You’ve probably heard all about the amazing uses of distilled vinegar, using olive oil to condition leather and even that nifty trick of using a potato to loosen a broken light bulb. But today, we are going to talk about some of the not-so-known uses for everyday items like coffee filters, marshmallows and dryer sheets.
COFFEE FILTERS – The little paper-like liners that make your morning cup of joe possible have many more uses than just getting your morning started. Because coffee filters are lint-free and absorb oil very well, there are many, many uses for these little guys. Did you know…
- You can use coffee filters to clean glass, CD’s/DVD’s, computer monitors and even your iPad.
- Pour some baking soda into a coffee filter, wrap it up with a rubber band and stick it into smelly athletic shoes to absorb the stench.
- Use a coffee filter to pour oil into your car engine without messy spillage.
- There are also many interesting crafts and DIY projects on the World Wide Web using coffee filters. One of my favorites being this Anthropology-inspired coffee filter garland by Pam Garrison.
- In case you run out of dryer sheets and you’re in a pinch, just apply a few drops of fabric softener to a coffee filter, rub the sides together and stick it in the dryer.
DRYER SHEETS – Speaking of dryer sheets, did you know…
- If you plan on storing your luggage for a long period of time, stashing a dryer sheet inside each piece can help prevent musty odors.
- Going camping this Spring? Hang a dryer sheet outdoors to repel mosquitoes. (It really works!)
- The anti-static formula used in dryer sheets can help remove baked-on food from pots or pans. If time is on your side, simply place a sheet in the pot/pan, fill it with warm water and let sit overnight. The next morning, the baked-on food should be loose enough to clean as usual.
- Rub a dryer sheet along the blades of dull scissors for a quick fix.
- Some golfers have been known to put a dryer sheet in their back pocket to keep the bees away.
- You can use a dryer sheet to dust wood furniture or even spruce up chrome fixtures.
- For those of you who sew (I wish I had that talent), try running the needle through a dryer sheet before sewing to prevent the thread from tangling.
MARSHMALLOWS - Yes, it’s true. There are more uses for marshmallows than s’mores or Rice Krispie Treats. Though both are quite delicious, did you know…
- Stash a few marshmallows in a box of brown sugar or the sugar bowl to prevent the sugar from hardening or clumping.
- Make ice cream cones less messy by sticking a few marshmallows in the bottom of the cone to prevent the ice cream from leaking out.
- Eat three or four marshmallows to sooth a sore throat. Greg has actually used this a few times but I’ve always thought it to be quite odd. Come to find out, there’s a scientific reason as to why it works. Apparently, the gelatin is very helpful when it comes to relieving irritation and soothing pain in your throat. And I’m sure it’s a lot more tasty than nasty throat lozenges.
CLEAR NAIL POLISH – Handy for more than runs in your hose. Did you know…
- A tiny bit of clear nail polish can touch up small dents and scratches on hardwood floors and can help prevent further damage to the area.
- To prevent rust rings in the shower, you can apply clear nail polish to the bottom of the shaving cream can.
- Keep ribbons (or even shoelaces) from fraying by painting the ends with clear nail polish.
- In lieu of licking envelopes, use a few swipes of some clear nail polish. It’s a lot better than tasting the nasty “mint” flavoring.
- Scratch the paint on your car? Brush a coat of clear nail polish over the scratch to prevent it from rusting until you are able to get it repaired.
- Reset loose stones in inexpensive costume jewelry with a coat or two of clear nail polish. This also gives the jewels a little extra sparkle.
TOOTHPASTE – Used for making your teeth squeaky clean and sparkling white. But did you know…
- You can brighten up your white tennis shoes with a toothbrush (one used for cleaning of course) and some whitening toothpaste. Just scrub and rinse.
- No caulk on hand? Use a bit of (white) toothpaste. This works really well on small pinholes and white woodwork.
- Use a spot of toothpaste to remove stains from carpet. Just brush it in the carpet, rinse and the stain will come right out.
- Remove hairspray residue from your hair straightener or curling iron with a tad of toothpaste and a soft cloth. Since toothpaste is abrasive, you may not want to use this on ceramic models.
