- [Host] There's about two billion aluminum cans
used each year.
While recycling them comes as second nature to most people,
you can also get a lot of use out of them
before sending them off to aluminum heaven.
Let's get right into it,
and show you some great and novel ways
to reuse those cans and save some time, money,
and perhaps have a little fun along the way.
You may have scented wax blocks or oils
laying around your house that can give off
a nice pleasant scent when heat is applied.
There's no need to pay upwards of 10 to 20 bucks
for a holder when you can easily construct one yourself
with just a can and a small tea candle.
Just grab yourself an empty can,
and use a knife to punch a hole about half way up.
Once the hole is made, use some scissors
to carefully cut around the can.
You want this to be as straight of an edge as possible,
so be sure to clean up any hanging metal pieces
so that the can will sit flat on any surface.
Once that's done, cut a small window out of the bottom
that's just large enough to fit a tea candle in.
Just a couple snips on the side
and one across should do it.
Now grab your scented wax or oils,
and place them in the rounded bowl at the top.
Light up your candle, and slide it under.
Give it a few minutes to work its magic.
Your room should begin filling with whatever
fantastic aroma you added to the top.
Just make sure not to touch the can with your bare hands
as it's going to be hot.
Let everything run its course and cool down
before refilling or putting it away.
Mmm, smells great.
Now you might find this one a bit silly.
But if you're living that dorm life,
it can really save you if you have a craving for nachos.
Using your can opener, carefully remove the top
of your can of choice.
The next part is fairly straightforward.
Get a nail or a thumbtack and punch holes into the can.
Before removing it, press down and pull
to create a rough edge on the outside.
These hole will help you strip delicious cheese
right from the block and into the can itself.
Granted, this isn't pretty by any stretch
of the imagination,
and you need to make sure that no metal shavings
fall off of the can to be safe.
But you can single-handedly save Taco Tuesday
and earn the nickname of MacGyver from all your friends
by capturing that cheese in your can grater.
If you have a door that continually slowly swings open
and close on its own, convert an aluminum can
into a doorstop.
Grab yourself an empty can, and carefully fill it
with sand or gravel.
Once you fill it near the top, use a paperclip
to grab the tab and pull it closer to the opening
to avoid spillage.
For added measure on wood and vinyl floors,
a circle of anti-slip drawer liner placed or glued
to the bottom of the can should help
with grip and stability.
Next time that door becomes a problem,
stop it dead in its tracks
with your fancy makeshift doorstop.
Your empty cans may also assist you
in saving that cooking grease
or even as a festive way to serve drinks.
As per usual, cut off the top of an empty can
with a utility knife or just use a can opener.
A quality can opener can give you a nice clean cut
without any sharp edges,
leaving you with an empty cup that you can pour
your favorite beverage into, and use over and over again.
You can also utilize those empty cans to hold
your collection of pens, pencils, or even your markers.
It's a cheap and effective way to store that stuff
on your desk and keep it outta sight and outta mind.
If you've every wanted to keep fresh herbs
in your kitchen or perhaps just want a unique holder
for a small plant, this'll be right up your alley.
To avoid having to sand down the edges of a can
after removing the top, there's a bit of technique involved.
Get your can opener, and nestle the geared edge
under the outside of the lip of the can.
Line up the sharp edge to be directly under the inside
of the lip, and slowly press in.
Once you have that down, just turn the knob carefully,
and remove the top portion of the can.
This will leave you with the lip of the can
still intact, so there won't be any sharp edges.
And it also gives you plenty of opportunities
to make use of this thing.
After you have the amount of cans you desire,
take 'em outside and give 'em a few coats of spray paint.
I went with a nice glossy red,
but you could choose any color that matches
your kitchen or windowsill.
Try your best to cover up any printing on the can.
It'll definitely take several coats,
so I highly suggest fast drying paint.
Once everything's dried, you're ready for action.
I grabbed some potting soil I had in the garage
and filled each can up about three quarters of the way.
