Comments on: How can I reuse or recycle IKEA allen keys?

By: mary lou

mary lou — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:04:28 +0000

Pedro, you must have an iron stomach!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL

By: HuntingWabbits

HuntingWabbits — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 04:07:01 +0000

Incredibly, even though we have them coming out of our ears here, whenever I need one for a project, they’re nowhere to be found. =P

By: Alex

Alex — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 15:37:47 +0000

You can. Most stores will take them back in the bargain corner area(in store the staff know this as the Recovery department), or hand them in to the customer returns area.
And yes we do recycle all types of metal in stores.

By: Ross

Ross — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 16:03:07 +0000

I saw on another website if you get bolt cutters and cut one of the sides off you can use it as a drill attachment to assemble other ikea pieces

By: James

James — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 14:23:22 +0000

I am always looking for Ikea allen wrenches. I make art out of them. If you have extras you can mail them off to me.
James
jamesrowe4@hotmail.com

By: Gulia

Gulia — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:50:48 +0000

Bang them more, dress into stripes of contrasting paper, fabric or paint, and you have Christmas ornament candy cane!

By: Didi

Didi — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 16:47:53 +0000

Lifehacker just put up a post on making an IKEA wrench into a drillbit: http://lifehacker.com/398865/convert-an-allen-wrench-into-a-drill-bit

By: Cat

Cat — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 03:52:19 +0000

I’ve used two as tent stakes, and they worked well … they were slightly bigger ones, but it solved two problems, what to do with the allen keys and what to do when the tent stake’s gone missing.

By: louisa

louisa — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 10:50:59 +0000

I’ve just spoken to the IKEA press office about this and they’ve said that they are planning to introduce new measures to address this type of thing – but it’s logistically difficult: they have to get quality assurance procedures in place to check whether they can be reused or just recycled etc. They are working on it though.

The woman I spoke to added that you can take them back to the returns department – along with other things they recycle through there including batteries – but they’d just be recycled instead of going back into the product chain.

By: Pedro

Pedro — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 19:10:38 +0000

I find if you lightly fry them in olive oil, then stir them into a sundried tomota and olive sauce, you have a nutritionally balaced delicious meal full of vitamins and iron.

yummy!

By: Lance

Lance — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 11:39:16 +0000

I keep one in the kitchen to use when I disassemble my Gaggia espresso machine head for cleaning — it fits perfectly, and I don’t have to use the oily one from my toolbox.

By: Smurfsahoy

Smurfsahoy — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 05:20:53 +0000

They are pretty much the #1 ideal tool for making tension wrenches for lockpicking…

By: L. Sue

L. Sue — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 15:39:26 +0000

Since IKEA recycles metal, you can bring them back to any store and give them to the Recovery Department and ask them to recycle them.

By: Lucia

Lucia — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 09:00:02 +0000

In the Ikea of my town they have a place where you can take freely little tools and little pieces (like screws): if yours have it too you can put them there.
I used them putting one in a plastic bottle cap and then put on the other end one of my plastic flower. Use it as a place-indicator for a lunch or attach on a pin to put messages.
My flowers are on the site.

By: Delusion

Delusion — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 07:21:32 +0000

I like the sound they make when they clink together so if you had loads, make a windchime for the garden with them!

By: Sam P

Sam P — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 21:33:27 +0000

How about Freecycle, advertising them on a noticeboard at work/school or offering them to a bike shop?

Also, why not write to Ikea and ask! It’ll hopefully make them think more about the issue. You could also try offering them to a member of staff next time you go to Ikea (seriously); they probably won’t know what to do with them, but it’ll raise the issue!

By: Ripe Green Ideas

Ripe Green Ideas — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 15:18:38 +0000

How about using them to make a coat rack, of a as the hooks to hang pans, or any other object?

By: Nicole

Nicole — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 15:32:21 +0000

Too bad they don’t have a “take-back” program

By: Altariel

Altariel — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 14:53:57 +0000

IKEA could offer them at the tills (“Do you need an allen key?”) rather than packing them as standard.

By: ajlec2000

ajlec2000 — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 13:18:34 +0000

Personally I have a hard time hanging on to those wrenches. Sooner or later I want to move the piece of furniture or tighten up when the allen bolts loosen. I soved that problem by taping the wrench to the back of the furniture piece or under a shelf after I’ve finished assembly so I can find it when I need it.