can also reuse eggshells by transforming them into succulent planters. Planting succulents might be a good option for you if you’re new to gardening or tend to forget to water your plants. Succulents are extremely low-maintenance plants that require minimal care.
Prepare your eggshell succulent planter by removing the top portion of the shell with a sharp knife, then washing out the bottom part of the shell thoroughly. Use a spoon to fill the bottom with potting soil after cleaning the shell. Next, form a small well in the soil with your finger before gently placing the succulent root in the well. Lightly pack the soil around your succulent and cover it with a small amount of extra dirt to help anchor it in the eggshell planter.
As soon as you plant your succulent, spritz it with some water from a spray bottle and get it situated in a spot where it will receive plenty of natural light. Although succulents don’t demand a lot of attention, you will need to remember to water your succulents every so often.
6. Create Eggshell Crafts
Whether you’re a parent, teacher, or a crafter yourself, you know you can never have enough arts and crafts supplies. Instead of going out and buying more materials the next time you’re feeling artsy, you can use eggshells to create your masterpiece. Eggshells add a lovely pop of texture to mixed-media art projects.
Make the most of your eggshells by turning them into a beautiful mosaic. To create your mosaic, rinse and dry your eggshells, then crush them up and color them with food coloring. You can use the shells to make stunning mosaics around picture frames, on paper, in ceramics, and more after they have been colored. Just make sure you don’t crush your eggshells too small, or the pieces will be difficult to work with.
7. Make Holiday Decorations
Get in the holiday spirit by using eggshells to make decorations. Of course, eggshells come in handy during Easter for coloring Easter eggs, but you can also use your leftover eggshells to make adorable baby chicks. Make your Easter chick in a shell decoration by gluing two large cotton balls into half of an eggshell — one on top of the other — then using construction paper to make wings, feet, black eyes, and an orange beak. Use a scrap of eggshell to give your chick the finishing touch of a newly hatched “hat.”
Luckily for egg lovers, eggshell decorations aren’t just for Easter. You can use your eggshells to create gorgeous Christmas ornaments, too. You don’t even have to boil your egg to make your ornament. Simply poke one small hole at both ends of the shell, then blow the egg yolk and white out. Once the shell is hollow, you can decorate it however you like before attaching a hook or some ribbon and hanging it on the tree.
8. Create a Mini Eggshell Vase
If you love arts and crafts and have a passion for gardening, combine the two by turning your used eggshell into a mini vase. You can craft your mini eggshell vase by cutting off the top part of the shell, then coloring or decorating the bottom part of the shell however you want. Next, fill the decorated eggshell with some water and place a few fresh-cut flowers from your garden into your new vase.
9. Feed Your Leftover Eggshells to Your Chickens
If you have chickens, help them get more calcium in their diets by crushing up your used eggshells and feeding them back to your flock. Feed stores typically sell this DIY solution which you can use instead of the oyster shell supplement. Make sure you bake your eggshells before crushing them finely enough that your chickens won’t have any trouble eating them. Feeding your hens extra calcium will ensure the eggs they lay have firm and sturdy shells.
10. Clean Your Pots and Pans
Used eggshells are sure to become your new best friend in the kitchen. When it comes to kitchen cleanup, eggshells are excellent for removing even the most stubborn encrustations from your pots and pans. Get rid of pesky food residue by crushing eggshells as fine as possible in a mortar, then spreading the dust onto the crusty dish you wish to clean. Add a pinch of salt on top of the shells, then use a metal sponge and hot water to grate the dirt away.
You can also use old eggshells to eliminate ring-shaped stains that are typically difficult to remove. For instance, if your kitchen counters get a circular stain from a wine glass or coffee mug, you can use eggshells to wipe it away. Soak the eggshells in a bowl of hot water overnight, then rub the shells onto the affected surface to make the stain disappear.
11. Sharpen Your Blades With Shells
You can use your eggshells to keep your kitchen knives sharp. To turn your eggshells into a blade sharpener, let the eggshell sit as intact as possible in your freezer for at least a few hours or overnight. Once the shells have chilled in the freezer, place them in the blender with a splash of water and blend. You can sharpen your knives with the resulting mixture.
This method is doubly beneficial because making the mixture will sharpen the blades of your blender in the process. You can also pour the blade-sharpening mixture into your compost bin once you’re finished using it.
12. Remineralize Your Teeth
If your teeth could use a nutrient boost, consider using a powdered eggshell solution to remineralize your teeth. Research suggests that eggshells could help increase the health of your enamel by providing it with more calcium to heal surface lesions. The high pH of chicken eggshell powder and its abundance of phosphates may also be responsible for promoting remineralization.
Try remineralizing your teeth by boiling eggshells to remove the membrane, cleaning the shells in distilled water, crushing them up, and heating them to remove any potential pathogens. Mix the powdered shells with a couple of drops of vinegar before spreading the solution on your teeth. You can either let the solution sit on your teeth for a few minutes before rinsing or use the solution as toothpaste.
