22 Pill Bottle Crafts and Reuse Ideas for Every Home

From fire starters to seed storage, discover 22 pill bottle crafts and reuse ideas that turn empty containers into something useful and fun.

A collage of creative pill bottle crafts, including Halloween potion bottles, a decorated pincushion sewing kit, painted storage containers, a hide-a-key disguised with a rock, labeled seed storage jars, and pill bottles mounted for battery storage.

I do my best to rely on herbal remedies around here, but I’ll be honest… plastic pill bottles still sneak in now and then. And since I hate tossing things (seriously, it makes me twitchy), I’ve gotten pretty good at finding new uses for old containers. At this point, I’m probably an upcycling addict. But honestly, there are worse habits to have.

So when I found myself staring at a mountain of empty pill bottles, I hopped on Pinterest for inspiration. (If you’re not following me there, you should. It’s where I stash all my harebrained homestead ideas.)

Here are some of my favorite ways to repurpose pill bottles: some practical, some just for fun.

#1 Fire Starters

Pill bottles make easy little fire starters. I’ve seen people call this a fun project to do with kids… I’m not sure my crew qualifies as calm enough for that, but if you’ve got responsible kids, this could be a good bonding project. Stuff them with cotton balls or dryer lint dipped in wax and they’ll catch fast, even if the wood’s a little damp.

Three orange prescription pill bottles with white caps filled with cotton balls, ready to be used as DIY fire starters. — DIY fire starter project using pill bottles. Image credit: Mom Prepared.

#2 Hide-A-Key

Make a cheap, quick hide-a-key by gluing a rock or pinecone to the lid. I can’t promise it’ll last forever outside, but since it costs basically nothing, replacing it now and then doesn’t hurt. Pro tip: pick a spot that blends in naturally and rotate locations so it’s not too obvious.

Hand holding a pill bottle with a rock glued to the lid, tucked among outdoor landscaping stones as a hidden key holder. — Hide-a-key pill bottle project. Image credit: Thrifty Fun.

#3 Travel Bottles

These bottles are just the right size for shampoo, conditioner, and lotion when traveling. I’m pretty sure they meet airline liquid rules, but double-check before you pack so you’re not stuck tossing them at security. I slap some painter’s tape on them so I’m not stuck guessing which one’s conditioner halfway through a shower. Permanent marker (it turns out) isn’t actually permanent.

Orange prescription pill bottle with white cap shown as a travel-size container for shampoo, conditioner, or lotion. — Travel toiletries made from pill bottles. Image credit: BuzzFeed.

#4 Portable Sewing Kit

Turn a pill bottle into a mini sewing kit with a bit of thread, a needle, and a few buttons. Bonus points if you glue a tiny pincushion to the lid. I like keeping one in the car for those “oops, lost a button” moments. Toss in a couple safety pins, too. They’ve saved me more times than the needle and thread.

Prescription pill bottle decorated with fabric and trim, topped with a pincushion and sewing needles to make a portable sewing kit.

#5 Survival Kit

My outdoorsy boyfriend has made about twenty of these survival kits, and they live in every glove box, backpack, and tackle box he owns. I’ll admit, they’ve saved the day more than once on hikes. Think waterproof matches, a bit of fishing line, and a couple of bandages (the kind of little things that feel huge if you’re stuck outside).

#6 Crafting Storage

These little bottles are perfect for craft odds and ends: cake piping tips, beads, needles, paper clips, safety pins. I use them to keep the gems from my diamond painting kits corralled, too. A quick label on the lid makes it easy to know what’s inside without digging through a drawer.

Four pill bottles decorated with colorful paper and stickers, numbered 0–3, used for holding piping tips by size. — Decorated pill bottles for kids’ crafts. Image credit: The Bear Foot Baker.

#7 Halloween Decor

Spray paint a few bottles and turn them into Halloween potion bottles. I made some last year for the mantle, and they were a hit! Just the right touch of spooky to mix in with my pumpkins. A ring of hot glue around the cap gives you that old ‘wax seal’ vibe if you really want to go all in.

Five pill bottles transformed into spooky potion bottles with dark paint, bark tops, and carved labels like “Raven” and “Newt.” — DIY Halloween potion bottles from pill bottles. Image credit: Magia Mia.

