You might never have realized that there is a world of uses for beauty products beyond the obvious. If you’ve got a medicine cabinet full of products that never seem to get used up, or have a dilemma that you just can’t seem to solve, look in your bathroom:
New Uses for Baby Oil:
- Remove latex paint from your skin by taking a cotton ball and liberally applying baby oil. You might have to scrub a little, but the paint should come out.
- Untangle an annoying knot from your necklace chain by massaging baby oil on the tangled spot. Use a straight pin to carefully pull the knot apart.
- Don’t like the way bandages pull your hairs when you need to pull them off your skin? Try rubbing baby oil over the sticky parts of the adhesive bandage before pulling.
- Slip off a stuck ring by rubbing baby oil on your finger and rotating the ring until it comes off.
New Uses for Dental Floss:
- Unstick a photograph that’s been glued to an album page by running a piece of dental floss between the photo and the page until it comes off. You’ll be able to remove the picture and keep damage to a minimum.
- Save a beaded necklace by using dental floss as a temporary chain. Thread the loose beads on the dental floss to keep them safe until you find a more permanent solution.
- Hang a lightweight painting by using dental floss in place of picture wire.
- String a popcorn garland during the holidays: Just thread the floss through a needle as you would ordinary sewing thread.
- Tie your hair back if you don’t have elastics available.
- Cut a cheesecake: Use unwaxed, unflavored floss to slice any soft layer cakes, or homemade cinnamon buns from a roll.
New Uses for Antacid Tablets:
- Clean a toilet by dropping an antacid tablet in the bowl, wait 20 minutes, and then wipe clean with a toilet brush.
- Remove a stain from a vase’s bottom by dropping an antacid tablet in the vase with some water. Let it sit for several minutes before rinsing and wiping dry.
- Soothe a sting by dissolving two tablets in a glass of water and then dab on bug bites.
- Make a bottle rocket to impress the kids: pour water into a plastic 35-millimeter-film canister until it is one-third full, drop in a tablet, replace the lid, and quickly place the canister upside down on the ground. Stand back. In 5 to 10 seconds, the gas pressure will make the canister pop its lid and shoot several feet into the air.
New Uses for Cotton Swabs:
- Touch up chipped paint on the walls or use to apply wood stain on elaborate carvings or scratches on furniture and floors.
- Keep your phone charged: Use a swab dipped in alcohol to clean the battery contacts of a cordless phone, cell phone, or laptop. By keeping the battery clean, you extend the life of the battery.
- Apply Halloween makeup with cotton swabs instead of your expensive makeup brushes.
- Dip cotton swabs in your eye makeup and seal in a plastic baggie. When you go out at night keep the plastic baggie in your purse and touch up your makeup on the go.
- Shine your silver with cotton swabs, especially in tiny crevices.
recently named in the 2009 edition of Best Lawyer's In America, David Mittleman has been representing seriously injured people since 1985. A partner with Church Wyble PC—a division of Grewal Law PLLC—Mr. Mittleman and his partners focus on medical malpractice, wrongful death, car accidents, slip and falls, nursing home injury, pharmacy/pharmacist negligence and disability claims.
Comments for this article are closed.