The Last Thing You Should Do Before Throwing Out Your Milk Jug

If you are a parent, chances are you go through your fair share of gallon milk jugs. This is definitely true for me as a mother of five little ones. Previously, these jugs would be destined to go straight from the fridge to the recycling bin — until I found a smart use for that leftover jug: Use your milk jug to add measuring marks to your cleaning bucket.

Allow me to explain:

If you’re like me, you probably own a humble blue bucket that comes from somewhere you can’t remember. It doesn’t have any bells and whistles, but it does the job. And, until recently, I never thought much more about it.

Ignorance was bliss, but once I knew better, it was hard not to want a better cleaning bucket, one that had a spout that made pouring a breeze; a comfortable handle; and measuring lines so you can pour in exactly the right amount of detergent without separate measuring tools. Yes, this most wonderful bucket exists and if you don’t have a bucket or are in the market for a new one, you should definitely get this Oxo Angled Measuring Bucket.

But, what if you already have a bucket and you don’t want to be wasteful and junk it just because something better has come along? Using it to its fullest potential is totally possible: Just hang on to your next gallon-sized milk jug before you toss it.

Fill your milk jug with water and then pour it into your bucket. Next, mark a line just above the water line. Repeat these two steps until you reach the top. And voila! You are now the proud own of a cleaning bucket with gallon measuring marks. When it comes to mixing cleaning solutions in the future, you’ll know exactly how much cleaning product to mix in. You’ll have made your own bucket more useful than ever and will have eliminated the guesswork from mixing cleaning solutions — all with a piece of garbage destined for the recycle bin.

Oh, and, before you dump out your water, you might as well use it to mop or clean!