Aluminum foil is a Penny Hoarders BFF when it comes to preserving leftovers.
You brew coffee at home, you dont walk into Target and you refuse to order avocado toast.
(Can you sense my millennial sarcasm there?)
Read on for 13 clever and money-saving uses for aluminum foil.
Scissor Sharpener
Dont toss dull scissors!
Sharpen scissors with aluminum foil, advises Rachel Timmerman, a Virginia blogger withThe Analytical Mommy.
Fold a piece of 10-by-10-inch aluminum foil three times.
Then cut the foil about 20 times with the scissors to make them sharp.
This works exactly the same as dryer sheets do.
It eliminates static and fluffs up your clothing, Connelly said.
Tape some heavy-duty aluminum foil to a piece of cardboard with the shiny side up.
Place the heat reflector behind your radiator or under the radiators top.
Paint Tray Cover
Dont toss your plastic paint tray after each use.
Keep the tray clean by wrapping it in aluminum foil.
Gel Nail Polish Remover
You cant use acetone and a cotton pad to remove gel nail polish.
Instead, youre supposed to soak your nails in acetone.
But it would be wasteful to use a bowl of acetone just to remove the polish.
So Malaika Desrameaux, a Miami content creator withSelf Care Sunday Love, figured out an aluminum foil method.
Heres how:
6.
Polishing Silver
No need for a special polish or even any elbow grease to polish Nannys heirloom silverware.
Place a sheet of aluminum foil into a pan, add cold water and 2 teaspoons of salt.
Put silver into the pan, and leave it for two minutes.
Rinse off with water and let it dry.
The aluminum causes a molecular reaction, cleaning the silver for you.
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Soak jewelry in the solution for one minute, rinse with water and air dry.
Battery Replacement
Youre desperate for a battery to fire up the flashlight.
Try aluminum foil, Melanie Musson, a home safety expert with US Insurance Agents advises.
It may not be at full strength, but youll have a little light to get you by.
Garden Buddy
Aluminum foil will miraculously improve your green thumb.
Birds are afraid of the shiny foil because of the noise it makes.
Same goes for mice and rabbits.
Bugs bugging you and eating your plants?
Nestle foil with soil or stones at the base of plants.
Or mix a few strips of aluminum foil in with your mulch.
Need a dog-shaped pan?
Grab the ball with the tongs and swipe back and forth across the grate before it has cooled.
Food bits will be easier to remove when the grate is warm.
Turn on the heat and let it run for a few minutes.
Then, remove the foil, turn off the heat and try the original cleaning method.
It should be easier now because the foil sheet trapped the heat to help loosen any stubborn debris.
Ironing
Aluminum foil is a natural heat reflector.
Even if it’s possible for you to, why would you?
Shiny silverware, thats why.
In fact, you may want to just to make cleaning up a breeze.
You do want to double-check the foil is weighed down to keep it from flying into the coil though.
It is considered safe by the Food & Drug Administration.
Fun fact: Some foods have aluminum in them naturally, like citrus.
It actually doesnt matter.
The shiny and matte sides are determined by the machinery that makes aluminum foil.
It does matter, however, if you are using non-stick foil.
Thankfully, theres a message embossed on the foil to tell the user which side is non-stick.
If not, its the dull side.
Still its not a great idea andsparks might fly.
Probably best to just not put aluminum foil in the microwave.
According to Healthline, foil is made of paper-thin sheets of aluminum metal.
Heavy machinery rolls and presses thicker sheets of aluminum until they are 0.2 mm thick.
A sheet of paper is about twice as thick as that.
Aluminum foil has many uses and the most prized is in the kitchen for both storage and cooking.
Its non-porous surface helps keep food moist.
It is often used to line baking sheets and other pans to make clean up easier.
It has other uses around the house including as scissor sharpener and jewelry cleaner.
Also, dont cover racks with foil or you will impede cooking by blocking heat.
Danielle Braff is a contributor to The Penny Hoarder.
