You’ve been collecting prescription pill bottles for quite some time knowing there are plenty of ways to repurpose them. Over the years recycling these little brown medicine bottles has been difficult, though it’s starting to get better. However, there are tons of nifty uses for empty prescription pill bottles so you don’t have to seek out a recycling center, or worse throw them in the garbage.
20+ Uses for Prescription Pill Bottles
Prescription pill bottles are perfectly compact containers for your purse or travel bag. You can also use them to organize tiny objects in your home. Depending on the medication they come in various sizes, giving them multiple uses.
Safety Tip: Be sure to clean the bottle well, especially if a narcotic medication was in the bottle previously. After cleaning with soap and water, a rinse of bleach followed by multiple rinses of clean water should do the trick. If you’d like to decorate your pill bottles, here’s a fun decoupage idea for making them look prettier.
1. LOTION, SHAMPOO, CONDITIONER
Pump your favorite lotion into a pill bottle rather than purchasing a travel-size version. This is also great for shampoo and conditioner. Most prescription pill bottles are waterproof when closed properly. However, if you’re concerned about leaks, place the bottle into a zipper snack size plastic bag. This is great for keeping in your car as well.
2. POINTY OBJECTS
Think of things like toothpicks, straight pins, needles, and thumbtacks. Easily organize your kitchen junk drawer, desk space or sewing room. Prevent pokes by keeping sharp items corralled in a pill bottle with a lid.
3. WATERPROOF STASH FOR YOUR CASH
Roll up your bills to hide or stash away for a rainy day.. and bonus – it’s waterproof! Putting your cash into a pill bottle is a great alternative to carrying around a bulky wallet or your purse. This is especially helpful when you are out for a walk or just don’t feel like lugging your purse to the store for a quick trip. The pill bottle will fit nicely in your back pocket or in your fanny pack.
4. COTTON SWABS AND COTTON BALLS
Keep your Q-Tips and cotton balls clean and dry and free of gunk by storing them in a pill bottle. If you travel, this bottle fits nicely into your cosmetic bag but the cotton will not pick up any loose powder or residue from the bag.
5. BUTTONS AND BEADS
Choose a few different button sizes and colors, fill a pill bottle and add them to your sewing drawer. You never know when you’ll pop a button and need a replacement. These bottles are also ideal for holding beads, especially if you are in the middle of a jewelry project.
6. SAFETY PINS
I always tuck away safety pins in my purse for those “you-never-know” moments. Place a few different sizes into the bottle and keep in your glove box or purse.
7. BOBBY PINS AND HAIR TIES
I don’t know about you, but I find bobby pins everywhere! They show up in my bathroom drawer, on the floor and in my car. Seems like whenever I need one they are nowhere to be found. Keep a stash of bobby pins in an empty pill bottle and you’ll always know where to find one. A prescription pill bottle is also the perfect little holder for miscellaneous hair bands.
Image credit: My Crafty Zoo
8. OFFICE AND HOMEWORK SUPPLIES
An office desk, homework station or just the kitchen table where the kids work on projects can be tidier by organizer small office supplies. Paper clips in one bottle, thumbtacks in another, and small binder clips in yet another. There are all sorts of tiny items that you can contain with old pill bottles including pencil eraser tops, rubber bands and staples. [image from My Crafty Zoo]
RELATED: Don’t miss this –> 30+ ORGANIZATION IDEAS AND TIPS
9. JEWELRY KEEPERS
When traveling, no one wants to deal with a tangled pile of necklaces. Pill bottles are totally convenient for holding rings and bracelets, too. If you carry a lot of jewelry when you travel, designate different bottles for different types, such as earrings in one and necklaces in another.
[IMAGE CREDIT – JOY WITH PURPOSE]
10. TRAVEL SIZE SEWING KIT
While these empty bottles are perfect for storing things like needles and safety pins, they are also ideal for putting together a mini sewing kit. Insert a couple different sized needles and safety pins, a couple of buttons, a needle threader and several other items to create your kit. (check here for some ideas on what to put inside)
[Source unknown]
You’ll probably want to use one of the larger prescription pill bottles when putting together a first aid kit to carry in your purse or backpack. This is ideal if you like to go hiking or exploring as its lightweight and easy to transport. Write out a simple list of the contents and tape it the bottle. (check here for some ideas on what to put inside)
12. PRETTY ROCKS, SHELLS AND SAND
Visiting the beach is always fun, but limiting the amount of seashells and other treasures that kids can bring home can be tough! Hand each of them an empty bottle and tell them they can only bring home what will fit inside. Watch as they carefully and eagerly choose which treasures are lucky enough to make the journey home. Want to make a project? Be sure to check out these seashell craft ideas!
