I love finding new uses for items I already have in my house because I hate wasting money something I didn’t have to buy. Here are some unusual uses for tea bags, lemons, your dishwasher, Epsom salts, and dental floss. Plus, check out my unusual uses for vinegar, tin foil and Vicks vapo rub.
Tea Bags
- Put a used tea bag at the bottom of a pot that you are using for a new plant to feed it and plug the hole
- Put tea bags into a tub of warm water; let it cool; soak to relieve sunburn pain
- Place a wet tea bag on a bug bite to relieve itching
- Scatter used tea leaves around your rose bushes to fertilize
Lemons
- Place in litter box to cut the smell
- Mix lemon juice and baking soda to make a scrub for scaly elbows
- Cut lemon rind into smallish pieces and put into garbage disposal to clean and refresh
- Lemon juice and baking soda make a disinfectant for your kitchen counter, sink or cutting board
Dishwasher
- Cook fish and veggies – clean, slice, and season, then wrap (well) in tin foil – place on top rack – use no soap – run hottest wash cycle
- Put your kitchen sponges in to kill germs
- Sanitize plastic kids toys
Dental Floss
- Slide under cookies to unstick from cookie sheet without crumbling
- Slice through delicate pastries
- Use instead of thread to sew
Epsom Salt
- Fertilizer – sprinkle around roses
- Splinter remover – soak in water and epsom salt for easier removal (I’m not sure about this one but I’ll try it)
- Mix with soap and scrub tile to clean
- Add a little bit to your facial soap and use as a skin exfoliater
Thanks to the Secret Tips from the Yumiverse for many of these handy tips.
Do you have an unusual use for a common household item?
Thanks for the suggestions, Bobbi. I’ve known about Epsom salts for years, as it dates back at least to my mother’s and grandmother’s time. We always used it in a foot bath to soak tired feet and to loosen the tough skin that comes from going barefoot. After a good, relaxing soak, just use a brush on the sides and bottoms of your feet, then follow up with a toweling off, using a coarse terry towel. Leaves your feet amazingly clean, and ready for a good application of a soothing lotion or cream. Put clean socks on your feet to keep from getting floors greasy.
Cooking fish in the dishwasher would be wasteful unless you’re also doing the dishes. But clever if your oven goes out.
Lemons: boiling water, vinegar, baking soda, lemon juice for clogged drains.
How does the lemon in the cat box work? Whole? Cut in half or pieces, or what?
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