These Tin Foil Hacks Are Genius
You probably have a roll of tin foil lying around your kitchen in a drawer or a cupboard. You already know that this stuff is great for wrapping up a potato before throwing it on the barbecue or covering a tray of lasagna, but tin foil can be used in a variety of ways both inside and outside of your kitchen. We're here to teach you about some of the ways you can use tin foil to hack your home.
Keep reading to learn how you can use aluminum foil to boost your wifi signal, de-clump brown sugar, and make ironing way easier.
Get Better Bananas
If you're a banana lover, you know that these fruits exist in one of two states: too green to eat or too brown to eat. They spend very little time in that perfect yellow in-between stage.
Bananas go brown because they release gas which reacts with oxygen. So, if you wrap the stem with aluminum foil, either individually or as a bunch, your bananas will last for days longer.
Sharpen Your Scissors
Like any other cutting edge, scissors get dull with age. Even if you keep good care of them, eventually, they're going to be less effective than the first time you use them. Not only is a dull pair of scissors annoying, but they can also be dangerous to use if you're not extremely careful.
A simple trick to keep scissors sharp or eliminate any rust from the blade is to cut a piece of aluminum foil around seven to ten times.
Get Whiter Teeth
Nobody likes having yellow or less than white teeth, but those whitening strips at the drugstore are surprisingly expensive. That's where this hack comes in. You can make your own white strips at home using tin foil, baking soda, and toothpaste.
Just spread a mixture of baking soda and toothpaste on a strip of tin foil, wrap the foil around your teeth and let it sit there for about an hour. When you remove the foil, your teeth will be noticeably whiter.
Get Shinier Silverware
Nobody wants to own or have to use silverware that looks old and dirty, even if it's fresh out of the dishwasher. People will go to extreme lengths to get their silverware or other silver products spotless, whether it's scrubbing them for hours on end or spending money on expensive cleaning products.
However, none of that is necessary as long you have some aluminum foil lying around. All you have to do is put some foil at the bottom of a container, add baking soda, salt, and boiling water. Then, place your silverware in and let it sit for around an hour. They'll come out looking good as new.
No More Static
Laundry is a daunting chore all on its own. Why does the laundry never end! Folding clothes is difficult, but it's even more difficult when your clothes are all full of static. There are products on the market that help combat dryer static, but why shell out money for those when a few balls of tin foil will do the trick?
Create balls using about three or four feet of aluminum foil, compressing them as tightly as you can so they can't snag on any clothing. Throw three of the balls in your dryer and you're good to go.
De-Clump Your Brown Sugar
When left open for too long, brown sugar can start to get hard and clump. That doesn't mean that your brown sugar has gone bad though. There's an easy way to restore it to its former glory.
Just wrap the clumpy brown sugar in tin foil and stick it into a preheated 300 degree oven. Leave it in there for around five minutes, and when you take it out, it should be as good as new.
Clean Stuck-On Food
Getting baked-on food off of your glassware or cookware can be a daunting chore. You could let your dish soak in the sink overnight, but what if you need to use it again right away? That's where tin foil comes in. Just roll a sheet of tin foil into a ball and use it just like you would use a sponge.
Your dish will be sparkling in no time. You can even reuse the foil you used to cover the dish!
No More Ice Cream Messes
Eating ice cream on a hot summer day is a special kind of challenge— and when else do you want to eat ice cream but on a hot summer day? okay, every day, but it's particularly good on a hot summer day.
There are tools that exist on the market that can keep your hands from getting all sticky, however, all you have to do is wrap a piece of aluminum in a cone shape to create a barrier between your hand and the ice cream to catch the drips.
Extend The Life Of Your Batteries
Batteries almost always have a little bit more juice in them, even when you think they're on their way out. If you have an appliance that's running low on energy and you don't have any more batteries lying around the house, you can use tin foil to extend the life of your dying batteries. Just place a little piece of tin foil in the gap between the positive end of the battery and the battery holder.
This will help improve contact with the terminals, giving it a longer life.
Make Ironing Faster And Easier
Ironing is no easy task, especially if your iron isn't the highest quality. When you iron clothes, a lot of the heat from the iron gets absorbed into your ironing board, which means that you have to run your iron over your clothes several times to get any wrinkles out. That's where tin foil comes in handy.