13. MATCHES
Keep your matches dry during your next camping trip. Be sure to tear off the striking surface from the matchbox to tuck into the bottle, or attach it to the outside like this person did! Because these bottles are waterproof, this is great for those canoe and kayak trips as well.
14. EARBUDS AND CHARGERS
You can protect your earbuds and charging cords and prevent tangling by folding them into an old pill bottle. Wrapping your earbuds with a twist tie is added insurance that they won’t become a tangled mess.
15. HIDE A KEY
Hiding a spare key to your home or car can be tricky. You certainly don’t want a stranger walking up and checking under your mat so they can walk right in the door! Hide it so that it’s far less conspicuous by making it look like it’s part of the landscape. Here’s how to make your own hide-a-key.
16. SLIME, CLAY AND PLAY DOUGH
Slime, homemade floam, play dough, homemade clay – all of these squishy concoctions kids love to play with can be contained in empty pill bottles. Perfect for keeping that stuff out of your carpet!
17. LOOSE CHANGE
A pill bottle makes a great holder for loose change. There are some bottles that fit a quarter perfectly, making them ideal for laundry money. My wallet gets heavy when adding change to the small zipper compartment. Place your loose change into the empty prescription pill bottle while you are out and about. When you get home, dump the contents into a vacation fund jar to save for another day.
18. BREATH MINTS AND GUM
Kids often have laser vision when it comes to small treats. Empty mints or candy into a clean pill bottle to disguise them from little hands.
19. GARAGE ORGANIZATION
The house is not the only place you will find small objects. The garage can be a minefield of sharp objects and small pieces that need containing. Nails, screws, nuts, bolts and even batteries are just a few of the items that fit well in your empty pill bottles.
20. COOKIE CUTTER
Use your empty, clean prescription pill bottles to make these Pill Bottle Cookies for Christmas!
21. SEED STORAGE
For anyone growing your own garden, storing seeds in these little bottles is a great idea! Store in a dark, dry place until spring. (Thanks for the idea Sylvia!)
Remember to always dispose of expired or unused pills in a safe, recommended manner before hoarding that bottle. Do you have more ideas for using empty medicine bottles? We’d love to hear, please share in the comments!
This post was originally published on this blog on Aug 9, 2017.
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Jane Reeder says
My brother’s grandsons love to fish and we’re always begging Papa to take them fishing. He octopus for bait. He would cut it up to bait size pieces, put them in an old and clean medicine bottle and freeze them. He would take out what he needed for each fishing trip. Economical and endulgent! 💜
Jane Reeder says
I use nail polish remover to clean the label adhesive from containers.
Vonda says
I use WD40 for plastic and glass.
Darlene Buck says
When vacationing I still cook some meals. I fill some rx bottles with spices, taco mix, cinnamon sugar, etc
Claire says
I put decorative tape around the empty medicine bottle and use it for pencils, pens, & a stylus on the night table. Good article. I’ll use them for other things too, Thanks..
CBlanton says
I’ve done this it works great! I also added the bobbin with matching thread to the bottom of the bottle
Latha says
Good ideas. I have thrown so many bottles and feeling bad that I could have very well used them up. Thank you!
candice says
I save my various size bottles minus labels and sanitized and give them to my dogs get who uses them especially in poorer situations
Texas Nana says
I store quarters in a pill bottle and keep in car for carwash, tolls, parking meters or laundry mat. My country vet is happy to take clean used pill bottles and reuse them at the clinic. CVS also accepts bottles. Our local fire department looks in frig for a large tall pill bottle labled vial of life that has your medication list, health diagnosis and copy living will in them!
Cari Harris says
I got some great ideas from this, thanks!!