After this, I added some fresh parsley plants
that I got at the grocery store for about a buck.
I also added a little cactus
as I figured that would look pretty cool.
Once the plants are inside, add more soil to the top,
and press everything in to make sure it's snug and secure.
Place 'em wherever you desire,
though giving them direct access to sunlight
is ideal to keep 'em healthy and strong.
Oh, and don't forget to water 'em occasionally.
Water is the stuff plants crave.
Here's an old trick that you may have learned
in grade school.
Before you finish off your next canned beverage,
save the last few ounces or simply add water
to an empty can.
When the can is tilted,
the liquid at the bottom balances at the same angle
as the bottom edge,
making you look like David Blaine
to all your ill-informed friends.
Street magic!
Here's a fun one you can use
to impress your friends and family.
If you're a young one, make sure you have an adult
to supervise, as we're going to be dealing
with some heat and don't want anyone to get burned.
Start by taking a bowl of cold water.
You can add ice to it if you wish
to make sure things go smoothly.
Now grab an empty can, and add about one tablespoon
of water to it.
Place it directly on the burner of your stove,
and crank it up to high.
After a minute or so, you'll hear the water boiling inside.
Let it do this for about 30 seconds
as you wanna make sure that all the air inside the can
is pushed out by the water vapor.
Now get some tongs and softly grab the can in the center,
flipping it upside down directly into the bowl of water.
The can will instantly collapse,
making for an impressive science experiment.
When the can's dipped into the water,
the vapor inside quickly condenses
which forms a partial vacuum on the inside.
The air pressure on the outside of the can
will then push inwards on the aluminum forcing it to crush.
Pretty cool, huh?
Make a whistle out of a soda can
in just a minute of your time.
Cut the top off with a utility knife or scissors.
Then cut down to the middle to the bottom,
and remove the bottom, too.
You'll be left with a sheet of metal
that you can cut a few strips out of.
Now the measurements don't have to be exact,
but one must be larger than the other.
The smaller strip needs to be placed perpendicular
to the larger strip near the top.
Now just fold over the excess on the sides
of the smaller strip and the top of the larger one.
Now just fold over at the bottom of the small strip,
and bend the longer strip of aluminum downwards.
Curl the metal up with a marker until its near
the top of the mouth part.
In order to make the whistle work,
you'll need to make a larger gap with scissors.
Hold your index finger and thumb over the open sides
and give it a nice big blow.
If you did get this right, you should get
an awesome whistling sound.
If you're not getting sound, then just keep adjusting
that metal slightly, and check for gaps
that allow the air to escape.
Scrap cans are also great for making cookie cutters
for all your baking needs.
Get your can, and cut the top and bottom off
using a pair of scissors.
This doesn't need to look pretty
as we'll fix the edges in a second.
Once you have an empty cylinder, just cut down the center,
and lay your metal on a flat surface
that leaves a little room for scissors.
Now you can clean it up,
and make some straight clean edges to work with.
Now place a ruler over the metal, and bend the edges in.
This will achieve two things.
One, you won't have any sharp edges that could cut you.
And two, it'll give the metal a bit for strength
which will help us when we're molding it
to our desired shape.
Fold the metal in half to start, and
carefully work the metal inward towards the middle.
You can mess with this quite a bit to get the everything
as even as possible.
Just round off any areas that need it,
and finally, make a little flap on one end
that opens up, so that you can tuck the other end
into it and crimp it shut with some pliers.
Now baking isn't my specialty,
so I decided to cook an egg in this thing.
By just tossing it into the heated pan
and then cracking an egg inside, you can make yourself
a heart-shaped egg that's great for a little
breakfast in bed gift.
Make sure to add the proper seasoning,
and serve your final product to a loved one.
Remember it's the thought that counts,
even if they don't like it.
So, you can see there's countless ways to upcycle
aluminum cans.
With 6700 cans used every second worldwide,
you have plenty to choose from.
Let us know what you do with your extra aluminum cans,
and thanks for watching.
We'll see you next time.