- Overnight blemish cream. It works. Enough said.
- Toothpaste can soothe pain from minor burns (that don’t involve an open wound). It has been said to temporarily relive the pain and actually prevents the wound from opening.
- Use toothpaste to remove scratches from leather. Just dab some toothpaste on the scratch, wipe it off with a soft cloth then wipe the area with a damp cloth. Be sure not to use whitening toothpaste, as it might bleach the leather.
- Get rid of the nasty onion smell on your hands by “washing” them with toothpaste.
Do you have any clever uses for everyday products? Let us know in the comments section. We’d love to add them to our list!
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This is so interesting! I’m going to have to print it out to share with my mom and grandma. They would love it!
Did you know that you can use a used dryer sheet to clean pots and pans. Fill up the dirty dish with water and place a dryer sheet in the water and let sit for a while. You will be amazed at how easy it is to clean that baked on food. I leaned this years ago and now I keep a stash of dryer sheets under my kitchen sink.
You can sprinkle coffee grounds around places you don’t want ants, or on the ant piles themselves. The little buggers will move on or stay away. Used grounds are also said to repel snails and slugs. It’s a good way to get rid of them without killing the little guys!
I love the marshmallow ideas! I’ve always heard about putting bread in the brown sugar but marshmallows are sugary so that makes better sense. Interesting post!!
Toothpaste also works really well for cleaning tarnished jewelry; just put a little dab on an old toothbrush, add a bit of water and scrub until it’s shiny again!
The coffee filter garland is my favorite idea. I want to do that for my sisters wedding shower. Thanks for sharing!!
Salt is a good way to get onion or garlic smell off your hands. Wet your hands then fill your palm with a generous amount of salt, rub together thoroughly and rinse. It exfoliates your hands at the same time.
I also like to put a dryer sheet in my bag-less vacuum, we have 2 dogs and it keeps the ‘doggy’ smell at bay while vacuuming.
I love finding other uses for common household products. I had no idea about putting a marshmallow in brown sugar! My brown sugar always gets hard as a rock after 4 months.
I’m loving this post! Definitely going to pass it on to a few friends. I love that toothpaste gets stains out of carpet. Who knew?!!
Marshmallows to keep your sugar from hardening! I love this idea much better than using a piece of bread. The bread can sometimes crumble and cause bread crumbs in the sugar.
My mom has always kept a piece of chalk in the drawer with her silver pieces to keep them from tarnishing. I believe it works by absorbing moisture. It works! Fun post:)
I have been cleaning my diamond rings with a small brush and toothpaste for quite some time now. They still look great and after each cleaning the sparkle is magnificent.
My favorite tips were from the marshmallows! That’s so cool. My poor kids are going to so sad to eat marshmallows when they have sore throats!! ; )
My tip: Use a piece of bread to pick up broken glass.
never thought of using bread. i alway use play dough( then toss it of course!)
Love the tips! These are things I need to keep handy. Another tip for tooth paste, I don’t know if someone has already commented with this, but you can use it to shine up silver jewelry. It works pretty well.
You can also use coffee filters for cakes. If you’re using a standard 9″ round pan put a thin layer of shortening or butter (even oil works) then take your filter and put it in the pan (so that it sticks up like a tent rather than a cup) You can flatten it out, add a bit more of whatever you’re used (shortening, butter, etc.). When you’re cakes are done and cooled run around the edge with a knife or chopstick like usual. Put a plate so it’s on top of the opening in the pan. Flip! You can peel off the paper easily, never worry about a cake breaking as you pull it out again.
You can use clear nail polish to stop a run in pantyhose from spreading it by going around the edges of the rip or run.
Coffee filters are flushable so you can use them in your kid’s training potty and just pick up the filter and flush it!
Clear nail polish also helps with chigger bites. Sometimes chiggers dig down deep into the skin and a coat of nail polish will suffocate them and help stop the itch.
If you have cheap jewelry not that any of us do, you can rub it with toothpaste if it ever starts to get that funky cheap metal smell.
wonderful tips!! cant wait to try some of them…. thanks so much..
Toothpaste also works with bug bites – lather some on top of the bite and the itch stops. You may smell minty fresh but you won’t be scratching like crazy anymore!