Place a sheet of tin foil between your clothes and your ironing board. The foil will reflect heat back into your clothes making ironing way faster and easier.
Make Your Own Panini Press
If you don't own a panini press your you happen to be camping or staying in a cabin that doesn't have one, you can make your own panini press in a pinch. All you have to do is wrap a brick in aluminum foil. Then use the brick to press down on your sandwich (which at this point will be grilling on the stove or on a grill pan over an open fire).
When your sandwich is ready, remove the brick and enjoy!
Make Your Own Non-Stick Pan
Without using oils, butter, or spending your money on a non-stick pan, to keep your food from sticking, cut out a piece of aluminum foil to fit the bottom of the cookware that you are using.
It works quite well, and it also means that you don't have to cook with oil which is extremely beneficial for your health. Also, aluminum foil is much cheaper than most cooking oils you'll find at the store so you could end up saving money!
Get A Stronger WiFi Signal
Believe it or not, if your WI-FI signal is feeling a little slow, aluminum foil can help with that. Tear off a sheet of fol and fold it into a rectangle so it's about 4 inches by six inches, depending on the size of your router.
Then, bend it into a curve with the shinier side facing toward your WI-FI router. Incredibly, this helps to boost the signal of your WIFI, so you don't have to wait ten minutes for one video to load.
Give Your Houseplants More Light
In recent years, owning houseplants has become increasingly popular, especially among young adults. Unfortunately, many people spend money and time caring for their plants, only for them to die. Even if you water it regularly, if the plant isn't getting enough sunlight, it's most likely going to die.
To help prevent this, you can build an open-sided box out of aluminum foil that will reflect sunlight from three different sides, as well as the bottom. Give your houseplants the chance they deserve!
No More Paint On Your Door Knobs
When painting anything, one of the main goals is to not get paint on anything except for what you intend to finish. If you don't want to go through the process of taking a doorknob off when painting a door, not getting paint on it can be tricky.
Yet, using aluminum foil, you can wrap the knob tightly, running a utility knife around the base of the knob so you can paint as close as possible. You can also do this to any knobs that you may end up touching with paint on your hands.
Repel Insects And Birds
If your garden is continuously being attacked by pesky insects or birds, a few strips of aluminum foil should be able to solve that and save your garden. The reflection that it gives off and the heat that it conducts will drive those unwanted critters away.
This is a particularly effective hack during the winter months when birds, squirrels, and insects might seek refuge in your plants as a way to escape from the elements.
Re-Seal Bags
When it comes to large bags of food such as chips or snacks, they don't always end up getting finished. This results in people typically just rolling up the bags or using a clip to try and prevent the contents from getting stale or infested with insects.
Unfortunately, this rarely works and the food can go to waste. A trick with aluminum foil is to cut out a strip of aluminum foil and use it to pinch the bag closed. Then, go over it with a hot iron and the seal will be good as new.
Heal Minor Burns
We've all somehow managed to give ourselves a minor burn on our fingertips, whether it's touching a pan that's too hot, an iron, or anything hot enough to damage the skin.
While most people's first instinct might be to put their finger in their mouth or run it under hot water, what you should do is reach for the aluminum foil. Wrap the injured part in the foil and leave it on for at least 15 to 20 minutes. The pain should be gone by then!
Get Your Cat Off The Couch
For some reason, most common household pets hate the feeling of aluminum foil on their paws, most likely because of the noise and lack of grip. So, if you're trying to train your furry friend to stay off of the furniture, aluminum foil might be the key to your success.
Lay sheets of foil on top of the surfaces that you are trying to prevent them from climbing. Of course, you can remove it if you need to use the surface, but after a few weeks, they'll stay far away.
Make Your Steel Wool Last Longer
Although steel wool can be a convenient product to have around, more often than not, after a few uses, it turns into a rusty mess before you can get your money's worth. There are few things to prevent this unless you actually want to take the time to look after it.
With aluminum foil, preserving your steel wool is a breeze. All you have to do is wrap it in the foil and throw it in the freezer. It'll be ready to use the next time you need it!
