14 Surprising Uses for Everyday Items
Everyday items have many surprising uses around your home that you may have never thought of, but you’ll be glad you learned about them!
1. Burn Coffee to Fight Insects
Coffee is an easy insect repellent that is known to stave off mosquitoes, ants, slug, and maggots. This is due to the substance’s acidic qualities. Put some coffee grounds in the soil of your landscaping to keep plants safe and to keep bugs away from your yard.
2. Razor Off Sweater Pills
Use a razor to remove pills from a sweater. Lightly run a dull razor over the surface of a sweater to remove stray pieces of fabric to keep your garment looking like new.
3. Hang Pictures with Soda Tabs
Believe it or not, something as simple as a soda tab can help you to easily hang a picture on the wall. Simply take the tab and affix it to the back of a frame with a screw. After it’s securely adhered, use the tab opening to hang the frame on the wall.
4. Clean Irons with Toothpaste
Speaking of irons, a common household item makes it easy to clean yours: toothpaste. Simply scrub a bit of toothpaste on the iron and it’ll soon look brand new!
5. Collect Trash in a Cereal Container
If you have an old cereal container with a flip top used for pouring, this is the perfect item to use as a car trash can to keep your vehicle tidy. Simply put a trash bag inside of it, put the cap on it, and place it in your car. Your car will be cleaner than ever from this simple move.
6. Make Cup Cozies with Old Socks
Use an old sock to protect your hands and keep coffee or tea warm by making it into a mug sweater. Simply cut off the top of a sock and stretch the opening around the mug or cup. Then, cut the sock to fit the height of the mug.
7. Make Shoes Less Slippery
Brand new shoes can frequently be really slippery to walk in. However, using a piece of sandpaper on the soles of them can get rid of this issue. Just rub the sandpaper on the soles a few times and the problem will magically be resolved. If you have a sanding machine, you can pull this off in just a few seconds.
8. Speed Up Ironing with Foil
Ironing clothes can be a tedious process, but this common household item can help speed it up: aluminum foil. Placing a layer of this material under the clothes you’re ironing allows the heat to reflect back onto the garment you’re working to de-wrinkle. This results in a speedier process overall.
9. Freshen Your Garbage with Listerine Soaked Cotton
Mouthwash - like Listerine - can be used to freshen up your garbage can. All you have to do is soak a cotton ball in the solution and then drop it in the bottom of the garbage. Just like that, the smell will be much more pleasant.
10. Fix Loose Glasses with Nail Polish
If you have a pesky screw in your glasses that keeps coming loose, it can be pretty annoying. To fix this, tighten the screw and use a layer of clear nail polish over the screw to help keep it in place.
11. Help Clean Your Pool with Tennis Balls
Throwing a few tennis balls in your pool can help keep it cleaner, especially after it’s gotten a lot of use. These balls help absorb oil that’s been transferred to the pool from the skin of swimmers.
12. Remove Splinters with Tape
Use duct tape to take a splinter out of your skin instead of digging it out with tweezers. Place a piece of duct tape over the splinter and then pull it away quickly. With the tape, the splinter should come up.
13. Protect Your Plants with Aspirin
Aspirin can help a garden to prosper! A crushed pill in each gallon of water you feed plants can help them to fight infection and diseases that may otherwise leave them in bad shape. This is especially helpful during experiences such as transplanting a plant from one spot to another. Aspirin also helps resurrect plants that seem to be on their way out, sometimes even more than fancy fertilizers can.
14. Stop Squeaky Hinges
Use petroleum jelly to stop squeaky door or cabinet hinges. Just rub a bit of it on the hinge that’s making the irritating noise and it’ll be gone.
Loving these household hacks? Check out these 15 crazy DIY tricks that actually work, these 5 surprising uses for dandelions and these 16 household life hacks.
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![Sara LeDuc]()
Sara LeDuc is a freelance writer for DoItYourself.com. She also writes for a handful of other websites and platforms. She has been growing her skills and client base for the past two years, but has been passionate about writing for as long as she can remember. She has worked with Internet Brands for over three years and enjoys learning about — and completing — DIY projects and keeping up with the latest and greatest home improvement trends. Besides her work for DoItYourself.com, Sara also has worked with retail, human resources, fitness, commercial, and medical clients to help them increase client engagement, grow their following, and drive traction to their blogs and websites. Sara has furthered her skills and reach by working as an editor with a media company. This has helped her diversify her abilities as a writer and work with additional writers, editors, and a wider range of clients. Sara enjoys continuously learning and building her skills in the field by working on SEO campaigns and outreach programs to increase the visibility of her freelance clients. She loves being creative, pitching article and post ideas to clients, learning more about the freelance industry, and completing DIY projects.