Just a heads up tho, if you put ANY medication in an empty med bottle , label it. Especially if you’re using narcotics but even Tylenol and ibuprofen. Police will arrest you for having unlabeled pill bottles. My med bottles are too big to carry with me, so I peel the pharmacy label off the big bottle and put it on a smaller pill bottle and carry 4 or 5 pills in my purse. That way, also, if my purse is stolen, I only lose a few pills rather than all of them.
I’m excited to go clean out my junk drawer now!!!
Diane T says
I use them to store my flower and vegetable seeds in. I take off the labels and use painters tape for labels each year.
Donna Watson says
I used empty pill botles for my art classes—trace circles overlapping into different designs, and color them. (the lids made ridged designs–the bottles smooth ones) I made the designs for the younger classes, and the older students made their own. (Sometimes the older students made designs for the younger students to color). We used the finished designs to make a paper quilt–every student had a ‘piece’ in it. It was gorgeous–the parents loved it!! Anyone who finished the classwork early would choose to do these! It was the central point featured on the wall. It morphed into card making. The students woud make greeting cards for shut ins, hospitalized friends and relatives, birthday cards, ‘having a bad day’ cards and so on! You never knew when one of the cards would turn up unexpectedly. I called it ‘seed sowing’. It was one of the options for students who finished their work early. I had each of the prohects set up in ‘centers’, where students could take a basket to their area and work on it.
For the dreaded ‘recess duty’—- an empty pill bottle holds a pair of disposable gloves for those icky ‘NO- one- wants- to- touch- it- but- you- are- in- charge’ moments. I attached it to my whistle wristband so it was always handy. Now I keep one in my glove box.
I had my students decorate a pill bottle for keeping in their desks—I filled them with a few bandaids, (elementary students LOVE bandaids). Everything didn’t have to stop when someone needed a bandaid.
Combining ART, SCIENCE (recycling) VALUES (caring for someone else), HEALTH (self-care): AND I could make it a themed based activity depending on the unit on which we were currently workng .
Valerie Bailey-McClure says
I really like your ideas for pill containers, I feel bad when I have to throw them away. Thanks for all the
great ideas.
Valerie says
Thanks! I teach second and you gave me some great ideas,.Thanks for sharing!
Lisa says
I’d really like to see photos and get more information about making art out of orange prescription bottles! I’ve had lupus for 30 years, but until 2015 most people didn’t know it because, with diligence, I lived and worked relatively normally. . But health care system changes and my employer ignoring my requests for a temporary transfer to a job with less travel and fewer 80 hour weeks to sort out my noticeably declining health, drove me to collapse and I had to stop working in 2015. I’m an engineer and I hate being disabled. Unexpected calamities in my personal life also contributed to a downward spiral that felt unrecoverable. But in the last year, it feels like I’ve turned the curve back UP. I’m renovating an older house and am finding I love so many aspects of it, including as a way to express myself, and especially love finding ways to repurpose or upcycle things that work or look better than before. I’ve also found ways to make something pleasing in form and/or function, out of things associated with difficult times.
So, to the pill bottles. I’ve been on a lot of medication for a long time and started saving my pill bottles about a year ago. So I have a ton! Most of my house will be light and bright, but I intend to paint the den/office/guest room walls a deep blue, and found that some shades of orange look terrific as an accent color. I’m determined to make something beautiful with them and possibly their caps, but I have no artistic or craft skills, and wouldn’t even know where to begin just to attach them to a canvas or other backing.
Sorry for the length. I’m just feeling inspired! If you have details to share but don’t want to answer all that here, would you post a reply with a way to communicate privately?
Thanks!
Trisha says
You could glue the open orange pill bottles to a board, drill holes in the bottom and poke battery operated miniature string lights through the holes to create a nest wall hanging.
Trisha says
I meant to say a Neat wall hanging. If I think of anything else I will let you know. Great color scheme!! I hope this helped and I hope it makes you happy!
Lance Lincecum says
We are going to strine Christmas light in the this year and put them around the tree.
Lara Trottier says
I’ve seen at craft shows where they’ve make an old pill bottle into a snowman and put M&M’s in it. As for the first aid kits any Girl Scouts out there can make them into a First Aid swap.
