Great Extra Uses for Regular Aluminum Foil
Aluminum foil is one of those things a
kitchen just can't do without, but it's mainly used for cooking and
wrapping food. Well I'm here to tell you that this household item has
many more uses than just those two, and can help you in a number of
areas, for instance...
1. Separating brown sugar lumps
1. Separating brown sugar lumps
Brown sugar is a great product, but hard to
work with as it tends to harden into lumps. If that happens, wrap a
lump of brown sugar in metal foil and put it in the oven on 150 degrees Celsius for about 5 minutes. The sugar will soften and separate.
2. Protect pie dough
Sometimes, when we bake a pie in the oven, the filling hasn't finished
cooking, but the dough at the edges is getting burnt. Fold a piece of
metal foil over the edges of the pie dough to prevent them from burning
up.
3. Make cakes in different shapes easily
To bake cakes in many special shapes,
simply make the shape in a regular baking pan and use 2-3 layers of
aluminium foil to strengthen and fix the internal pattern. It will hold
and bake in that shape.
4. Keep the oven clean
The worst kind of dirt to clean in the oven is the fat that drops from
meat and onto the base. Cover your oven's base with aluminum foil to
protect it from hard-to-remove stains. Try to make it thick so it
doesn't melt and stick to the oven base.
5. Protect your solid soap
Cover the bottom of a soap bar with
aluminum foil so it doesn't melt and become a lump.
6. Keep birds away
Many birds get frightened by shiny objects. Hang pieces of aluminum foil
on your fruit tree, and most birds will pass it by, looking for an
easier meal. You can also draw eyes on the foil to make it even more
effective.
Note: This won't work with crows and magpies, as they love shiny things and may actually steal the foil.
7. Get rid of stains on your silverware
Use this method to get rid of stains on
your silverware. Lay some foil in a shallow pan and pour some hot water
on it. Add a little salt and baking soda to the water. Now, put the
silverware in the pan and make sure that they are touching each other
and are all touching the foil. After soaking the silverware for a few
hours, wash in cold water and dry with a cloth.
8. Easily scrub pots
It's fun to use a pot, not so much fun cleaning it afterwards. Make a
ball (not dense) from aluminum foil, and use it to scrub the pan. You
can use this method for all kitchen tools that need a serious scrubbing.
9. Move furniture with ease
Sometimes we need to move heavy furniture
pieces and have a hard time sliding them on the rug. Place a bit of foil
under the legs of the piece of furniture to help it slide easily along.
10. Sharpen your scissors
Return the sharpness to your old pair of scissors with this method: Fold
a piece of foil into 8 layers, and then cut it using the old scissors.
The more you cut, the sharper they will become, as the foil will remove a
layer of the old metal and make it sharp again.
11. Prevent static electricity on your clothes
If you hate it when your clothes come out
of the dryer full of static electricity, add a ball of aluminum foil
into the dryer next time, and it will prevent this from happening.
12. Quick ironing
Wrap the iron board with aluminum foil to shorten the process of
ironing. The foil will return the heat from the iron to the clothes, so
you're actually ironing both sides at the same time.
13. Clean the iron
You can use the aluminum foil to clean the
bottom of the iron from any dirt that has clung to it. Spread out a
piece of foil and sprinkle a little salt on it. Heat the iron and use it
to 'iron' the foil. The combination of metal and salt will easily clean
the bottom of the iron.
14. Protect table legs
Usually our table legs tend to be full of scratches and bruises. You can
use foil to cover the lowest points of the table legs to keep them
intact.
15. Fix devices that work on batteries
One of the most common problems in battery
operated devices is that the little spring in the battery compartment
loses its elasticity and becomes flat, which prevents the battery from
connecting to it well enough to operate the device. Fold a piece of
aluminum foil a few times and stick it between the battery and the
spring to conduct the electricity and easily fix the problem.
16. Use your radiator more efficiently
When you have a radiator that is placed against a wall, half of its heat
is wasted on the wall. Instead, take a thin plank of wood, wrap it in
foil and place it behind the radiator, thus directing all the heat back
in your direction.