I’ve always had a soft spot for little metal tins. In my pantry drawer, right beside the biscuit cutters and loose chip clips, there’s usually at least one old mint tin waiting for a second life. They’re sturdy, they snap shut, and they’re just the right size for all sorts of odds and ends that otherwise drift to the bottom of a junk drawer. Around here, I was raised to use things up, mend what we could, and think twice before tossing out something useful.
If you’ve got a few empty mint tins tucked away, you can turn them into some of the handiest little organizers in the house. I’ve gathered 10 practical ways to reuse them for storage, travel, first aid, crafts, the workshop, and even for keeping children’s bits and bobs in order. None of these ideas are fussy, and every one of them can be put together in just a few minutes with things you likely already have at home.
1. Mini sewing repair kit
An old mint tin makes a wonderful emergency sewing kit for a kitchen drawer, glove box, or overnight bag. I line the bottom with a 3-by-2-inch piece of felt, then tuck in 2 threaded needles, 6 safety pins, 4 shirt buttons, a tiny pair of folding scissors, and a card wrapped with black, white, and navy thread. If you add a small strip magnet inside the lid, the needles stay put instead of rattling around.
This is the sort of thing my mother would have kept in her handbag before church suppers and school concerts. It’s a small comfort knowing you can fix a hem, replace a button, or pin a torn strap in five minutes instead of letting the whole day go sideways.
2. Travel bobby pin and hair tie case
If you’ve ever dug through a purse for one bobby pin and come up with six crumpled receipts instead, this one is for you. A mint tin will hold about 20 bobby pins, 6 small hair elastics, and 2 snap clips without taking up more room than a deck of cards. I like to glue a narrow strip of felt inside so the pins don’t clatter every time I zip my bag.
It’s especially handy for weekend trips, dance recitals, or keeping in the bathroom cabinet for guests. A plain tin can also be dressed up with floral paper or fabric scraps, but even left simple, it saves a lot of rummaging.
3. Pocket first aid tin
This is one of the most useful little tins to keep in the car or tractor bag. You can fit 6 adhesive bandages, 2 alcohol wipes, 2 antiseptic towelettes, a few pain reliever packets, and a pair of tweezers if you choose slim ones. I also tuck in a folded 2-by-2-inch gauze pad and a short piece of medical tape wrapped around a popsicle-stick-sized strip of cardboard.
Out in the garden or workshop, small cuts and splinters seem to happen when you’re far from the bathroom cabinet. Having a tiny first aid tin nearby means you can clean up and get back to your work without trailing dirt through the house.
4. Seed-saving container for the garden shed
Come late summer, I’m forever drying marigold heads, bean seeds, and tomato seeds on paper towels by the sink. Once they’re fully dry, a mint tin is just right for storing small paper envelopes of saved seed. One tin can hold 8 to 10 folded seed packets, and if you slip in a teaspoon of dry rice inside a tiny scrap of cheesecloth, it helps absorb excess moisture.
These tins stack neatly in a shed drawer and keep seeds from being crushed. I still remember my father labeling seed envelopes in pencil at the table, and there’s something satisfying about keeping next year’s garden in such a humble little box.
5. Cord and earbud organizer
One of the easiest ways to tame little electronics is with a mint tin dedicated to short cords. It’s ideal for a pair of wired earbuds, a 3-foot charging cable, or a USB adapter tucked in with a twist tie. I cut a small rectangle of cardboard to fit the bottom so the cord wraps neatly and doesn’t kink.
This works especially well in a tote bag or on a bedside table where cords tend to wander. If you carry chargers to church, the library, or your grandchildren’s ball games, you’ll appreciate being able to grab exactly what you need without a snarl of wires.
6. Watercolor or crayon travel art box
For children, or for grown-ups who like to sketch at the park, a mint tin can become a tiny art kit. You can fit 8 half-pan watercolor cakes with a dab of strong glue, plus a short travel brush cut to about 4 inches, or simply fill it with 10 broken crayons sorted by color. I’ve seen grandchildren stay content through a whole hour-long appointment with nothing more than paper and one little tin.
If you go the watercolor route, tape a small square of watercolor paper inside the lid for color testing. It’s compact, tidy, and much easier to carry than a full box of art supplies.
7. Workshop tin for nails, screws, and picture hangers
Every workshop seems to have a coffee can full of mixed hardware, and every time you need one finishing nail, you end up sorting through a pound of the wrong thing. A mint tin is perfect for keeping 20 to 30 picture hooks, a handful of wall nails, a few short wood screws, and 2 drywall anchors together in one place. I like one tin just for hanging hardware and another for tiny electrical odds and ends.
Because the metal sides are rigid, sharp bits don’t poke through the way they can with plastic sandwich bags. Tuck the tin into a tool drawer, and the next time you hang a family photo or tighten a loose hinge, you’ll know right where to reach.
8. Emergency candle and match kit
This is a sensible one for a mudroom shelf or camping tote. A mint tin can hold 4 birthday candles, 6 waterproof matches, and a small folded piece of sandpaper or a match striker saved from another box. If the power goes out, those skinny candles will still give you enough light to find the flashlight drawer, and they take up almost no room.
You can also add a bit of cotton ball for tinder if you use it for camping, though I’d keep that stored dry and away from heat. It’s a modest little kit, but sometimes those modest things are exactly what save a scramble.
9. Puzzle or game piece keeper
If you have grandchildren in and out of the house, you know how quickly little game parts vanish. A mint tin is just right for keeping a deck of mini cards, a handful of dice, 20 bingo markers, or the stray pieces from a travel board game. For children, I also like using one to hold 12 to 15 alphabet magnets or small counting tokens for quiet play at the table.
It’s far easier to hand over one tidy tin than a whole box of scattered bits. And when cleanup time comes, even little hands can manage snapping the lid shut and putting it back on the shelf.
10. Homemade gift card or cash holder
When you want to give cash or a gift card without using a plain envelope, a cleaned mint tin makes a charming little package. Line it with scrapbook paper or a piece of gingham fabric, then tuck in folded bills, a gift card, and perhaps a small handwritten note cut to fit. Most standard gift cards will fit diagonally in the tin, and the whole thing feels a bit more thoughtful than something grabbed at the store checkout.
I’ve used tins like this for graduation gifts, birthday money, and even as a tucked-in bonus at Christmas. Once the gift is opened, the recipient can reuse the tin too, which makes the whole thing feel practical in the best Midwestern way.
Sometimes the handiest household helpers are the ones we nearly threw away. A little mint tin may not look like much, but with a bit of thought, it can bring order to drawers, bags, sheds, and craft baskets all over the house.