All The Amazing Ways To Repurpose Baking Sheets Inside & Outside The Home

Baking sheets are an absolute necessity to have in the kitchen, whether you use them to roast vegetables, bake cookies, or catch drips to avoid having to clean your oven every time you make a pie. With so many uses, however, it's not uncommon to have baking sheets lying around that are past their prime or simply not performing as well as the others in your collection. While they're incredibly easy to use, lots of baking sheets can take up a ton of space — something to consider if you're one of the 54% of Americans who feel overwhelmed with the amount of clutter in their homes (via onedesk). Luckily, there's a way to clean out your cabinets without just dumping your old pans in the trash: upcycling.

Thanks to their super-simplistic, flat, and durable design, baking sheets can be used in a wide array of different DIY projects around the house and outdoors. With a bit of creativity, they'll be completely unrecognizable from their former lives in the kitchen. While the idea of starting a DIY project might be a bit intimidating especially if you're a beginner, there's no need to worry. Most of these ideas only take a few minutes and some simple materials to pull off, so they can easily be completed in an afternoon with items you likely already have around the house.

One of the many things you can take advantage of when using baking sheets in your DIYs is the fact that they're usually magnetic. Because of this, they make the perfect base for a chore chart. Simply divide your baking sheet into sections labeled "to-do" and "done" using paint, metallic markers, or washi tape, then create some magnets to represent common chores like tidying up, washing dishes, and taking out the trash. These magnets can be made by adding printed pictures or simply the words themselves. If you have multiple people using the same chart, you can also divide the "done" section per person.

If you have kids, you know that they come home from school, summer camp, or daycare with a ton of art. Each of these pieces are special, and, as a parent, you likely want to display them, but the sheer quantity makes it difficult to spotlight every drawing or painting you end up with. One super simple solution is a magnetic gallery wall. Take a few baking sheets, paint them, and hang them on the wall like you would frames. Display your child's art with a magnet, then replace it as they make new pieces. This way, there's no damage to the art or your walls.

A decorative tray is a great item to incorporate into your décor, especially if you're attempting to create a landing space for miscellaneous items. Paint or cover your baking sheet with contact paper, then place it in the middle of your dining table to act as a centerpiece, on your couch to hold remotes, or on your bedside table to give your go-to items like notebooks, water bottles, and reading glasses a home. This hack is especially helpful if you have a plush ottoman — a tray on top can add stability and allow it function more like a coffee table in a pinch.

Having a dish drying rack on your counter is a great way to ensure your plates, bowls, and silverware completely dry before putting them back in your cabinets, but many styles of drying racks don't have a bottom drip tray. As a result, your countertops are on the receiving end of all that excess water — bad news for anyone with countertops made of laminate or other more porous materials. To prevent this, simply layer a basic dish drying rack, like this Essentials White Wire Dish Drying Rack from Dollar Tree, over an old baking sheet for a basic and low-cost solution.

Our pets are known for a lot of things — their silly habits, favorite toys, and love of going on walks — but their table manners don't usually make the cut. If you have a pet that's a messy eater or drinker, a mat or tray underneath their food bowls can help to minimize the mess and make cleanup significantly easier. You can buy these pads at your local pet store, but something as simple as an old baking sheet can also do the job. Pro-tip: If you notice the metal sheet sliding around, place a layer of non-slip drawer liner between the sheet and your floor.

When you're working on a project, whether you're under your car or tinkering with something at your work station, the last thing you want to have to do is worry about where your tools are. In these situations, a simple tray like an old baking sheet can be your saving grace. Use it to hold tools you know that you'll need so they are in an easy-to-find location and won't roll away, or keep it nearby so you can set down screws, bolts, and other small parts without worrying that they'll end up lost in a dusty corner somewhere.

Even if your car is in good shape, it's not uncommon to face the occasional oil leak. A couple of drops here and there isn't a major issue, but it can make a permanent impact on your garage floor in the form of unsightly stains. There are large metal drip pans available on the market that you can slide under your car to protect your floors, but a simple baking sheet can do the job just as well for no extra cost. Unfortunately, most of these pans are a bit too shallow to use for a full-on oil change, but they can still make for an effective protectant.

Starting your own seeds is a great way to get more involved in the gardening process and save some money on more developed plants, but buying all the materials you need from your local garden center can be unexpectedly expensive. To cut costs, consider using what you already have: a spare baking sheet, for example. Once you've planted your seeds in their individual containers — or used a TikTok seed starting hack to explore alternative cultivation methods — place them all on a baking sheet to keep them together and trap moisture that could drain from the bottom of the pots. 

Creating an advent calendar or countdown calendar is a great way to get kids involved in the lead up to Christmas or other big events like birthdays and vacations, but they're often overpriced and filled with items that you can't customize. The solution? Make one yourself. You'll need an old baking sheet, decorative paper, ribbon, some magnets, empty matchboxes, and paint. Paint your baking sheet, then cover your matchboxes with paper and attach a magnet to the back of each one. Add on numbers, fill them with treats, then use the ribbon to hang the calendar on your wall for fun daily surprises.

If your baking sheet is a bit too beat up for indoor use, consider taking it outside to help you fill pots in the garden or mix your own soil. For instance, maybe a succulent needs sand, soil, and perlite mixed together to thrive. Simply pour your potting mix ingredients into your tray, then use gloved hands to combine it all. If you're filling up a pot, you can then just use your hands to transfer the soil or weild a small gardening trowel. You could also pick up the tray and pour the mixture into the pot, if desired.