Borrow from a Library of Things instead of buying it
Most of us own drills that have spun for ten minutes total. A Library of Things lends the gear you rarely need for a few euros — no purchase, no storage, no waste.
The average power drill is used for somewhere between six and twenty minutes in its entire life. We don’t actually want the drill; we want the hole in the wall. The same is true of the tent that comes out once a summer, the carpet cleaner you needed for one stain, and the raclette grill that defines exactly one evening a year. Owning these things means paying full price, then donating a sizeable chunk of your home to storing them.
A Library of Things flips that. For a small fee you borrow the tool for the days you need it and hand it back, the way you’d borrow a book. The item gets used dozens of times a year instead of twice, which is the whole point: shared ownership wrings every drop of value out of the resources and energy that went into making it. One machine quietly does the work of many.
The honest limit is convenience and coverage. You have to plan a little — reserve, collect, return on time — and not everywhere has a library yet. But the network is growing fast across Germany and Europe, and where there isn’t one, a tool-rental counter or a quick ask to your neighbours fills the gap. Borrowing first also doubles as a free trial: live with a thing for a weekend before you ever decide it deserves a permanent spot in your home.
How to do it
- Search for a 'Leihladen', 'Bibliothek der Dinge' or 'Library of Things' near you — many public libraries, repair cafés and Unverpackt shops now run one.
- Before any one-off purchase (carpet cleaner, gazebo, pressure washer, fondue set), ask: will I use this more than a handful of times a year?
- Register once — usually with ID and a small membership or per-item fee of a few euros a day.
- Reserve the item online or in person, collect it, and note the return date in your calendar so you don't rack up late fees.
- Clean it and return it on time. If your area has no library yet, try neighbourhood apps, Nebenan.de, or simply ask the household next door.
Pro tips & pitfalls
- No Library of Things nearby? Tool-rental counters at Bauhaus, OBI and Boels do the same job for bigger kit like sanders, tile cutters and scaffolding.
- Borrow once before you buy: a weekend with a borrowed sewing machine or tent tells you whether it's worth owning at all.
What it's good for
Good for the planet
- Saves resources One shared drill or tent serves a whole street, so the materials and manufacturing of dozens of barely-used machines are never needed.
Good for you
- Saves money Renting a pressure washer or party raclette for a few euros beats spending €50–150 on something that then gathers dust for years.
Good for people
- Builds community Lending libraries are run by and for neighbours — borrowing puts you in touch with local people and the repair-café crowd around them.
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