Move Funiture Around
Moving large pieces of furniture isn't always the easiest task. If it's really heavy and you're trying to drag it the legs can create friction, not only making the job harder but can end up damaging the floor.
To make the furniture slide across the floor with ease, place pieces of aluminum foil underneath each leg, and be amazed. With minimal effort, the furniture your moving will glide easily across the floor like skates on ice.
Clean Your Iron
Fabric starch, softeners, and even dryer sheets leave behind chemicals on your clothes that can end up leaving residue on your iron. In turn, the build-up on the bottom of your iron can end up getting on your clothes, which is counter-intuitive.
To avoid this, place a length of aluminum foil on your ironing boards and sprinkle half a teaspoon on salt on it. Turn your iron on and run it across the salty surface multiple times. As you go over the salt, the debris will be rubbed off.
Keep Your Matches Dry
Even though we have ever so handy lighters, a lot of people still use matches either at home or when they go on an outdoor outing. Yet, the last thing anyone wants is to try and get a fire going only to learn that their matches are wet from something either leaking or being exposed to moist air.
As it turns out, if you wrap the tip of your matches in a bit of aluminum foil, it will keep them nice and dry in almost all circumstances.
Create Your Own Cookie Cutters
Store-bought cookie cutters are great, but what if you want to make a cookie in an unconventional shape or if you don't want to spend ten dollars on a set of specialty cookie cutters? If you have some sturdy tin foil lying around, you can bend it into any cookie cutter shape you'd like.
This simple and cheap hack makes baking even more fun. Why limit your cookies? They can be anything they want to be.
Keep Your Glue Gun Project-Ready
If you've ever used one, you know how great hot glue guns can be. They're effective, easy to use, and you don't have to get glue all over your hands.
Unfortunately, after most uses, there can be an adhesive layer on top, which can make it difficult to use the next time if it isn't properly cleaned. To avoid a future issue, grab a piece of aluminum foil and give the tip a quick scrub to get rid of any leftover glue.
Re-Set Vinyl Tile
Vinyl tile, which is often found in bathrooms, has the tendency to come loose over time due to all the moisture and heat it comes into contact with. However, if this happening to you, there's no need to stress about having to re-tile a whole area because of a few loose tiles.
To fix this issue, all you need is a sheet of aluminum foil and a clothing iron. Place the foil over the loose tiles and gently go over it with the iron. The heat will help warm up the adhesive, settling the tiles back into place.
Catch A Fish Dinner
If you've ever been fishing or know the basics, you're aware that a lot of fish are attracted to shiny objects. A lot of manufactured lures even have reflectors attached to them to help increase the chances of attracting a fish.
Yet, there's no point in spending a bunch of money on fishing lures that are most likely going to get lost anyway when a piece of aluminum foil has proven to do the trick. or, you can even wrap a store-bought lure in the foil and see what happens!
Protect Old Paint
When painting for any reason, losing lids of paint jars or the caps of tubes can sometimes become an issue. Exposing paint to oxygen for an extended period of time makes it susceptible to oxidation which will dry up the paint, and there's no coming back from that.
If you find yourself in that predicament, aluminum foil can save you from a sticky situation, literally. By putting the foil over the exposed paint, it will help prevent oxidation for an extended period of time. Long enough to find or get a new lid.
A Cheap Paint Tray Liner
If you're painting something large like a house or even just a wall, the chances are that you'll be using a paint tray and most likely a plastic liner to dip your roller in paint. Paint trays can be a pain to clean, which is why most people also use a plastic liner.
However, you don't necessarily have to use the ones provided at the store. Using aluminum foil is just as effective and will save you money as well as help you decrease your plastic consumption.
Create A Funnel In A Pinch
Let's be honest, unless you use one regularly, a funnel isn't something that's always easy to find lying around the house. Plus, chances are, if you do have one, it's been stored somewhere and it's become dirty beyond repair or you completely forgot where you stored it.
So, if you're in desperate need of a funnel, grab some foil and shape it into a funnel. Just make sure that all the seams are closed together tight so nothing spills out because that would defeat the purpose!
Genius WD-40 Hacks That Will Change Your Life
We all have our "go-to" tools that we grab whenever something needs fixing. After doing a bit of research, I have added WD-40 to my arsenal of quick fix-it tools. The inexpensive product is so versatile that the company's official website claims it has over 2,000 uses.
