Before you head to the recycling bin with leftover popsicle sticks after a sweet summer treat, just wait—these little pieces of wood can help out around the house.

From fixing furniture legs to inviting fairy visitors to your garden, there are uses for popsicle sticks for every DIY skill level.

So rinse off those sticks, and give these five simple and practical ways to repurpose popsicle sticks around the house a try—with a couple of bonus projects for those feeling extra-crafty.

Paint Stirrer

Whether you're painting murals, walls, or trim in your home, it's important to make sure the pigment in your wall paint is evenly distributed. Instead of using the brush going on your wall to stir, grab a popsicle stick instead—especially when working with smaller cans of paint used for touch-ups and accent areas.

Switching to a popsicle stick as your stirrer will keep your best paintbrushes from getting overloaded with paint, help preserve their bristles, and keep your lines and corners as clean and crisp as possible.

Furniture Leg Stabilizers

Sitting down to eat and discovering an uneven dining table or chair is a major dinnertime distraction—but stabilizing the legs of your furniture and helping all four to sit evenly is super simple with the help of popsicle sticks.

Use a craft knife to cut a stick down to the same width as the legs, secure it to the bottom with an adhesive like Gorilla Glue or No More Nails, and say goodbye to wobbly seats.

Curtain Weights

The warmer summer months call for open windows, so help your living room or bedroom curtains look effortlessly breezy and perfectly draped without billowing out of control by weighing down the hems with popsicle sticks.

Simply slide the sticks through an open hem or secure them in place on the wall-facing side of your curtain with a couple of stitches for a cleaner drape and floor-grazing finish interior designers would be proud of.

Plant Support

Climbing houseplants like Swiss cheese plants and garden plants such as cucumbers can all benefit from the use of a support, or stake. Adding an extra form of support helps indoor and greenhouse stems to stay strong, especially with top-heavy plants as they continue to grow.

Set your greenery up for success by using popsicle sticks as an early form of plant support for younger plants by pushing it deep into the soil and securing the stem with a plant tie, just like you would with a bamboo stake.

Plant Labels

Using garden labels and herb markers is one of the best ways to stay on top of outdoor plant care and maintenance, and to be sure each variety is getting the amount of water it needs— and you can use popsicle sticks to create labels in a style you love that matches your home decor aesthetic.

Opt for a white or earthy shade paint and a permanent marker on one popsicle stick to achieve a minimalist look, or create cottagecore-inspired signposts in a range of vibrant hues like Sustain My Craft Habit.

Fairy Garden Furniture

Creating a fairy garden is one of the best summer activities to do at home as a family, and from dainty fences to miniature picnic benches, the DIY possibilities are endless.

Grab a bunch of popsicle sticks and let your imagination go wild, using the sticks, paint, wood stain, twine, and glue to put together simple ladders, sweet little swing sets, fairy doors to scatter throughout your yard, or even a whole house as the focal point of your magical fairy garden setup.

DIY Bird Feeder

Wildlife enthusiasts looking to make their backyards more bird-friendly can create adorable feeders like this one by Tanya Staab. You can opt for a simple open-top feeder like the one above, or spend a sunny day outside putting together a full birdhouse structure.

Leave the popsicle sticks used to construct your bird feeder as-is for a more natural look that blends in with its surroundings, or create a colorful piece by painting the sticks and letting them dry before assembly.