8 At-home hacks to try on your farm

Looking for new home hacks on your farm? Successful Farming and Living the Country have eight ideas that could be just what you're looking for.

Drying herbs

I needed a place to dry mint where my cats couldn’t disturb it, so I put the plants on a cookie sheet, and then I placed the cookie sheet on the dashboard of my car on a hot, sunny day. The mint was dry the next day, and my car smelled wonderful.

– L.H., Pennsylvania

Frugal fire starters

To make your own fire starters, melt old or unused candles or wax in an old slow cooker. Dip pinecones into the wax, then lay the pinecones on waxed paper to dry. It works great and feels good to be frugal!

– C.H., Georgia

Clean storage, easy starter fire

Here is an easy and clean way to use kindling. Store it in paper bags and when it’s time to start a fire, lay the paper bag in the fireplace or wood stove and light the bag on fire. Smaller lunch bags or gift bags are perfect for the camp site.

— R.J., Colorado

No more tangles

A portable garden hose reel works great for winding up strings of Christmas lights. Coiling them round and round keeps lights tangle-free and makes holiday decorating a snap.

— K.B., Kansas

Boot box

I was getting in trouble with my wife when I pulled off my boots at the edge of the stairway, so I made this boot box to help control the problem. I made it so newspaper fits in the bottom to absorb the wet stuff. I can step in the box and pull the boots off without making a mess of the stairs or entrance. She calls it my litter box, but it works.

— R.C., Ohio

Reuse plastic containers

I found a way to recycle plastics. Liquid detergent containers and milk jugs come with handles and spouts that are perfect for watering plants. Cut a wider hole for a great feed, seed, or fertilizer scoop.

– B.S., Georgia

Glove baskets

I was always looking for a good place to keep my work gloves where they would not get lost and mess up the rest of the house. Three-tier fruit baskets, typically hung in the kitchen or on the porch, work great to keep all my loose gloves in order.

— S.L., Pennsylvania

Patio furniture care

Keep new metal patio furniture looking good for years by waxing it with an automobile paste wax. Rain will bead up and run off instead of pooling and causing rust. Also, spills rinse right off.

– R.F., Kentucky