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Usually products are designed and created with a specific purpose in mind. They are perfected to deal with a particular issue or they are just commonly used for one thing. If you need your windows cleaned, there’s a specific product for that. You use salt to season your food and usually use bleach to take out stains from white clothing.
But all these products can be used for different intentions. A person whose nickname is secondhandsisters probably had that thought and went to Reddit to ask people “What are some lesser-known secondary uses for an everyday product?” And that created a big and very useful thread with people sharing so many products that don’t have to be used just for what they were initially intended to.
Do you have any advice that really works on how to use everyday items or products? Tell us about it in the comments and then upvote the answers that you will try out yourself!
More info: Reddit
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Condensed milk for those with chronic vomiting. Not only is it great for cooking, but I had a pharmacist tell me about adding some water till it is the consistency of thick soup. Get the person to sip small amounts of it slowly. It helps line the oesophagus to reduce vomiting, and allowing medication time to hit the stomach and work. Also provides much needed sugar. I’ve used it on kids and adults and it’s worked a treat every time
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#2
add salt to your hand wash to get gasoline smell off
Love,
Dad
#3
I carry a garlic press in my purse so that when I'm out at a restaurant I can make a small amount of baby food out of any steamed vegetable.
#4
As a mechanic, a flat-head screwdriver is a pry-bar, package opener, square-head (Robertson) screwdriver, hose-pick, a punch, test-lead, electrical bridge, scraper, chisel, and least importantly, a flat-head screwdriver.
#5
Corn starch is a good blood coagulant if you need to stop bleeding
#6
Clean mascara wands are used in animal shelters to soothe the animals by brushing, and to remove fly eggs and larva from fur.
#7
If you have a landline telephone, the dial tone is a concert F.
By holding the phone to your ear and your finger on the first fret of the first string of your guitar (for example) you can use the dial tone as a reference pitch and accurately tune up without a tuner
#8
Coffee grounds are quite versatile. Among other things, you can use them for:
A soil additive to improve the pH balance for plants
Place them in a refrigerator to neutralize odors
Scour pots and pans
De-icing your steps and driveway
An ant repellent
An exfoliating scrub for your skin
#10
Any kind of cooking oil will easily get pine sap off of your hands. Just use it like soap.
#11
I wrap those thick rubber bands (you know the ones that come around broccoli crowns) around tight jar lids to make them grippy and easy to undo.
#12
Blue Dawn dish soap works really well on clothing stains.
Warloew Brinn 3 years ago
I spent years in the Marina Industry and it works really well for zipping people down water slides as well.
#13
Vagisil for chafing. It's antibacterial, lubricating, and an anesthetic. I learned that in the army
#14
Vinegar is amazing. It can be used as a cheap household cleaner, refresh the coffee maker, and it can cure foot fungus and jock itch.
H Edwards 3 years ago
Please note that this refers to white vinegar (white wine or cider vinegar can work too) and definitely NOT balsamic like the picture. I use diluted vinegar with a few drops of essential oil as a spray for the garbage bin, and you can put it in the washing machine to get rid of musty smells in clothes. I always have a massive jug of white vinegar in the house, it's very useful. Oh, and for cleaning glass.
#15
Your library card can do a lot more than let you borrow books.
It allows you to take free courses on Lynda, or learn a language, and even stream movies. A lot of libraries also have video game rentals, which a lot of people don't know about.
#16
Bottom shelf cheap VODKA.... Put it in a spray bottle and squirt in on your bathroom walls to kill mold, squirt it on clothes to remove any odors, use it to clean mirrors, glass, windows.
Skull in Sky 3 years ago
If you do put vodka on clothes, you will smell like vodka. Is that a win?
#17
Peroxide gets blood stains out
Karina Henschel 3 years ago
baking powder does the job as well. had some bad blood stains on my favourite pants due to bleeding while pregnant. when I came home after an emergency c-section I restored said pants the their former glory. but you have to put it in cold water beforehand.
