Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I hate throwing containers away, but what else can I do with all the blue plastic Maxwell House and red Folgers coffee containers, besides hiding craft supplies in them?
By gretta from Wayne, OK
For Christmas one year, my mom and I took 2 large coffee tins (they were tin at the time), painted them, decorated them, and filled them with hair accessories (barettes, pony tail elastics, etc) for my 2 nieces for Christmas presents. They loved them! Perhaps you could decorate them and use them to "wrap" gifts in? Because they contained coffee, the plastic would have to be food-grade so you could even use them for holding cookies, either for yourself or to give away. My husband and I use mason jars to hold our spare change so that might be an idea too.
Hope this helps!
First off, when you say "throw out" we all hope you mean recycle? You can keep old paint in them, fill the smaller ones with the handles with cat litter and take them walking with you for exercise, or keep them in your garage for an oil spill.
Keep tools, paint brushes, hardware and more in them in the garage or shop.
When you come home with 5 or 10 lbs of flour, oatmeal, sugar, or beans/rice/pasta, keep them rodent free in your pantry, writing on the lids what is inside.
Wrap them in fabric or paint them and fill with rocks or cat litter for weight, and use them for shelf supports. Decorate and use for banks.
One of the red ones can be used for left over corn and put in the freezer. The next time you have beans, drop them in and put them back in the freezer. When you have enough leftover veggies to fill the top, you have enough for a wonderful soup.
If you have to move, keep your small breakables inside filled with news paper or unbuttered popcorn. I hope this helped but if you really thing about it, it only scratches the surface. PBP
The only problem I see with using them for flour and sugar is that even after I washed one of the blue containers, it still smells like coffee.
During this cold, icy, snowy time why not fill with ice melt/salt and use it to pour when you need to go out to your car or to get mail. That way you will not slip and fall on the ice.
I use one to store coffee filters in, it's the right size, doesn't squash the filters and keeps them clean. I use them to store some office supplies, cookies, some craft supplies and seeds. I too am having a hard time re-using them, but trying real hard. I like the idea of keeping a container of salt in the car while traveling. Good luck.
Hello,
Folgers website has some free Christmas printable's for the plastic cans!
www.folgers.com/
These would be great for gifting cookies :)
How do I get the coffee smell out of the Folders coffee canisters? I have tried baking soda and putting it in the sun for a few days, but the coffee smell always comes back. I want to use these for Christmas treats and I don't want them to smell like coffee. Please help. Thank you.
By Lana
I get odors out of anything by using a combination of vinegar and baking soda. The only trick is to leave it soaking overnight. It doesn't have to be straight vinegar and baking soda, of course you can dilute it with water. The stronger the smell the more vinegar and baking soda in the water. Hope this helps.
p.s. It works on clothes also.
R.G.
Another idea is to package the treats in their own zipper bags. You can also shredded newspaper for packaging and that will absorb a lot, too. Good luck.
I have about 4 Folger's coffee canisters stored in my bedroom closet, and couldn't get rid of the coffee odor. I have a great aunt 97 years old and she lives in Tucson, AZ. She loves sweets so every Christmas I make her some homemade fudge, brownies or cookies.
This Christmas 2011 I made her some vanilla and chocolate bark candy instead. I was going to use a Folger's coffee canister and go to their website to print off the labels. It really wouldn't matter if the coffee canister still had the coffee odor. In fact it probably would have enhanced the flavor of the chocolate.
The problem that I found is that the coffee canister would not fit in the priority flat rate shipping carton no matter if I stood it straight in the box or laid it side ways. The canister was too high to get the box closed. So I used a holiday cookie tin instead. It would have cost $14.00+ if shipped using a regular priority box compared to priority flat rate shipping. A Folgers coffee canister would be nice to use if it didn't have to be mailed out of state.
I sold Tupperware back in the 70s and one of the tips we shared at parties was to soak newspaper in vinegar then place it in whatever container had a lingering order, seal the container and leave it at least overnight. Repeat as needed, it works a treat for any sealable container-plastic, wood, metal, you name it. I've used the tip on old suitcase and steamer trunks, too.
You can try putting in some unused coffee filters. They may absorb the odor.
Put baking soda in it for a few days :)
Put peanut butter in them and cover it.
put in 1 cup vinegar put on lid set in sun for a couple of days and the smell is gone . I have done this with many it always works for me
I have quite a few empty Folgers Instant containers, in different sizes. I just love the shape.
