Repurpose political campaign signs faster than you can unload the dishwasher

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Whether you voted Red or Blue, we all win when we elect to go Green.

Perhaps you like the idea of championing the environment and keeping your city beautiful. Or maybe you're looking to save a few bucks advertising your next garage sale. Either way, if you have 5 minutes and a political campaign sign, I have five quick and easy hacks you can use to turn it into a free garage sale sign.

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Repurpose Political Campaign Signs into Free Garage Sale Signs

Who doesn't love free garage sale signs?

It happens every election cycle. As soon as the polls close and the ballots are counted, hundreds upon thousands of political campaign signs become just about worthless to candidates and their supporters overnight. Some candidates make an effort to retrieve their campaign signs, but most go unclaimed — a little-known resource way back when I first suggested reusing them to save money on garage sale signs.

Today, experts say reusing political campaign signs is "the best option for the environment." Giving campaign signs a second life not only keeps them out of the landfill longer, but also conserves the natural resources it takes to produce them.

As soon as the elections ended in November, political campaign signs became just about worthless to candidates overnight

You can't remove political campaign signs on private property (like your neighbor's yard) without permission. But most city governments allow candidates anywhere from three to 30 days after elections to retrieve campaign signs on public property — after that, they’re fair game. (You can find regulations governing political campaign signs in all 50 states at sonsofliberty.com.)

In a typical election year in Oklahoma City, around 90,000 political campaign signs are left behind littering the landscape — more than enough to repurpose into a few free DIY garage sale signs. Here's how.

Turn Political Campaign Signs into Free Garage Sale Signs with One of these 5-Minute Hacks

#1 - Prime over it

Campaign signs made from corrugated plastic sheets (a.k.a. Coroplast®) are one of the least recyclable, but most reusable types of political campaign signs. To reuse campaign signs made from corrugated plastic, the manufacturer recommends painting over the sign's existing message with Krylon Fusion All-In-One Spray Paint. It bonds to plastic signs without sanding or priming and dries fast, giving you a smooth, blank surface that you can personalize with your own message.

Good For:

Corrugated plastic political campaign signs
Coated cardboard campaign signs
Metal campaign signs
Wood campaign signs

How to do it:

PREPARE

Use a warm, soapy sponge to clean the campaign sign then wipe it dry with a washcloth.

Leave the surface smooth. Don't sand or "rough up" plastic signs.

PAINT

Spray a thin layer of Krylon Fusion® All-in-one Spray Paint for Plastics onto the clean, dry sign. One coat is enough.

Don't use a thick brush or rollers to apply paint directly to the campaign sign. It will go on too thick causing the paint to crack and peel.

Let the sign dry and voila! You have a blank canvas for your Garage Sale sign.

PERSONALIZE

Add your own message to the newly repurposed sign using:

a thick black marker
printable vinyl sticker sheet
or acrylic paint

If you're not expecting rain the day of your sale or if you live in a dry climate, another option is to print a paper garage sale sign on your home-office printer and tape it to the repurposed campaign sign with clear packing tape.

TIP: I haven't tried it, but according to this video, you can also remove the ink on Coroplast Campaign Signs with acetone (fingernail polish remover) instead of painting over it with primer.

#2 - Re-cover it

Recover Campaign Signs to Make Free Garage Sale Signs

If you can wrap a gift, you'll have no problem covering a campaign sign. All you need is a measuring tape or ruler, a large sheet of Kraft or butcher paper and clear packing tape.

Good For:

Any small to medium size political campaign sign

How to do it:

PREPARE

Measure the height and width of your campaign sign without the wire stakes.

Cut a sheet of Kraft or butcher paper that's a little over twice as tall and two and a half times the width of your sign.

Spread the paper out flat and lay the sign on top of it, centered, with the bottom edges lined up.

FOLD

Fold the sides of the paper in toward the middle. Crease well.

Fold the top half of the paper down over the front of the sign and tuck the excess under.

Secure the folded paper with clear packing tape

PERSONALIZE

Add your own message using:

a thick black marker
printable vinyl sticker sheet
or acrylic paint

#3 - Turn it inside out

How to Reuse Campaign Signs as Garage Sale Signs

Fold-over cardboard campaign signs (and plastic bag campaign signs - see #4) are perfectly suited to repurpose as garage sale signs because you can personalize the blank underside of the sign without painting over the existing message.

Good For:

Fold over plastic-coated paperboard signs
Polybag Political Campaign Signs

How to do it:

PREPARE

Remove any staples securing the campaign sign to its stake.

Fold the cardboard sign inside out so the non-printed underside is on the outside.

PERSONALIZE

Add your message using markers, paint, printable vinyl sticker sheets etc.

Re-staple the sign to the stake.

#4 - Replace it

Replace Political Campaign Signs Poly Bags

Poly Bag campaign signs are made with a soft poly plastic bag sleeve that slips over a u-shaped wire frame. Most polybag campaign signs have an opaque white liner, so you can simply turn the bag inside out to re-use it. If the original campaign message shows through, just paint over it with an all-in-one primer and paint for plastic, or replace the bag altogether.

Good For:

Polybag political campaign signs

How to do it:

REMOVE

Squeeze the bottom of the wire frame together to release the tension that holds the bag in place and pull it up and over the top of the frame to remove it.

REPURPOSE

Optional: Paint over the existing political campaign message with a coat of primer for plastic.

Turn the bag inside out

Or replace the bag with a trash bag or pillow case that's the same width.

PERSONALIZE

Add your message using markers, paint, printable vinyl sticker sheets etc.

#5 - Turn it into a chalkboard

Chalkboard garage sale signs are great because you can easily change your message whenever you wish and use your signs again for other garage sales. Just be sure to *prime your repurposed chalkboard garage sale signs before you write on them!