#18
Liquid Laundry detergent glows under blacklights but is clear under normal light. You can dip a qtip in some detergent and draw/write on your walls and only see it with a blacklight on. Different brands glow different colors. Lots of fun in dorm rooms.
#20
WD 40 removes old adhesives from any thing with out damage or staining or discoloration
#21
Use vet wrap instead of sports tape. It's basically the same thing but much less expensive.
#22
If you have a French press for coffee, you can also froth milk in it after. Pour in hot milk and raise and lower the plunger until the volume of the milk has about doubled.
Skull in Sky 3 years ago
If you happened to buy the toy for frothing milk Ikea sells, you will do much better if you take quarter cup of milk, heat it for 10s on 800W in microwave and then froth it. (the milk does froth at about 40°C because the proteins start changing their shape and actually allow longer strands that are necessary to make the structure last.
#23
put a somewhat thick layer of vaseline on the skin around your hairline and ears and neck when dying your hair. if you accidentally get dye on your skin, you can easily wipe it off.
Nugua Nugua 3 years ago (edited)
My hairdresser always does this, for people who get perms too.
MysteriousLegBruise 3 years ago
As a licensed cosmetologist, can confirm ^.^
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Viviane 3 years ago
I've used it when hiking: apply to feet if I start to feel chafing. Note: wearing nylon hose socks under regular socks cuts back on chafing.
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Roxy Eastland 3 years ago
Put Vaseline around the thread on the neck of nail varnish bottles (after cleaning up with nail varnish remover if necessary). It keeps them clear and stops the lids from ever getting stuck.
mcborge1 3 years ago
I dye my daughters hair for her as she has a learning disability so struggles to do it herself, i've been using this trick when dying her hair for years now.
Lucas 3 years ago
If you do get some on her skin use milk. Milk is a natural alpha hydroxy acid and will gently dissolve the dead/top layer of skin cells that are dyed.
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Jill Hojnacki 3 years ago
I do the same thing, but I use conditioner. If you’re going to use the conditioner they put in the box with the hair color, anyway, just open it first and use some as a barrier. Just a light slick will do. Don’t forget the tops and backs of your ears.
TheAnimalLady 3 years ago
Also works when you're painting, if you're out of tape smear a line of it on the edges of windows, etc before you start. I just spray painted a mini fridge and did it on the gasket/door seal, worked great.
Thomas Ewing 3 years ago
Off-topic, but baking soda is fabulous for pet odors. A cat sprayed in your house? Gone.
Wendy J Shores 3 years ago
It also breaks the pigment of pencil crayons and makes it more like a pastel too. I use it all the time for grayscale coloring...
Mystery Egg 3 years ago
Before I started to embrace my glorious greys, I used to do this. It's such a great tip if you dye at home. Vaseline in general is great for a lot of things, I always have a tub in the medicine cabinet (and no, nothing saucy haha)
Terilee Bruyere 3 years ago
Vaseline is also a great lotion for those with sensitive skin, especially if mixed with mineral oil (a 50/50 mix and kept in a jar). My daughter's dermatologist recommended it.
BieneMaya 3 years ago
Dont! It used to be highly recommended, but a lot of studies found toxic residues die to the mineral oil Base. 20 years ago my doctor prescribed me tar cream for my Psoriasis. Really not a good idea, but at that time a standard treatment 0.o
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Brandy Grote 3 years ago
There is a cosmetic jelly that contains no petroleum for those with allergies or no desire to support the oil industry in any fashion.
DarkAngelNic 3 years ago
They literally tell you to do that in the hair dye instructions, its not a secret.
#24
Keep a bag of cat litter in the trunk of the car, in case you need extra traction if you get stuck in ice or snow.
#25
Bleach to keep away cockroaches. I used to get big ass cockroaches in the summer that came up my drain.
My exterminator told me to pour 1 cup of bleach down my drain each week. You have to pour it down the drain in the room you see them. I started 18 months ago and haven't seen a cockroach since.
