9 unexpected eggshell uses for your kitchen, garden, and more

Eggs are the hardest-working multitasking protein out there. Scrambled, poached, boiled, fried—the possibilities are kind of endless. Keep it simple with the classic egg in a hole, or spice it up with a poached egg arrabbiata. But don’t let the yolk and whites steal all the thunder. There are so many different uses for eggshells.

Instead of chucking them in the trash (or down your garbage disposal—it’s actually bad for it), put them aside for future projects. From your kitchen to your garden, there are tons of eggshell uses. Keep reading to learn what you can do.

Creative eggshell uses you didn’t know were possible

1. FERTILIZE THE GARDEN

Putting eggshells in your soil allows them to breakdown, and over time, make your soil more calcium-rich. This is especially helpful for vegetables like tomatoes and peppers that suffer from blossom end rot, which occurs when there isn’t enough calcium.

2. Clean pots and pans

Though eggshells are fragile, they’re also abrasive enough to scrub away cooked-on grime. Mix them up with a little soapy water and get to scrubbing.

3. SEED STARTER

You can use your egg shells as tiny pots to get seeds started inside. Just fill half of a shell with dirt, plant your seed, and watch it germinate.

4. FEED BIRDS

Female birds love to munch on baked eggshells because it gives them the calcium they need after laying eggs. Whether birds already frequent your home, or you’re hoping to attract more, laying out crushed baked shells will bring all the birds to the yard—here’s how to do it.

5.  Make bone broth

Eggshells are packed with high levels of collagen and also contain other nutrients like calcium and glucosamine, so using them in broth can provide a serious healthy boost. To make your own, follow this recipe from The Healthy Tomato.

6. Deter garden pests

Keep crawling pests like slugs, snails, and cutworms out of your garden by laying crushed shells around the perimeter of your garden.

7. DIY CHALK

If you’re looking for a fun activity to do with your kids, you can make chalk with your leftover eggshells. Combined with flour, water, and food coloring, you can make chalk in different colors of your choice. Follow this recipe from the Indianapolis Children’s museum.

8. CLEAN VASES

Depending on the shape of a vase, it can be really hard to clean. To get into spots you can’t reach with a sponge, you can swish around some eggshells mixed with either water or vinegar.

9. BAKE INSIDE OF THEM

Okay, so this requires a bit more than just saving your shells. If you want to make adorable grab-and-go baked goods, you can bake inside the eggshell. By making a small hole in the egg, you can drain out the inside, and use a pastry bag to pipe in the batter, as Sandra Mangas did in this brownie recipe.

Looking for more ways to reduce food waste? Here are 9 unexpected ways to reuse old coffee grounds and how to cook with food scraps.