#8 Snowman Ornament

Not into spooky? Use them to make winter snowmen. My youngest once built an entire snowman village out of pill bottles. Did they clash with my vintage Christmas village? Yep. Did I still display them? Absolutely. Paint sticks better if you rough up the plastic with sandpaper first.

White pill bottle decorated as a snowman with a black hat, green felt scarf, stick arms, and button details. — Snowman ornament made from a pill bottle. Image credit: Crafting a Green World.

I’ve got plenty more thrifty holiday craft ideas where that came from. Check out my favorite Christmas decorating projects on a budget for more Santa-approved inspiration.

#9 Rainbow Crayons

Use pill bottles as molds for rainbow crayons. Extra credit if you’re also upcycling broken crayons. (Yes, I hoard broken crayons too. Don’t judge.) Just remember the bottles aren’t oven-safe. Melt the crayons first, then pour them in.

Three pill bottles filled with layers of melted crayon wax in rainbow colors, used as molds for homemade crayons. — Rainbow crayons made with pill bottles. Image credit: Momtastic.

#10 Unique Vase

Nest pill bottles together and you’ve got yourself a faux bamboo vase. The vacuum seal makes them watertight without glue (bonus science lesson included). Wrap them in jute or give them a coat of paint and they actually look pretty classy.

Two stacks of pill bottles arranged like bamboo vases, each holding cut plant stems on a windowsill. — Faux bamboo vase made from pill bottles. Image credit: Mich L. in L.A.

#11 Nail Polish Remover

Make a quick nail polish remover tub: stuff a pill bottle with cotton balls and pour in acetone. It’s way less messy than pouring from the bottle, and you’ll waste less polish remover too. Cut a sponge to size and swap it in if you want that salon-style dip jar.

Bottle of nail polish remover being poured into a pill bottle stuffed with cotton balls, next to a cotton ball on a bathroom counter. — DIY nail polish remover tub using a pill bottle. Image credit: The Krazy Coupon Lady.

#12 Ammo Storage

Pill bottles keep ammo dry and organized. Around here, those bottles get tucked into an old Christmas cookie tin in the gun cabinet. Sadly, it’s not cookies. Toss in a silica packet and it’ll stay dry even longer.

Prescription pill bottle filled with rifle ammunition, shown beside a green military-style container. — Ammo storage using pill bottles. Image credit: Survival Monkey.

#13 Yarn Baller

Knitters and crocheters, this one’s for you. Use a pill bottle to make a center-pull yarn ball so your skein doesn’t roll across the floor. Before my friend gifted me a “real” yarn ball winder, this trick saved my sanity. Drill a hole in the cap for the yarn to thread through. It keeps the tension nice and steady.

Hands pulling yarn through a hole in a pill bottle cap while winding a center-pull yarn ball.

#14 Ink Dauber

You can even make ink daubers. At first, I had no idea what those were (BINGO night, maybe?), but it turns out scrapbookers use them too. Glue a bit of felt on the bottom and you’re good to go for stamping or blending.

#15 Coin Storage

Need a spot for quarters? Toss them in a pill bottle coin holder and stash it in the glove box. Handy for car washes, vacuums, or laundromats. (Not that I’d know. My kids swipe my change before I get to it.) Adding a slit in the lid makes it a mini piggy bank for kids.

Red and blue pill bottles decorated with cartoon character stickers, used as fun coin storage containers for kids. — Coin storage bottles decorated for kids. Image credit: WDW Prep School.

#16 Party Lights

I’ve seen pill bottles turned into quirky amber-colored party lights. I’m not sure when you’d use them. Maybe at a med school graduation party? Still, it’s a quirky little project if you’re the crafty type. Paint the outsides different colors for a string-light effect.

String lights threaded through empty pill bottles, glowing warmly as DIY party lights.

#17 First Aid Kit

Mini first aid kits in pill bottles are a lifesaver. I keep one in my purse for scraped knees and mystery bruises. (Let’s be honest… usually caused by one rambunctious child in particular, but I won’t name names.) A couple of antiseptic wipes fit in there too, and trust me, they’re worth their weight in gold.

Empty pill bottle shown alongside tweezers and antiseptic wipes, ready to be assembled into a mini first aid kit. — DIY first aid kit in a pill bottle. Image credit: Thrifty Fun.

If you want to take it a step further, here’s how I stock a homestead first aid kit that actually works. You’ll find practical, affordable essentials that go way beyond a few bandages in a box.

