Five Clever Ways to Reuse Wine Corks at Home

Wine corks do not have to end up in the bin. According to Good Housekeeping, they can be turned into many creative projects around the home.

Crafter and author Chelsea Barton, who wrote Cricut Weddings, a DIY Book, shares a few ideas. She says a shallow slit can be cut along a cork to hold a flat place card. Metallic paint can also be used to dress up cork place card holders.

Corks with a rounded bulb at the end can serve as drawer pulls. These work best for low-traffic items, such as a small cabinet, bar cart, or bedside table. Each cork drawer pull is secured from the inside with a screw, and a protective coating can help it last longer.

A craft knife can carve a small design into the flat end of a cork to make a stamp. Simple designs such as a heart, circle, star, or flower work well for cork stamps.

Interior designer Kaitlyn Loos uses wine corks as garden labels. She writes the name of planted items on a cork and pushes a bamboo skewer through its center. For garden markers, she recommends a waterproof marker, such as a Sharpie.

Corks can also help around the house in practical ways. A slice of cork placed under a wobbly furniture leg can stop it tilting, and it provides a soft cushion that prevents floor damage. Corks can also be arranged and secured with heat-resistant adhesive to make a kitchen trivet, which protects counters and tables from hot dishes.

Wendy Rose Gould, a lifestyle journalist who contributes to Real Simple, Martha Stewart, Women's Health, and House Beautiful, is also part of this report on reusing corks.