With concerns about the environment, shoppers are now being advised to avoid using plastic carrier bags. One alternative to these is paper bags. Once you have accumulated a few of these at home, you may wonder if there are any other uses for them instead of leaving them stashed in a cupboard. Here are five unusual ways to utilise any spare paper bags.

Make a Gift Bag

Paper bags are ideal to use as a cheap gift bag. It is simple to transform a plain bag into something really pretty. Either tie a colourful ribbon at the handles, ass some glitter or sequins, paint a design or add a collage of interesting pictures from magazines. Let your creativity run wild.

Store Mushrooms

Most people will have encountered the problem of buying mushrooms in a plastic container, putting them in the refrigerator and coming back the next day to find that the mushrooms are all slimy. The best way to avoid this problem is to put your mushrooms in a paper bag when you get home and this will keep them fresher for longer.

Rehydrate Stale Bread

If your bread has started to go stale, then most people will usually just throw the remains of the loaf away. However, this is not necessary as it is easy to rehydrate stale bread. Just put the bread into the paper bag, pour some water over the outside and put into the oven. This then creates a steaming effect and returns your bread to its original condition.

Clean the Windows

A crafty cleaning tip is to use the paper bag to clean the windows. Spray the windows with white wine vinegar and then wipe off using paper bags scrunched into balls. They absorb any grease and leave a streak-free finish.

Ripen Fruits

If it seems to be taking your fruit a while to ripen, then put it into a paper bag at the top part of the refrigerator. This will help your fruit to ripen faster.

There is so much more to a paper bag than meets the eye and there are lots of different uses for them. So, unless you are planning to recycle them, don't throw your used paper bags away, give them a new purpose instead.