Did you know that you can also use toothpaste to treat minor skin burns? –the minty kind, of course– the mintiness keeps the burn nice and cool!
Coffee filters make great taco napkins or holders. They are the perfect shape and absorb liquid or grease before it has time to drip.
We use Bounce dryer sheets inside our stored camper to keep mice away. We use it in our shed on our garden tractor too.
Toothpaste for cleaning silver, use with a soft toothbrush or a magic eraser and rinse. Shines the silver nicely. Works with silver jewelry also and rinse better than silver polish.
I use fabric sheets in my car for air freshners it really works. especially on warm days
I use dryer sheets to get the static out of my hair. I just run it over my hair like a hairbrush and I don’t have to deal with hair clinging to my face. Plus if you use scented ones, it leaves a nice fresh scent to your hair!
Dryer sheets work great on irons that have gotten something melted to the plate. Just iron the dryer sheet and the melted stuff will come right off.
Coffee filters can also be used to strain regular yogurt into a thick greek yogurt.
another tip for clear nail polish is for rips, tears and holes in clothing or anything. just apply some to the edges of the rip and it will hold for longer!
You can also put apples in your brown sugar to prevent it from getting hard.
If you use flannel sheets on your bed in the winter, placing a dryer sheet in between your sheets, at the foot of the bed will keep down static. I have to do this sometimes in the summer also, if it’s very dry.
I put coffee filters in the bottom of the pot when replanting plants. Water can drain but no soil.
A wet dryer sheet will remove stuck-on tree sap from your car like magic. Just be sure to do one patch at a time, and rinse the residue off before moving on to the next patch so it doesnt leave a film.
Toothpaste works to remove scratches from CD’s too. That may sound outdated with iPod’s but try it on your kids WII games or DVD’s too! Just rub it on and remove with a damp cloth. You could also try it on that ‘old’ CD that you use to love!
You can use toothpaste to clean silver too. I do this a lot with my earrings if they get tarnished from water or whatnot.
I use dryer sheets to calm my dog during thunderstorms. Just wipe in the direction of the hair. My vet told me that dogs get scared of lightening because the feel the “static” in their fur. Also, a warm towel from the dryer works to calm a dog during a storm.
I use dryer sheets on my hair. During the winter it gets very staticy but if I run a dryer sheet through it, a lot of the static gets removed. Usually I carry one in my back pocket to use on the go. It also won’t make your hair greecy like a lot of static removing gels, and it make your hair smell good.
I love these ideas they are so useful!
Toothpaste (the white kind, not gel) and a magic eraser works great to clean hard water spots on the shower door.
Toothpaste with baking soda is a pretty amazing relief “ointment” for poison ivy. I speak from experience on a 3 week backpacking trip.
I noticed someone saying “toothpaste to get rid of the yuck smell from cheap jewelry:…I use a coat of clear nail polish on the inside of cheap rings to prevent them from leaving dark circles on my fingers.
If you get a small hole in tights or nylons, you can dab a little clear nail polish on it to prevent the hole from getting any bigger.
Oh! Also! Toothpaste will fill in those little thumbtack/nail holes in your walls whenever you want to rearrange your decor, or when you move out of a house or apartment. You don’t have to go buy the “gunk” from the hardware store, like a bunch of people in my family do… Just take a dab of toothpaste, swipe it over the hole, and let dry. You can even paint over it to make it match the wall if you like.
If you add a slice of bread or slice of orange (leave the peel on) into a container of cookies it keeps them moist.
If you have a screw that keeps coming loose in your eye glasses you can put a drop of clear nail polish on the top of it and it will help it stay in place.
Coffee filters are great to snip a little hole in the center and then put the stick of your child’s popcycle down through. The coffee filter will catch the drips.
You can also use toothpaste on caterpillar stings. Stops the sting almost immediately.
I was so thrilled to hear about all these ideas, but the best one is about the toothpaste taking away the smell of onions off your hands. I can’not stand onions, the smell or taste. I am going to try it on the cutting board.
Thanks.
Great Ideas!
These are brilliant! Especially the toothpaste and marshmallows. Great list – thanks