I'm looking for suggestions on different ways to decorate and utilize these containers. I will share photos during the process.
Thanks guys, you're the best.
By Linda
If you have a small, medium, and a large, paint all three white. With the large on bottom, glue the medium one to the large, and the small to the medium and you have a snowman. Then decorate and add to the medium one with stick arms and so on!
They would make great banks. If you have more than one child you can decorate them and put each person's name on the tops.
I use them to store sewing stuff.
I covered them with decorative Contact adhesive paper, and made storage containers for rice, dried beans, brown sugar, cornmeal, pasta, chocolate chips, coconut, breadcrumbs, etc. I put chalkboard labels on the front. They stack well on my shelves, and are pretty much airtight.
You can go to www.folgerscoffee.com, click on "Apps" and then click on "decorate your canister". There are seasonal designs that you can customize and print out on adhesive paper.
I am so glad I finally found Thrifty Fun again. I need your suggestions for things I can do with Folger's Instant Coffee jars. I have a lot of small ones, they are so cute. I hate to just keep collecting them in a plastic bag. Any suggestions would be gratefully appreciated.
I read online how to remove the lettering from the containers, but nothing worked. Any suggestions?
By JAC
use a rag and lacquer thinner will take right off use in well ventilated area wear rubber gloves
I need some ideas for what to do with large plastic coffee cans. They are very sturdy and it seems to me there have got to be good uses for them.
By Marion
They make great canisters for flour, sugar, cookies, dog food, and things like that. Look around your house and garage and see if there is anything you can store in them like craft supplies, nails, or whatever. If you knit or crochet, they are real nice for keeping the yarn for a current project in.
Make a hole in the lid, thread the yarn through it, put the yarn in the container, put the lid on, and your yarn will stay clean and neat while you use it. It won't roll around on the floor, either. If you are using more than one color of yarn, make enough holes in top of the lid for each color.
Two suggestions. On the search on the site type in "coffee can" and hundreds of uses will show up. As for me I use the coffee cans for several uses. One can I keep on the dryer to use as a trash can for the lint from the dryer. Another item I use them for is any trash which has sharp edges which would otherwise tear a plastic trash.
the best use I found for them is to use one to put paint in, so much easier than trying to dip brush in gallon can of paint. And it has a "built in" handle.
I have several of the red plastic coffee containers from Folger's coffee. Does anyone have a good idea for use of these for crafts, etc.?
By sandy from Bedford, PA
Mine have: scraps of lace, buttons, yarn with a hole in the lid for me to crochet out of. In the kitchen I have my cookie cutters, rice, corn meal etc. In the winter months with snow I keep salt in one near the door for my steps.
I use mine to dispose of old cooking oil and food grease. I store it in the freezer so when I go to throw it away it doesn't make a huge mess in the garbage.
This year I plan to use a few of them to store Christmas ornaments in, as my old shoe boxes are in disrepair.
I also have a friend that uses them for storage and preparation her own homemade scent saches. She mixes the pine cones, wood shavings, and dried flowers with the scented oils in the containers so her good plastic is not ruined.
If you go to the Folger's website: www.folgers.com/
If you have a lot and won't be using them, leave a note in the church bulletin, radio trading post, freebie section of the paper. Many garage clean up time begs for these. Workshops, retired guys trying to keep their wives happier with cleaned up nuts/bolts, etc.
I am looking for uses for plastic coffee cans.
By Einy L
I use to freeze food items such as homemade chicken broth, home made soup etc. Also these are good to keep dry goods such as pasta, rice.
Folger's has lovely holiday templates on their website for you to decorate their red canisters! There are even instructions. I can think of many more ways to use that clip art, myself!
Link: http://www.folgerscoffee.com/apps-tab/can-decorator
This is a page about organizing with plastic coffee containers. If you purchase coffee in large plastic containers, be sure to reuse them for your clutter.
Giving young tomato plants a start following this method is easy and allows you to move them into the garden with little stress. This is a page about starting tomatoes in coffee cans.
Plastic contains can be used in many craft projects. This is a page about finding plastic Folger's coffee cans.
A coffee can makes a perfect last minute Easter Basket for children. This is a page about making a plastic coffee can Easter basket.
ThriftyFun is one of the longest running frugal living communities on the Internet. These are archives of older discussions.
I buy coffee from the warehouse store in very big plastic containers.
I'd like ideas for making crafts out of the plastic coffee cans. I'd like to make useful items to sell at a bazaar. I have so many of these containers.
