Don’t Toss Out Your Eggshells! They Can Be Incredible Helpers Around Your Home and Garden

The uses for eggshells are plentiful, but most of us never consider them before tossing them into the trash. Sure, there are countless opportunities to enjoy eggs as scrumptious parts of our regular diet, and although consuming eggs has great benefits on its own — like lowering your risk for heart disease — that's not where the breakfast staple's potential ends.

As it turns out, the shells contain high levels of calcium that can be put to good use in your garden and around the house. Whether you’re looking for a way to combat pesky bugs and snails that invade your plants, or you’re trying to find a clever hack for cleaning difficult spaces, we recommend you start looking at eggshells in a whole new light. You can even use them to create calcium supplements for you and your favorite four-legged friends. Take a look to unlock all the ways you can use these kitchen scraps to make your life a little bit healthier and happier.

Uses for Eggshells in the Garden

Are you having trouble getting your flowers to bloom their brightest? Or perhaps your prize-winning fruits and vegetables have been looking more meek than mighty lately. Either way, you might want to try crushing up some eggshells to sprinkle around your garden. The calcium in the shells makes them great for boosting your fertilizer and giving your plants some extra nutrients. According to 2013 research published in the International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, there are about two grams of calcium in each shell, so a dozen will definitely pack a heavy calcium punch. Next time you’re digging holes for your new additions, throw crushed shells in first and then add a few more around the base of the plant.

Using eggshells as fertilizer will not only help your garden grow, it will also protect the space from annoying slugs, snails, and other pests that like to ruin your hard work. The rough texture can even prevent outdoor cats from using your garden as their personal litter box. Felines like to be picky about where they do their business, so chances are they’ll move along to a softer patch of dirt.

You can also use the shells as starter homes for small seedlings. After rinsing out any egg residue and poking a small hole at the bottom of the shell for draining, add potting soil and a seed or two inside the shells. As they continue to grow, you can transplant to larger pots or take them outside. Crack the shell at the bottom but leave the rest on your plant to continue enriching it with calcium.

Household Uses for Eggshells

Okay, so maybe you already knew all about how helpful the calcium in eggshells can be for your garden. But have you looked into how you can use them around your home? One obvious answer is to use eggshells in the soil of your indoor plants. You can also let them soak in water before pouring it over the plants for even more of a calcium kick. That said, there are even more genius ways to use eggshells in your home that have nothing to do with growing plants whatsoever.

The tough exterior of eggs can be used as a handy abrasive while cleaning oddly shaped dishes, drink glasses, pots, and pans. We all have that one cup we never use because we know just how difficult it is to really clean it out when we’re done, which makes this trick a total game-changer. Grind the shells up (just not too finely) and use with your regular dish soap for a spotless shine. Some folks, like those over at Lifehacker, claim that ground-up eggshells can be used in your laundry as a subtle brightener for white clothes, too. If you happen to accidentally grind your eggshells to a fine powder, don’t fret — you can still get some incredible benefits out of them. Add the powder to your favorite nail polish for stronger nails, or put it in your lotion for a gentle exfoliant.

If you want to get all of the health benefits of eggs, you should also be adding eggshell powder to your food. It doesn’t have a strong flavor, so you can add a pinch to any meal. Sprinkling eggshells on your dog food can help your pooch stay strong, too. Perhaps the most surprising benefit of eggshells, though, is that they can take the bitterness out of your coffee if you prefer a smoother brew. Make sure to add before you start percolating the coffee grounds for an amazing cup of joe. Now, go stock up on eggs and remember to make the most of the eggshells, too!

This article originally appeared on our sister site, First for Women.