(Don't do this if you have a septic tank)
#26
If you have a highlighter that's dying, take the "pen" part of it out of the casing and soak it in nail polish remover. It will revitalize it to working like new
Skull in Sky 3 years ago
this will work only when the highlighter has dried out and the pigments are still in it. If you do use it out and do try this, it will eventually stop highlighting.
#27
Any cooking oil is a great way to remove the residue from stickers.
Idk if this is recommended but if you get scratches on wood furniture I've always taken a matching washable marker, colored over the scratch, and then wiped it with a damp cloth (to effectively stain the wood back to match).
Andy Acceber 3 years ago
I use sharpies on wood scratches. They come in lots of colors, and if you're quick, you can still wipe away excess to get a nice blend. They're permanent, so there's no need to worry about it coming off on people's hands or washing away.
#28
Makeup remover wipes are really good at getting bike chain grease off your hands.
#29
A jeweler's loupe can double as a macro lens for your cell phone.
#30
Shaving foam reducesstops misting on bathroom mirrors and car windows.
What do you think ?
Adam Löfgren 3 years ago
I feel like I got scammed here, never thought you would do this to me Bored Panda 🥺
NsG 3 years ago (edited)
Slightly amusingly, because of how the screen refreshes, I reckon I've probably seen at least four of these hacks just from the main page. Unfortunately, I don't have the patience to keep refreshing until I get to all 37.
NsG 3 years ago
So far I've seen "cooking oil gets pine sap off your hands", "makeup remover wipes also remove bike chain grease off your hands", "adding salt to handwash removes the smell of gasoline", and "toilet seat covers are like blotting paper for oily skin" (unused, I hope, but without the full article we may never know...)
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Viv Justviv 3 years ago
What do I think about this recipe? Disappointed - I thought I was going to learn some life hacks from this "recipe" & instead the page wouldn't display anything but "Did you make this recipe?, etc."
Human #1,232,867 3 years ago
My best finding is that a cheap Amzn.to/3Forcl3 works super good on removing tree resin after using my hedge trimmer. Nothing can beat that.
Aroace tiger (any pronouns) 3 years ago (edited)
What happened?? Bp is broken edit: it's fixed lol
Agnes Jekyll 3 years ago
My favourite is baby powder to remove grease stains on your clothing. Just jump it on the grease before you wash and it takes it right out.
That_One_Harry_Potter_Nerd 3 years ago
I found a really great video that has a few of these tips and more in it. I’ve used a bunch of them. https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ
Adam Löfgren 3 years ago
I feel like I got scammed here, never thought you would do this to me Bored Panda 🥺
NsG 3 years ago (edited)
Slightly amusingly, because of how the screen refreshes, I reckon I've probably seen at least four of these hacks just from the main page. Unfortunately, I don't have the patience to keep refreshing until I get to all 37.
NsG 3 years ago
So far I've seen "cooking oil gets pine sap off your hands", "makeup remover wipes also remove bike chain grease off your hands", "adding salt to handwash removes the smell of gasoline", and "toilet seat covers are like blotting paper for oily skin" (unused, I hope, but without the full article we may never know...)
Load More Replies... Viv Justviv 3 years ago
What do I think about this recipe? Disappointed - I thought I was going to learn some life hacks from this "recipe" & instead the page wouldn't display anything but "Did you make this recipe?, etc."
Human #1,232,867 3 years ago
My best finding is that a cheap Amzn.to/3Forcl3 works super good on removing tree resin after using my hedge trimmer. Nothing can beat that.
Aroace tiger (any pronouns) 3 years ago (edited)
What happened?? Bp is broken edit: it's fixed lol
Agnes Jekyll 3 years ago
My favourite is baby powder to remove grease stains on your clothing. Just jump it on the grease before you wash and it takes it right out.
That_One_Harry_Potter_Nerd 3 years ago
I found a really great video that has a few of these tips and more in it. I’ve used a bunch of them. https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ
Related on Bored Panda