#18 Tooth Storage

Parents: this one’s for you. Put a tooth in a pill bottle so the Tooth Fairy can actually find it in the bed sheets. Trust me, it’s a lot less stressful than digging through stuffed animals at midnight. A dab of glitter nail polish on the lid turns it into a magical “Tooth Fairy jar.”

Purple pill bottle with a white painted tooth design, blue cap, and pink ribbon bow, used as a tooth storage container.

#19 Hair Supply Container

Perfect for corralling bobby pins and elastics. I swear I’ve been working off the same pack of bobby pins for 15 years because they just vanish. The elastic bands wrap nicely around the outside of the bottle too. Add a strip of magnetic tape inside to keep the pins from scattering.

Prescription pill bottle decorated with patterned tape, filled with bobby pins and hair clips, with the lid labeled “Hair Pins.”

#20 Q-Tip Holder

Keep cotton swabs in one so the kids don’t decide to “help” each other with ear cleaning. (Yes, that happened here. Never again.) Stick a label on it if you also keep them for makeup. No one wants ear swabs touching mascara wands.

Prescription pill bottle filled with cotton swabs, shown with white lid on and off. — DIY cotton swab holder made from a pill bottle. Image credit: The Beauty Blog.

#21 Seed Storage

Don’t want to make printable seed packets? Pill bottles are perfect for storing seeds, and the childproof caps mean no accidental spills all over the floor. Taping a seed packet label to the outside helps keep varieties straight.

Collection of pill bottles labeled with hand-drawn illustrations of vegetables and herbs, used for storing seeds. — Pill bottles repurposed as seed storage containers. Image credit: Sunset.

#22 Battery Organizer

And finally, battery storage. Because the bottles are watertight, your batteries are less likely to corrode. Group them by size so you’re not digging through a messy junk drawer when the remote dies.

Pill bottles mounted under a wooden shelf, each filled with AA batteries for organized storage. — Battery organizer using pill bottles. Image credit: Lifehacker.

Your Pill Bottle Upcycling Questions, Answered

Still curious about what to do with those bottles once the medicine is gone? Here are a few of the questions I hear most often about reusing pill bottles and the simple answers that make it less of a headache.

Soak them in warm, soapy water first. If the sticky stuff won’t budge, rubbing alcohol or olive oil usually does the trick. A quick scrub and they’re ready to reuse.

Never flush them. Instead, look for pharmacy take-back bins, community collection events, or law enforcement drop-offs. If you don’t have those nearby, mix the meds with something gross (like coffee grounds or cat litter) before tossing in the trash. Always scratch off personal info on the bottle first.

I wouldn’t. Even after washing, medication residue can linger in the plastic. They’re great for crafts and organization, but skip them for anything edible. If you want a safe option for spices or snacks on the go, use small glass jars or food-grade containers instead.

Yes! Organizations like Matthew 25: Ministries accept them, and many animal shelters use them for pet meds. Just wash them out thoroughly first.

Most are, but it depends on your local program. The orange bottles are usually #5 plastic (polypropylene), which some recycling centers accept and others don’t. Check the number on the bottom and call your transfer station or recycling center to be sure. When in doubt, upcycle first!

If you liked these ideas, pin the image below and share it with your Pinterest crew.

A Pinterest pin graphic with three empty orange pill bottles and a text overlay reading, “Creative Ways to Reuse Pill Bottles – From storage hacks to DIY projects—don’t toss them!”

Health doesn’t come from a plastic bottle, but if it does, at least you can turn that bottle into something useful afterward.

Want more ideas? Check out 12+ Fun Ways to Upcycle Holiday Cards After the Season, Mason Jar Crafts You’ll Love to DIY, and 12 Uses for an Old Milk Jugs.

Repurposing pill bottles proves a little creativity goes a long way. From seed storage to quirky decor, they definitely don’t have to end up in the trash.

What’s your favorite way to reuse pill bottles? Share in the comments. I’d love to hear!

345 Comments

Linda kaye says:

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I donate used pill bottles to a charity. labels need to be completely removed. I use a hair dryer to easily peel them away.

Linda Akin says:

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One use I found for an empty pill bottle is to store discarded needles or straight pins so as not to put them loose in the trash. Creeps me out to think someone would get hurt on an old rusty pin or needle!

22 Clever Pill Bottle Crafts and Reuse Ideas You’ll Actually Use