If you’re tired of throwing away egg shells after cooking, then you’ll be delighted to discover that eggshells are packed with minerals and nutrients that can be super beneficial to your health and the environment.
Not only are they a great source of minerals like calcium, magnesium, and potassium, but they can also be used as a natural plant fertilizer, pest repellent, and even in DIY beauty products. So, instead of tossing them in the trash, why not put those eggshells to good use?
In this article, we will show you 15 creative ways to use eggshells that will make you think twice before cracking another egg.
Get ready to egg-splore a whole new world of possibilities!
1. Use Eggshells To Boost Tomato Growth
Tomatoes absolutely love calcium. It’s necessary for the growth and integrity of the fruit. In fact, calcium binds the cells together like a glue, which makes the fruit more firm and compact.
In most cases, tomatoes cannot produce enough calcium to produce juicy fruit alone. Calcium deficiency often leads to a plant disorder called Blossom-end rot. This is identified by dark blotches developing on the bottom of the fruit.
Luckily, this can easily be prevented by adding some eggshells to the bottom of the plant!
When transplanting tomato seedlings, simply put some eggshells under your tomato plant. This can be done with other veggies like peppers, broccoli, cabbage, and squash.
Using eggshells as a calcium source is a great way to avoid using inorganic calcium fertilizers.
2. Add Eggshells To Compost Pile
Just like you would use eggshells as a natural fertilizer, you can also add them to improve the quality of your compost pile. We have already talked about the benefits, and the principle is the same as for fertilizer.
All you have to do is clean the eggshells, grind them, and add them to the compost.
If you are concerned about the slight possibility that a raw egg can be contaminated with a disease like salmonella, you can bake rinsed egg shells for a few minutes at 200°F to eliminate any bacteria.
3. Eggshell Pots For Seeds
Instead of spending money on plastic pots that pollute the planet, you can simply re-use eggshells as tiny pots for starting seeds.
First, you will have to crack the eggs and save the halves. You should then clean the halves thoroughly. Save the egg carton and place the halves in it. You should also have a seed starting mix.
The mix should already be moist. Use a teaspoon to fill the empty eggshells, leaving a few millimeters of space between the soil and the shell’s edge. After you’ve added the soil, poke a little hole in it with your finger so the seeds can fit inside.
Each hole should have two seeds placed in it. Once the seeds are in place, sprinkle some soil on top of them. Then put the egg cartoon on a windowsill with a lot of sunlight exposure, keep the soil moist, and watch your baby plants grow!
Keep in mind that this only works for smaller plants and herbs like oregano, basil, or thyme.
4. Use Eggshells To Keep Pests At Bay
Slugs, snails, deer, and cutworms are unwanted visitors in the garden. If they get in, they will munch on the delicious fruit, leaves, and roots of your plants.
This can be easily prevented by simply adding some crushed eggshells around your garden.
Deer can’t stand the smell of eggs, while soft-bodied critters like slugs, snails, and cutworms cannot crawl over sharp eggshell pieces. Using eggshells to deter pests is a great way to save some money and also avoid using pesticides that could harm your plants.
5. Make Eggshell Fertilizer For Plants
Tomatoes are not the only ones that can benefit from eggshells. As I already mentioned, there are all sorts of minerals that can boost growth in many plants.
However, you can’t just toss these shells around your plants and call it a day. Instead, the shells need to be ground to make the nutrients readily available for absorption. You can grind eggshells in a blender, food processor, or coffee grinder.
Before you grind the eggshells, use lukewarm water to clean them and let them dry overnight. After grinding, simply add the coarse powder to the soil. You can add a few pinches or tablespoons of the powder, depending on the size of your plant.
Make sure to only do this once every couple of months or even once a year so as to avoid overfertilization.
6. Mix Eggshells With Apple Cider Vinegar
Mixing eggshells with apple cider vinegar is an easy way to make a solution that can be used for treating skin irritations, acid reflux, and itchy skin.
Simply put one eggshell in a jar and pour apple cider vinegar over it. The eggshell should dissolve for about two days before you use this mixture.
7. Add Them To Your Coffee
If you don’t like bitter coffee, but don’t want to add sugar, then adding eggshells to your coffee is a perfect solution!
This works because the coffee is acidic, while eggshells are alkaline. One eggshell can be used for 4 cups of coffee. Before adding them to your coffeemaker, make sure to clean the eggshells and crush them into smaller pieces.
Egg shells are also used in campfire coffee preparation, which involves boiling loose grinds in a pot of water. This is done because the eggshells help keep the coffee grounds in the bottom of the pot.
8. Make Eggshell Toothpaste
We are all about DIY here!
Making your own eggshell toothpaste is fun, plus it will improve your teeth’s health. Remember, both teeth and eggshells are made up of calcium, which is why eggshells do wonders for your teeth.
Here is a video with detailed instructions on how to make eggshell toothpaste:
9. Add Them To Bone Broth
Eggshells are added to bone broth for an additional nutrient boost. When you are making a large batch, you can simply add some into the mixture. They won’t change the taste, but will definitely make the broth much healthier!
10. Feed Your Chickens With Eggshells
This might sound weird, but chickens love to eat eggshells!
Chickens need calcium to produce eggs, so if you see your chickens eating their own eggs, a calcium deficit might be to blame. Feeding your chickens with eggshells makes the eggs healthier and tastier.
All you have to do is dry the eggshells, then crush and bake them at 275 degrees for about ten minutes or until they are brittle. After that, crush them into even smaller pieces and give them to your chickens.
11. Clean Your Pots With Eggshells
Instead of buying expensive pot detergent, use eggshells to make your pots nice and shiny!
Throw some crushed eggshells in warm soapy water and clean your dirty pots with it. Trust me, eggshells will remove stains like no other detergent could. You can use this for glass vases as well.
12. Try Eggshell Face Mask
Pots and pans are not the only ones that can be cleaned with eggshells – if you want clean skin, try using an eggshell face mask! First crush the eggshells into a powder, then whisk an egg white until it is stiff.
Combine these two together and apply it to your face. After the mask has dried, wash your face with cold water. This will make your skin tighter and glossier!
13. Eat Your Eggshells
If you are looking to increase your calcium uptake, then your first stop should be the fridge. Once you are done eating your eggs, save the shells and use them for a snack later.
Eggshells are usually added to smoothies, soups, and juices. Half an eggshell is enough calcium for a day, so keep that in mind. Also don’t forget to wash them!
14. Clean Your Laundry
You can make your whites brighter with eggshells. Put some shells into an old stocking or woven bag along with a few slices of lemon, and then put the bag into the washing machine.
Don’t just throw some eggshells into the machine because it might damage it.
15. Feed Birds
Just like chickens enjoy eggshells, wild birds also love to munch on the delicious, calcium-rich shells. The procedure is the same – just crush the eggshells into smaller pieces and mix them with their feed mix.
I hope you enjoyed this article.
Until next time!