Fran says
Great ideas…..thank you! I also use them for toothpick holders when going on vacation. Also handy to keep in glove compartment in case you get something caught in your teeth while on the road. Take care!
Denise says
I think a good Idea for a pill bottle could be an encouraging message slipped into a place someone could find….a love message to a secret admirer, a bottle filled with coins to give to a homeless person, etc
Patricia R. Puckett says
I was having trouble with spools of thread rolling around and sometimes off the table. I used a needle to put a hole in the center of the lid of a pill bottle. Put the spool of thread in the bottle and threaded the thread through the hole in the lid, and then snapped the lid on. Now it’s easier to corral the spool and the thread doesn’t get tangled.
Susie says
Love this idea! I may use a drill with a fine bit.
Johnette Jarrell says
The way to get the labels off is : Peanut Butter!. After you get as much as you can off by soaking in hot water or scraping, put peanut butter on the gunk that is left and let it sit at least one day and sometimes 2 or 3 days. Sometimes the labels are so tough that I put water in the bottle/jar and put it in the microwave for a few seconds at a time. If plastic, and you let it stay very long it will melt. If glass you can let it get hotter and the glue will get hot and it will come off easier. Just be careful cause its hot right out of the microwave. ( If I don’t have PB, I just use shortening or oil if I get desperate.)
My grandson uses them for hooks ,etc. I’m going to do something different this year. I am going to make Christmas out of medicine bottles. Drill a hole thru the top. Take a piece of yarn or thick string and know it into the hole on the top. Glue the top on the bottle. Decorate the outside with paint or beads or glitter or anything you can think of. Hang on a tree or bush outsine so when the leaves are gone the bottles will still be there for Christmas. PS…make the string long enough to tie to a branch.
Thank you for letting me share.
Tim says
Instead of peanut butter or the microwave, just hold a hair dryer over the label for a minute and you can peel it off easily. Way less messy :)
Pat says
How do you get the labels off of the medicine bottles? They are so hard to get off. Is there something I can soak them in that will easily take the label and glue off?
Amanda Formaro says
Have you tried Goo Gone?
Dorothy says
I’ve heard that WD-40 is a good way to get the labels off.
Laura says
I make a paste with blue dawn and baking soda. Remove as much of the label that you can.( It helps to soak in very hot water for a n hour or more. Apply the paste onto the bottle, let sit for about an hour. Wash, if it still has residue on it, just start the process over.
I usually can get it all of in 1 go around, but some items like food jars are a little more sticky, so you may jave to do again.
Good Luck
Barb says
I also use skin so soft ,it removes the rest of the glue . I’m sure any oil will work.
Broacher says
Simple. Hair dryer on high for say, 30 seconds. Then they just peel off cleanly in one piece.
Denise says
I have soaked them in soapy water with bleach added.
Janet says
Just use a blow dryer type hair dryer to warm up the glue holding the label on, it will peel right off.
Deb says
Do you have a heat gun for embossing and other crafts? Heat the label with your heat gun (don’t get too close) and watch it just peel off.
shonia says
This is probably one of my most favorite sites I have come across, I along with the rest of the world seem to have a lot of free time coming up so I have hundreds of cleaned bottles and want to do something fun and cool with them, such great ideas here. So clad I found this. NTM everyone is so sweet and kind in here!!! KUDDOS!!!
Love the LOVE
Amanda Formaro says
Thank you Shonia! Yes, there will be lots of reasons to craft in the coming days!
Thomas Gibson says
I use them for items in my basement. I do different types of woodworking projects. Different sized cup hooks in different bottles. Clips that hold a glass onto cabinet doors. Pins that are used on some bookcases to hold shelves. They keep everything organized better for me and I take the whole bottle to my workbench when I need a certain item. Even use them for small nails, poprivets, small screws.
The regular size bottle holds $10 worth of quarters. Good if you need to do laundry. I keep one in my glovebox just in case I want to get a drink from a vending machine. Or just have the $10 if I need it for food or gas.
Shanna Hugie says
Thank you so much for your time and consideration in sharing your brilliance
Maggie Villegas says
Suggestions:
I use bottles to store my dried seasonings. Perfect for when I make custom ones like my own Low Sodium Taco Seasoning, or Meat Tenderizers. I use a label maker so I know what’s in them and when they were combined.
