Eggs are one of a cook’s best weapons in the kitchen – their versatility spans sweet and savoury dishes, from indulgent chocolate mousse to velvety hollandaise sauce. Whether you enjoy a simply boiled egg for breakkie or are an avid baker, every crack leads to empty shells. And while most of us instinctively toss the empty shells in the trash, their shells provide more use than being a vessel for the egg itself.
From fertiliser to crafts, we’ve listed the 5 best ways to reuse eggshells around your home.
The 5 best ways to reuse eggshells around your home
With a little imagination, what seems like waste instantly turns into something that provides a lot of value. Before you begin repurposing eggshells, give them a quick rinse to remove any residue.
1. Natural egg fertiliser
Eggshells are packed with calcium: something your garden or pot soil needs a constant supply of. Their calcium content helps strengthen plants and sometimes helps prevent blossom-end rot in tomato and cucumber plants.
Crush the eggshells into smaller pieces and sprinkle them around plants or mix them into the soil to create a mineral boost that nourishes growth. While you might think that adding them to your compost is a far easier idea, many expert gardeners advise against it. Eggshells take years to properly decompose, and because of this, you’ll still find them years later. It will be much more beneficial for your garden if you sprinkle them directly around plants that need the calcium boost.
2. Keep away pests
Sprinkle rinsed and dried eggshells around garden beds or in pots to prevent damage from pests like snails, slugs, and cutworms. They also help prevent cats from using the garden bed or pot as a litter box, too.
3. Cleaning
Eggshells work wonderfully as an abrasive cleaner. For pots and pans with stubborn spots, simply add a handful of crushed eggshells and a drop or two of dish soap and warm water. Use a sponge to help you move around the eggshells, scrubbing away at stubborn spots.
They also work well for cleaning vases. Since their shapes usually don’t allow your hand or cleaning tools inside, eggshells are just the trick. Pop a handful inside the vase with some dish soap and warm water – shake to agitate the eggshells until clean, then rinse.
4. Remove coffee and tea stains
Over time, and no matter how often you clean them, mugs and cups always end up stained from coffee or tea. Luckily, eggshells are just the trick to get them back to their original state. Add a handful of eggshells to a stained cup or mug with some warm water. Let this sit overnight before removing and cleaning. The eggshells help loosen and absorb coffee and tea stains.
5. Start seedlings
Halved eggshells are the perfect shape and depth to house some soil and a sprouting seed. Use potting mix to fill each eggshell about halfway. Plop in a seed and lightly cover with some more potting mix. Water and keep them on a sunny windowsill until the seedlings are ready to be planted into a bigger pot or bedding.
Don’t remove the seedlings from the shells – simply crack them gently and then pop the entire thing into the soil. Removing the seedlings from the shell might cause transplant shock. Plus, the constant supply of calcium from the eggshells will ensure strong and healthy root systems.
