Turn Your Old TV into a Toy

When you have old appliances sitting around gathering dust, don’t feel that you have to throw them away. They can be sold for parts or recycled. If that isn’t an option, you make all kinds of arts and crafts ideas out of old appliances and televisions. The important thing is to be careful; with a television, even years after its last use, a charge can be held within the capacitors. With any appliance, make sure the dangerous pieces are removed, that sharp edges are filed down or taken away, and that there is no electrical or explosive risk from any of the parts.

Robots

One great idea for a television is to use the knobs and buttons from the front to make robots. A child could take Play-Doh and build robots, then attach the knobs as eyes or a mouth. Those same knobs could even be used as wheels for toy cars.

Games

For those into the popular board game called Warhammer, building terrain for the pieces to be played on is a common activity. For a futuristic game board, the motherboard of a television can be taken and broken into parts to represent a fallen or crashed spaceship. The large capacitors or tubes work great as futuristic buildings, or even the remnants of an ancient, advanced civilization. The plastic sections of a television can be cut down and make great bunkers for army men, or houses for dolls – just be sure to sand down the sharp places so no one gets cut.

Fish Tank

The inner workings of a television can be removed and the glass replaced with an aquarium frame. You can place a pump inside of the television and run the power cord out, and before you know it, you’ll have a great, homemade aquarium made right from the old television. You can allow your children to paint the plastic sections any color they want and customize it to suit them.

Shelves

Empty television frames can be painted and stacked on top of one another to make unique, innovative shelving units for the kids.

Recycling Washing Machine Drums

For the older crowd, an old washing machine drum works great as an outdoor grill. With the holes already in the sides, the ventiliation is built-in. Just pour in some charcoal, a bit of lighter fluid, and drop a grate on top. Don’t forget the hot dogs! Just be sure to watch it and make sure no ash falls through the holes and starts a fire.

Another idea for a washing machine drum is to paint it and stuff it with a cushion to make a funny, unique seating unit. The drums are durable enough to work as chairs and make funny little ottomans that are sure to be conversation starters.

Recycling a Blender

A blender can be modified to work as a lamp or a candle holder; just paint the bottom section and run a bit of lamp wiring upwards through the opening, and you’ve got a lamp that will be the talk of the kitchen.

Recycling Old Box Fan

Did you know an old box fan makes a perfect photo frame? Just pain the housing of the fan whatever color you want (careful to use paints that won’t corrode the plastic) and remove the blades from within. The slits in the plastic are the perfect size for attaching plastic clips to in order to hang photos on.

There are endless uses of old household appliances. By ‘upcycling’ you can prevent more trash from going into the landfills, save some money, and enjoy time with your children by making these innovative arts and crafts. And when you have friends over, you’ll never lack for conversation.

About the Author

Love2Recycle are a European based company offering money for your old mobile phones, find out more here.