I also use them to store small computer devices such as flash drives, Bluetooth dongles, etc.
Teri Crafter says
That is kind of brilliant!
JOYCE G Sexton says
Recipes, please! Do you have one for a southwest flavored one?
Shirley says
Bad idea for #2. If you get pulled over and police go through your bag and see a pill bottle label ibuprofen, what makes you believe the police are going to believe the label name? They will think it’s some illegal pill. Best just to use the real bottle ibuprofen comes in.
Amanda Formaro says
Very true! We will get that updated!
Shonia says
I print labels from the manufactures to put on the bottle, that’s legal, and they will be able to verify very quickly. I use it for Dramamine, Tums, a bunch of different OTC items, it will say OTC on it and you can tape or glue straight to the bottle. But I would highly suggest that label instead of just writing on it.
Amanda Formaro says
Fixed!
Teri Crafter says
Amanda, the reason I came on your website is simply because I had a ton of pill bottles and was wondering what to do with them. The reason I was going through my pill bottles is because during this time of COVID-19, I finally have time to focus on organizing and crafting. Perhaps a plus side of this stay-in-place order? Thank you for your website.
Amanda Formaro says
Agree! I’ve already purged my pantry of expired items, cleaned out my fridge, and organized 2 rooms LOL Stay safe!
Vera says
I always throw my empty medicine bottles in the recycle bin. Remove the lable first. I never imagined that there are several uses for these bottles.
Ana Maria Monge says
Hi Vera! I have a lot of empty medicine bottles but it’s impossible to remove the label’s glue, can you give me an idea on how to do it please?
Laura says
Hi everyone! Just an FYI, I have asked the cop to verify my statement on the type of pill by going to pillidentifier.com with WebMD. All they/you gotta do is type in 2 identifying thing about the pill. I ususally use shape and the number/letters on the pill itself (remember to do both sides). This is for perscription meds only, most/all OTC meds won’t show up.
Johnette Jarrell says
Peanut butter.
Bev says
At ages 72 and 75, my husband and empty pill bottles often. Thanks for the myriad of ideas to repurpose them.
Christina says
Our recycling program doesn’t accept items smaller then your fist. I called to find out if pill bottles could be recycled and they told me the fist thing.
Laura says
Hi everyone! Just an FYI, I have asked the cop to verify my statement on the type of pill by going to pillidentifier.com with WebMD. All they/you gotta do is type in 2 identifying thing about the pill. I ususally use shape and the number/letters on the pill itself (remember to do both sides). This is for perscription meds only, most/all OTC meds won’t show up.
Anne says
You can buy individual packs of ibuprofen and put those in there
Karen says
I use my empty pill bottles for fishing supplies. Different size weights, hooks etc. It keeps gear organized in tackle box.
Frida says
Gimme5 in Connecticut is now taking prescriptions containers marked 5 WITHOUT THE LABELSand their caps. They are taking 5 plastics. They will take caps of bottles without a number on them. Look them up on Gimme 5 recycling. You can mail a box of appropriate plastic to them regular mail.
https://www.preserve.eco/pages/gimme5-what-we-accept
Alberta Coulter says
The idea of a first aid kit and/or a sewing kit would be a great idea for a little something to give to a homeless person. It’s compact, waterproof and small enough to be carried easily. If you wanted to you could tuck in a few dollars. It would be a simple way of sharing a little love for people who have very little.
Amanda Formaro says
That’s a great idea Alberta!
shonia says
That’s a wonderful idea! Even put a cute little inspirational note in there.
Lori Adams says
Alberta
That’s the best idea I have ever heard for recycling old pill bottles! Thanks for thinking of it! You are a very special person to have done so when the rest of us have not!
Lori
Laura says
When I lived in a large city, I had “kits” made up for the homeless. Everything usually fit into a gallon freezer bag. I would keep 1-2 up front with me and the rest went into a box in my trunk. That way you can help them out, especially if you don’t like giving money or never have any on ya.u
Some examples are: Coupons for resturants (some game me FREE coupons for this), personal items like soap, toothpaste, etc. Also, a first aid kit and sewing kit. You get the idea. If you are a couponer or like getting free stuff (samples or from cohpons), these items would be great for the kits.
