New Uses for Old Inflatable Toysby Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger 22 Jun 2007 08:32 AM Now that summer is here and in full swing, you are probably raiding your garage, closets, attics, shred and wherever else you store your summer swim toys. You know the types of toys I am talking about? Those inflatable tubes, mats, beds, dolphins, snakes, water wings, beach balls, etc. And chances are, when you go to blow them back up, at least a few will be flat as a pancake and unable to be used. Maybe the toys were split at the seams near the end of last summer, got thrown into storage and forgotten about. or maybe they got punctured sometime over the long winter. Either way, there is something pretty sad about those lifeless inflatable toys. Fortunately (as always in the frugal living blog), you can actually put those toys to use. Their deaths were not in vain. Here are some creative ideas for reusing them. Cut one of them up to patch the remaining toys. Use a strong rubber glue. Cut them up patchwork style and create a new shower curtain liner. Again, use the rubber glue to hold everything together. Make a waterproof bag that can hold all sorts of things, from groceries to books. These bags are especially useful for wet beach gear, or to keep things clean and dry when you go camping this summer. Cut the inflatable into strips and pieces of interesting shapes. The kids can use them to make some fun summer art projects. If you have large pieces, you can cut them and use them to keep the weeds out of your garden. For us, we can use a piece to fit around our driveway lamp post. The cut up inflatable toys take the place of those plastic tarps you can buy at the home improvement store and do the same thing. Just make sure that you cover the plastic with mulch, unless you want all of the colors to show. The plastic won't decompose, though, so take it back up at the end of your garden's season. Mary Ann Romans also writes for the Computing Blog here at Families.com where she shares everything from the latest news on technology to cool downloads and fun websites. Related Articles: The Third Principle of A Frugal Lifestyle: Recycle What to Do with Old Toothbrushes Real Kitchen Uses for Egg Cartons Real Storage Solutions Using Egg Cartons Recycling Yarn: Unraveling a Thrift Store Find Can Save You Big Bucks Creative Uses for Thrift Store Finds New Uses for Old Baby Blankets Interview with A Dumpster Diver (1) Interview with A Dumpster Diver (2) Interview with A Dumpster Diver (3) Benefit from Plastic Grocery Bags More New Uses for Old Soda Bottles Things to Do with Cardboard Tubes More Things to Do with Cardboard Tubes Learn more about Mary Ann Romans  Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat. Relevantfrugal tags User Comments No comments on this article yet. Be the first to comment! Community Tags frugal, inflatable toys, reuse, recycle, summer Discuss this article
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