Discuss: New Uses for Old Things
Jun 29, 2012
If you’ve been reading the blog for awhile or following me on Twitter, you know that I love finding new uses for old things. For example, learning that white vinegar will take sweat stains out of white cotton tees or that holding a spoon in your mouth while you chop onions will prevent tears. Recently, I fell in love with an article on Buzzfeed called 35 Lifechanging Uses for Everyday Objects.
Their best advice?
Apply clear nail polish to mosquito bites to eliminate the itching. It’s miraculous. I don’t know how I ever lived without this knowledge.
Do you know of any new uses for old things that you’d like to share? Or just a tip or trick worth knowing? Leave your thoughts in the comments.
Mash up 2 tabs of uncoated Aspirin with a few drops of water to make a paste and place on pimples. It reduces the redness and pain almost instantly. I've used this for years (even before it was big on pinterest!) and works great.
I love my iPhone, but the speakers are crap. My husband suggested placing the phone in a round porcelain bowl to boost the sound quality. I thought he was bonkers. Totally works.
Turns out a paper cup works even better! https://lifehacker.com/5912474/the-best-free-diy-smartphone-volume-boosts
It's a tie between Aquaphor as eye cream or using clear deodorant as blister block when I run.
I'm a huge fan of putting my earrings into buttons to keep them easily stored together (Thanks, pinterest!). I was forever losing the other earring. . .
Like KC, I've been making my own salicylic acid paste for years. It works for pimples as well as to prevent ingrown hairs.
I also joke that I use Vaseline for everything. The usual uses, of course-to prevent scarring, to moisturize lips/hands/feet/elbows. But, also to remove lipstick stains, to thicken my eyelashes, on squeaky hinges. There have to be at least 100 uses for Vaseline.
Eating pineapple helps prevent swelling, especially before a minor surgery. If you eat it before you have your wisdom teeth out, you can prevent chipmunk cheeks! Fresh pineapple, not canned though.
This site has some interesting uses for binder clips. Some are a little out there, but others are handy: https://www.wisebread.com/28-innovative-uses-for-binder-clips
I am prone to really greasy hair and I recently discovered an easy, solidifying solution!
1 T of baking soda + 1 cup of wtaer.
Work and lather into hair as you would shampoo, rinse as normal. I've been shampooless for 2 1/2 weeks now and my hair is the cleanest its looked in forever!
Hangers into shoe hangers.
https://rebekahkathryn.blogspot.com/2011/05/flippity-flops.html
This photo's much simpler than the one most widely circulated on Pintrest. No tools required: just cheap hangers with the cardboard middles.
A tiny bit of toothpaste polishes tarnished silver. Spread on a tiny bit, rinse off. Be careful to plug the sink if using on jewelry. It also eases the scratches on a glass watch face (no rinsing there, just polish). Forget where I read this tip but it works.
And white vinegar is nice for refreshing the kitchen drain, washing machine, and removing odors from my 1930s-era linen closet.