Sandy Fowler says
These ideas , for empty pill bottles, would be great for students headed off to college in dorm rooms. Tiny sewing kits, safety pins. Even the 3-M picture or poster hangers that won’t hurt the wall. Bandaids, small tube of antibiotics ointment. Cotton swabs and balls. Several things, I could have used. Very little room to store stuff. They can always bring them home for refills. Lol
Teresa says
#19 is a bad idea. If by chance children see mom or dad eating treats from pill bottles, they will likely want some too. If they later discover how to open a real pill bottle with actual medicine inside, they may consume it.
Shangela says
Precisely!!!!
Susie says
That is what worries me about using these bottles for projects involving young children and children who have younger siblings. If you are teaching them or giving them the opportunity to figure out how to open the safety caps, you might as well flip the cap over to be a screw top. There is a reason they call them safety caps. Prescription meds come in all sorts of fun colors, I have one med that is the prettiest shade of purple, another that is pink, another a soft green, and so on. Some are a tiny size like Nerds. A handful of those would mean sure death for a child. If the kiddos are rummaging around gramma’s kitchen looking for a snack and find a pill bottle of M & M size candies, hey, mom gave them a bottle like that she bought at a craft fair. Or hey mom keeps Tic Tacs in a bottle like that, and these look like Tic Tacs. Kids get into things, not just in your home, but everywhere. They are curious beings. I would not do any of these bottle suggestions with Daisy or Brownie or Cub Scouts. They are too young to comprehend pill bottles can hold meds and can be dangerous.
Johnax says
That’s awesome!
Peggy says
My kids love danimal yogurt. My son is 16 months and still need supply cups etc. I always poke hole in danimal foil lid insert straw but then have to tape straw in so he does spill it it’s a long process just to give him a yogurt lol. But worth it to be mess free. Well he is on antibiotics for a cold n bronchitis he refuses the liquid medicine no mater what I mix with and chokes or spits out if i manage to get it straight in mouth quick. So dr gave him capsules that I can open n put the fine power in n e thing. Since he loves danimals and they are small it’s perfect for putting meds in. My problem is to get the meds in and mix well I have to remove lid almost completely n even more of a pain to get sealed back up. Been searching my house all morning for something I can use to make a reusable lid for the danimal i have tried everything and every condiments lid there is well glanced at med bottle and light bulb lit up. It fits not real tight but tight enough. I’m gonna try drill a hole in the lid so I can insert straw (the straws that have the ring at bottom so don’t come out of cup) dk how else to cut small straw size hole. But then I wanna try running something around lid to make just lil tighter dk what yet maybe small layer hot glue the whole way around still working on it. If i can’t get perfect fit i can always just pour danimal in pill bottle n use that but if can get good fit on actual danimal bottle it would make my high stress life a smidge easier. So in short can use med lid as danimal yogurt lid to save for later or for small children. If any suggestions or tips on what else can use or how to put hole in lid or how to make lid seal amd still be reusable plz let me know. I will update wjen I finish or figure it out.
Linda says
Try a washer. Take your lid to a hardware store. Washers come in many sizes!
sam says
Peggy, your problem is very easy to solve! The thingamabob that you’re looking for is called a rubber grommet. I found a tutorial for how to modify a mason jar lid in this way, but you can use it for whatever lid fits your container. Rubber grommets come in every possible size! Here’s the link: https://www.thatswhatchesaid.net/mason-jar-straw-lids/
Susie says
“… i can always just pour danimal in pill bottle n use that…” Please do not have a child drinking from a pill bottle. It is dangerous in more ways than you can imagine.
Mary says
Hi! Love this post. My original website ClipwithPurpose was hacked and is no more :( and I see my picture of my sewing kits here :) I have started a new blog JOYwithPurpose and have redone the post. I would love if you could add my new link to the picture of my sewing kits. https://joywithpurpose.com/mini-sewing-kits-you-can-make/
Amanda Formaro says
Hi, Mary! Thanks for giving us the correct source, I’ve gladly updated the post to reflect the change. Thanks for sharing your fun sewing kits!
Mary says
Thank you so much!!!! :)
RONALD ANTINORA says
SOOO CLEVER. !!! THANKS