How many of them do you know about? Check out this list and then head to the hardware store to pick yourself up a can or three of the magic that is WD-40. You'll feel like a genius and will impress all your friends at the same time!
Get Rid Of Crayon Stains
We all want to encourage our kids' creativity, but sometimes that means things get a little messy. If you've ever had your little artist take their work from paper to your walls, don't worry. WD-40 can help with this too!
If you've got crayon marks on the wall don't reach for a can of paint — reach for a can of WD-40. Spray some WD-40 onto a washcloth or paper towel and wipe away at the marks. With a little elbow grease, the crayon should buff out in no time.
No More Lipstick Stains
Lipstick on the collar is one of the most common ways to tell if a man is having an affair, in books and movies, at least. In real life, there are plenty of legitimate ways that lipstick and other cosmetics items can end up on clothing.
Makeup is one hard stain to remove but WD-40 can help. It's one of the most effective ways to remove makeup from cloth. Just a dab of it will work as a pretreatment before you wash the tarnished item of clothing!
Seal A Cracked Phone Screen
It might be hard to believe that WD-40 can take care of so many problems. But it can, making it a truly miraculous product. Here's another example of a common problem that WD-40 can help with: cracked phone screens.
It won't completely "cure" the crack or scratches but can improve the screen's appearance. Just spray it on and wipe it off with a dry, clean cloth. It will at least buy you some time until you're able to purchase a new phone.
Polish Your Silver
Silver looks great when it's shiny and new, but over time all silver – even the best stuff — will begin to tarnish and look lackluster. Instead of putting your silver in a donation bin, try this hack.
Simply spray down your silver items with WD-40. Let the coat of WD-40 sit for 10 minutes or so and then wipe everything down with a washcloth and warm water. Repeat whenever necessary with this simple trick that should leave your silver looking new and elegant again.
Keep Squirrels Away From Your Birdfeeder
Many people enjoy birdwatching. It can be a pretty satisfying hobby. You buy or build a feeder, keep it stocked with delicious seeds, and get rewarded by seeing dozens of beautiful birds enjoying the bounty.
But here's the thing: birdseed is actually pretty expensive, especially if you have a "busy" yard with lots of birds. You definitely don't want squirrels eating this precious seed and robbing from your bird buddies. WD-40 can help with that! Just squirt a little bit of it on the feeder's hanger, and squirrels will slide right off when they try to get to the food.
No More Flies
A lot of people swear by WD-40 as an insect repellent. While it might not be as pleasing to smell as natural alternatives like citronella, eucalyptus, or cinnamon, it can be just as effective at keeping flies and gnats away.
Just spray a little around your windows and windowsills, paying close attention to coating the screens too. Flies should stay out, keeping your home nice and bug-free. This is especially helpful during days of comfortable temperatures, when you might prefer to have your windows open.
Get Rid Of Stuck-On Gum
Is there anything WD-40 can't do? The miracle oil is also terrific for removing chewing gum from shoes or any other items it gets stuck to (even hair!). Just spray it on and the gum will come off pretty easily. You might have to work on it for a bit, but it'll be much easier than without the WD-40.
We bet A-list Hollywood star Kirsten Dunst wishes she had thrown a can of WD-40 in her purse before hitting the red carpet at the premiere of Spider-Man 2! It would have helped get that unsightly gum right off her satin heel.
Oil Your Scissors
Now, this WD-40 tip was a surprise to us! You can use the oil to help keep your scissors maintained. With use, they tend to become dull, dirty, and rough. But WD-40 can turn that wear-and-tear around.
Simply wipe some of the oil on your scissor blades. It will sharpen the blades and make your cutting tasks much smoother, almost like you have a brand-new set of scissors! This is a great idea before a big project, like wrapping a ton of presents for the holidays.
Pry Open Rusty Locks
This is one WD-40 use you might have already heard about, but it's a good one to include in case you didn't know about it. WD-40 can be used to open up locks that have become rusted over.
Whether you find buried treasure in a locked box or just left your bike lock out in the rain too many times, it's safe to say that you'll probably need to open an old, rusted lock at some point. Be sure to keep some WD-40 on hand and it won't be an issue!
