What if we told you not to throw an eggshell away after emptying its contents onto a frying pan? Would you think we were crazy? Most would! What many don’t realize though, is how many uses they can get out of the shell itself or the value the shell can bring to them.
Check out these 5 creative uses to get the most out of your eggs!
1. Gardening
Eggshells are loaded with calcium, which helps plants build cell walls and therefore grow faster. Next time you make eggs, try crushing the eggshells and adding them to your garden compost. Many plants, like tomatoes or squash, struggle with collecting enough calcium to grow–so do them a favor and don’t throw out the extra sources of calcium you have sitting around every day!
Another great role eggshells can play in your garden is the security system of the soil. Crush your extra eggshells and scatter them around the roots of your plants; the sharp edges will cut pests like slugs, cutworms, and snails, causing them to dry out and die and protecting your plants from danger.
2. Keeping your sink unclogged
Though eggshells can ruin your trash disposal and clog your sink if disposed of improperly, they can also be used to keep your sink unclogged in the first place. How? Put some crushed shells in the strainer itself to break up anything passing through. This will keep the strainer from getting clogged up, and keep your sink in good shape as well (just be sure not to let the shells go down the disposal!)
3. Enhancing the taste of your coffee
Not only are eggshells full of calcium and good for your body, but they can help make your morning cup of coffee taste better than ever before. By adding grounded eggshells to your ground coffee before brewing it, you can enhance the taste by cutting the bitterness down a notch and, in turn, providing a smoother experience for your tastebuds overall. Be sure to follow these steps to create clean and safe eggshell powder.
4. Increasing calcium intake
If you’re grinding shells to make eggshell powder anyway (following the steps above for safety precautions), you might as well use this new ingredient (which is 95% calcium carbonate) in many other meals to increase your calcium intake overall. One teaspoon of eggshell powder contains 800-1,000 milligrams of calcium, so a teaspoon a day mixed with water and added to recipes is typically the recommended amount. We recommend adding it to soups or broths too!
5. Whitening your laundry
Eggshells can’t replace bleach, but they can do a more natural job at keeping your whites from tinting gray (and removing the tint if it’s already there). Put your empty eggshells into a muslin cheesecloth or mesh laundry bag with a few slices of lemon, throw it in the wash with your load of whites, and watch the magic happen.
As you may be contemplating all of the possibilities an egg can bring, we wanted to leave you with one more thing to chew on. Did you know brown eggs and white egg shells are the same? Curious to know why? Find out here!