13. Treat Injuries With Eggshells
You can use fresh egg membranes to treat various minor infections. Applying fresh egg membranes and allowing them to dry can help draw out splinters, boils, pimples, and more. Once the egg membrane has dried over the infection, use warm water to gently remove it, and the abrasive agent should come with it.
In addition to getting rid of minor infections, egg membranes can help alleviate blisters. If you tend to get blisters, try putting the wet side of an egg membrane over the blister. Then, cover it with a small adhesive bandage and let it rest overnight. In the morning, your blister should be remarkably improved, if not completely healed.
14. Make a Candle Holder
Making a candle holder out of eggshells is a fun activity and produces a beautiful work of art. You will need a whole egg to make an eggshell candle holder, making it a great idea for giving expired eggs a purpose. Creating an eggshell candle holder is also a perfect way for you or the kids to practice DIY any time of the year.
To craft your eggshell candle holder, you’ll want to start by piercing the shell on both ends with a small needle or pin. Do your best to get the egg yolk and whites out without breaking the shell. One strategy that could help you accomplish this goal is to inflate a balloon, leave it untied, and allow the air to pass through one end of the eggshell to the other, blowing out the yolk and whites. You can either dye your eggshells with food coloring or leave them plain before filling them with a wick and candle wax.
Once your eggshell is empty, place it in a small jar or glass to hold it upright. Slightly widen the upper hole with a needle, then pour liquid wax into the egg using a funnel. After filling the eggshell with wax almost to the brim, dip a wick into the center of the shell and allow the wax to harden before lighting your new candle.
15. Conduct a Science Experiment
Instill your kids with a love of science early by using eggshells to conduct a fun science experiment at home. Your kids will have a blast observing the naked egg experiment, specifically. This fascinating experiment involves dissolving the eggshell in a vinegar bath and soaking the de-shelled egg in different substances, such as corn syrup, color water, rubbing alcohol, etc., then seeing how it changes.
16. Grind the Eggshells Into Homemade Chalk
If you have eggshells, hot water, flour, and food coloring, you have all of the ingredients you need to make chalk. All you have to do is grind up your eggshells until they are extremely fine, then mix the eggshell powder with hot water, flour, and whatever type of food coloring you want. Pack this mixture into toilet paper rolls so that it dries into a chalk-like shape. Once your chalk has set, your kids can use it on the pavement to draw all sorts of creations.
17. Filter Your Coffee Through the Eggshells
While filtering your morning brew through broken eggshells may sound odd, this technique has been used for centuries as a way to clarify the coffee grounds. The eggshells also help cut down on coffee’s bitterness, which is especially useful when making instant coffee.
Of course, you will need to sterilize your eggshells before using them to brew coffee, which you can do by washing them in hot water or heating them in the oven for a few minutes. You can chop up the eggshells to get them ready to be used for coffee once they are sterilized.
Start making your coffee by placing the coffee filter into your machine and pouring the instant coffee into the filter as you normally would. Next, add your chopped, sterilized eggshells to the grounds. Add the hot water and let the coffee brew through the filter. The resulting beverage will be smoother and less bitter than your usual cup of joe.
18. Put the Shells in Your Bird Feeder
To attract more birds to your yard, all you have to do is bake your leftover eggshells and crumble them up before putting the pieces in your bird feeder. If you don’t have a bird feeder, you can scatter the baked shells over your garden. The high calcium content of eggshells will be good for the birds, especially female birds, because it replenishes the calcium lost during egg-laying. Start putting out eggshells for your local avians and watch how popular your yard becomes.
19. Enhance Your Cosmetics
Eggshells are wonderful to give your everyday cosmetics a boost. First, pulverize your leftover eggshells into powder. Then, add a bit of eggshell powder to your nail polish to help nourish your nails. The calcium and other minerals found in eggshells will help your nails grow longer and stronger.
Alternatively, you can pour the powder and some water into ice cube trays and freeze them. Rubbing one of the cubes on your face can help minimize the look of wrinkles. You can also use this multi-purpose powder in your lotion to help soften your hands.
20. Get Your Laundry Brighter
Repurpose your used eggshells into laundry whitener by placing clean, broken eggshells and a couple of slices of lemon into a small cheesecloth bag. Put the bag in the washer with your clothes and let the washer run as usual. The eggshells and lemon slices will help prevent the soap deposit that turns white clothes gray, preserving the look of your whites for multiple washes.
Get Your Fresh Eggs From Sauder’s Eggs
Now that you know how to recycle eggshells, all you need is some farm-fresh eggs. Whether you’re most excited to start gardening with eggshells, making crafts, or cleaning the kitchen, make sure you get your eggs from Sauder’s Eggs. When you use Sauder’s Eggs, you can rest assured that your eggshells are as fresh and high-quality as possible. The family-orientated Sauder’s Eggs has worked with about 96 farmers through generations, producing eggs from more than six and a half million hens. Hen husbandry and top-quality care from the farm to your family is an utmost priority for Sauder’s Eggs.
Take advantage of all the extra nutrients eggshells have to offer by purchasing Sauder’s Eggs today. Use our store locator to find the Sauder’s Eggs nearest you.
