Ice cube trays might be the unsung hero of the kitchen. Not only are they great for having ice on hand at all times, they’re also pretty great to use for a variety of other amazing projects.
And they aren’t just useful in the kitchen! They can make cooking and baking a tad bit easier, but they also can be great for arts and crafts, and for organization and storage.
Are you ready to see ice cube trays in a whole new way?
1. Make Homemade Dishwasher Detergent Pucks
If there is one thing I’ve learned as I write more and more about hacks, it’s how fantastic dish soap is for home projects. Add it to a few other ingredients, and you’ve got homemade detergent at your fingertips.
2. Freeze Florals In Cubes
These ice cubes make me want spring and summer to just get here already! I can’t wait for summer parties out on the patio, and fun drinks in my hand. Mother Nature, I’m coming for ya.
3. Use An Ice Cube Tray For Sushi Rolls
I love sushi, and I love to make it at home too. But for someone who hasn’t got a lot of practice when it comes to rolling or molding sushi rice, it can be tough.
This is a nice hack for those who ain’t got my skillz.
4. Freeze Your Leftover Wine
If you are anything like me, you know there isn’t usually leftover wine. But, if by some miracle you do end up with leftover wine, you can freeze it for cooking later on.
5. Organize Your Craft Supplies
My craft room is a huge mess and pretty much always disorganized. But despite that, there are few things that satisfy me quite like craft supplies organized by color.
6. Keep Your Jewelry Untangled
I love wearing jewelry and accessories, but often forgo wearing stuff because it gets tangled (and I’m lazy AF).
This is a great solution, and if your ice cube tray is boring, you could always spray paint it a fun color like this teal!
7. Make Your Own Crayons
If you have a bunch of broken crayons lying around your house because your kids like to press a little too hard when coloring, this might be the best DIY project for you! Just make sure your trays are microwave-safe.
8. Use An Ice Cube Tray As A Paint Palette
This is something I’ve never thought of before, and I’m soooo here for it. I always end up using plates or napkins as a palette, but this works so much better.
9. Make Iced Coffee Cubes
I prefer my coffee ice cold, even in the dead of winter. This hack makes it so your iced coffee is not diluted with water, and it stays as strong as necessary to get you through the day.
10. Chocolate Ice Cubes
These are perfect for making a unique version of chocolate milk, adding to your coffee for a café mocha, or even to a glass of Baileys at the end of the night.
11. Make Lemon Cubes For Garbage Disposals
It’s basically just lemon and vinegar, but they are powerful against gross and smelly disposal pipes. Just freeze the two together, and toss the cubes down the disposal as needed.
12. Try Ice Cube Tray S’mores
S’mores are a tasty treat all year ’round, not just when you’re wishing you hadn’t agreed to go camping. This makes the process super simple, and oh so tasty.
13. Make Beef Broth Dog Treats
A great way to make cool summer treats for your pup is to freeze milk bones inside of beef broth. It’s a tasty treat on a cool day, and it’ll be hilarious watching your doggo try and get at the bone.
14. Freeze Your Favorite Flavor Of Yogurt
Adding these to your drink is a great way to make yourself a delicious treat, or even better, just pop them in your mouth like bite sized popsicles!
15. Display Small Toys On The Wall
If you’re sick of stepping on tiny toys and wincing in pain each time, try displaying all of them in spray painted ice cube trays instead.
16. Store Your Washi Tape Collection
Washi tape is super cute, but just like most kinds of tape, it’s hard to find your starting place once you’ve lost it. You can use ice cube trays to display, store, and make your tape easier to use!
17. Sour Gummy Worms Drink Garnishes
This is great for kids, but if you want to make this one more adult, soak those gummy worms in vodka first! We aren’t judging!
18. Freeze Cookie Dough For On Call Cookies
Do you ever have a craving for cookies but the stores are all closed and you don’t have the ingredients? Freeze some cookie dough so you can have cookies whenever you want.
19. Make Chocolate Covered Cheesecake Bites
Ice cube trays make great molds for making tasty chocolate truffles, and I love anything with cheesecake inside! I mean, how amazing do these look?
20. Freeze Leftover Sauces
I love to meal prep, but sometimes it ends up leaving me with way more food than I actually need. You can freeze little pucks of soups and sauces to have a dope meal later on.
21. Freeze Your Extra Eggs
No, not those kinds of frozen eggs. You can freeze leftover eggs for future cooking use too.
Eggs don’t last long in my home (I make and eat a lot of cookies…), but this would be great if you aren’t the same.
22. Freeze fresh herbs in oil for easy flavor bombs.
These can be added to any sauce or stew you can think off. They’re especially great for those busy nights when you’re tight on time!
23. Make Your Doggo Some Tasty Treats
With spring around the corner and summer not so far behind, these peanut butter ice pops are the perfect treat for the goodest boys and girls around.
24. DIY Your Own Dishwasher Tabs
Don’t pay for that overpriced, candy-colored store brand any longer. If your machine uses hard water, pour a half cup of white vinegar in the bottom of the machine to avoid cloudy glassware.
25. Grow Seedlings Inside The Tray
Get a head start on your outdoor herb garden by growing seedlings in an ice cube tray! This is actually such a smart idea, and I’m definitely stealing it.
26. Don’t Waste Those Crayon Stubs
You can melt them down into rainbow crayons! These are a great, not to mention, super thrifty, craft to do with the kids.
27. Celery Ice Cubes Are Perfect For Bloody Marys
Even if your not a fan of the drink, you have to admit, these are just plain pretty, and you can try them with cucumber slices too!
28. Freeze Aloe Vera For Sunburn Relief
Aloe vera is great for sunburns, but it’s even better when it’s nice and cool. So freeze pucks of aloe vera in ice cube trays for that sweet, sweet relief.
29. Stop Wasting Buttermilk
This also goes for other recipe staples that you only ever need a little bit of but can only be purchased in bulk (looking at you, tomato paste!). Freeze the rest of it in pre-portioned amounts for whenever you have a recipe in need.
30. Turn Up The Party With Ice Cube Jell-o Shots
A party time classic. Why did i never think to put them in ice trays?! No little paper cups to clean up and it’s way more economical!
31. Make Essential Oil Shower Melts
Create your own shower melts (think of a bath bomb, but for the shower instead!), and use an ice cube tray as a mold. You’ll never shower the same way again!
There are so many ways that ice cube trays can make your life just a tad easier!
COMMENT to let us know your favorite out-of-the-box way to use an ice cube tray, and don’t forget to SHARE!
