When it comes to utility, not all grocery items are created equal.
If value can be defined by versatility then, some grocery items offer a lot more bang for your buck than others.
Sure, everybody knows about the incredible and legendary versatility of duct tape. Heck, duct tape can even fix your personal finances.
Savvy grocery shoppers often take advantage of highly versatile products in the supermarket too. Specifically, here are the six most valuable products in your typical supermarket — along with a partial list of their many uses.
Just keep in mind that I haven’t personally verified all of these tips — so, please, use them at your own risk.
1. Vinegar
When it comes to grocery store products, vinegar is liquid gold. People have been using it for ages — and not just for cooking and preserving foods. Vinegar’s versatility is virtually unmatched; there are literally hundreds of potential applications. Aside from its primary applications, here is just a small sample of all the other things vinegar can be used for:
1. Disinfect wood cutting boards
2. Soothe a sore throat; use 1 tsp of vinegar per glass of water, then gargle
3. Fight dandruff; after shampooing, rinse hair with vinegar and 2 cups of warm water
4. Remove warts; apply daily a 50/50 solution of cider vinegar and glycerin until they’re gone
5. Cure an upset stomach; drink 2 tsp apple cider vinegar in one cup of water
6. Polish chrome
7. Keep boiled eggs from cracking; add 2 tbsp to water before boiling
8. Clean deposits from fish tanks
9. Remove urine stains from carpet
10. Keep fleas off dogs; add a little vinegar to the dog’s drinking water
11. Keep car windows from frosting up; use a solution of 3 oz. vinegar to 1 oz. water
12. Clean dentures; soak overnight in vinegar and then brush
13. Get rid of lint in clothes; add 0.5 cup vinegar to rinse cycle
14. Remove grease from suede
15. Kill grass on sidewalks and driveways
16. Make wool blankets softer; add 2 cups distilled vinegar to rinse cycle
17. Remove skunk odor from a dog; rub fur with full strength vinegar and rinse
18. Freshen wilted vegetables; soak them in 1 tbsp vinegar and a cup of water
19. Dissolve mineral deposits in drip coffee makers
20. Deodorize drains; pour a cup down the drain once a week, let sit for 30 minutes, then rinse
21. Use as a replacement for a lemon; 0.25 tsp vinegar substitutes for 1 tsp of lemon juice
22. Make rice fluffier; add 1 tsp of vinegar to water when it boils
23. Prevent grease build-up in ovens; wipe oven with cleaning rag soaked in distilled vinegar and water
24. Kill germs; mix a 50/50 solution of vinegar and water in a spray bottle.
25. Unclog shower heads; place in a pot with 50-50 solution of vinegar and water, bring it to a boil and then simmer for 5 minutes
26. Shine patent leather
27. Make propane lantern wicks burn longer/brighter; soak them in vinegar for 3 hours, let dry
28. Act as an an air freshener
29. Soften paint brushes; soak in hot vinegar then rinse with soapy water
30. Remove bumper stickers and decals; simply cover them with vinegar-soaked cloth for several minutes
31. Prolong the life of fresh-cut flowers; use 2 tbsp of vinegar and 3 tbsp of sugar per quart of warm water
All of these vinegar applications — and scores more — can be found here.
2. Baking Soda
Aside from its primary use as a baking agent, baking soda is another grocery item with an almost countless number of applications. For example, baking soda can be used to:
1. Deodorize your refrigerator; put an open box in the fridge
2. Remove odors from shoes
3. Keep drains clean and free-flowing; use 4 tbspns of soda and flush with hot water
4. Keep your underarms smelling fresh
5. Soften your skin
6. Relieve diaper rash
7. Relieve sunburn; apply a paste of soda and water
8. Extinguish small grease and electrical fires
9. Polish silverware
10. Clean your refrigerator. (Or your neighbors, for that matter.)
11. Remove cat box odors; cover the bottom of the box with soda, then top with kitty litter
12. Clean and remove stale odors from thermos bottles and coolers
13. Make dried beans more digestible by soaking them in a solution of baking soda and water
14. Make wild game taste less, well, “gamey”
15. Remove oil and grease stains from laundry; add baking soda to the wash water
16. Remove stains from marble, Formica or plastic surfaces; apply a paste of soda and water
17. Remove grease from garage floors
18. Clean vegetables and fruit; sprinkle some in water, then soak and rinse
19. Wash garbage cans
20. Clean and remove odors from your dishwasher; just run it with soda instead of soap
21. Inhibit smoldering butts in ashtrays
22. Clean shower curtains
23. Keep teeth or dentures clean. (Preferably, yours.)
24. Relieve indigestion and heartburn; drink 0.5 tsp of soda in 4 oz of water
25. Use as a mouthwash and/or relieve canker sore pain; gargle with 0.5 tsp of soda in 4 oz of water
26. Remove baked-on food from pots and pans; soak in soda and water for 15 minutes
27. Relieve bee sting pain
28. Make homemade Play Dough; combine 1.25 cups water, 2 cups soda, 1 cup cornstarch
29. Remove feathers more easily when scalding a chicken; just add to the water
30. As a windshield water repellent
31. Clean canvas handbags
32. Shine chrome and stainless steel
For even more baking soda applications, check out this site.
3. WD-40
You can’t get a gallon of milk at your local Home Depot, but you can often find WD-40 in a grocery store! WD-40 was originally developed as a water repellent and corrosion preventer, but today the manufacturer claims the product has over 2000 uses. But, Len, if there are 2000 uses why didn’t you rank it number one? Well, the answer is two-fold: 1) because most of those 2000 uses are just variations of the same basic applications; 2) this is my list and I’ll do as I want. (So there.)
Here are 20 of the more arcane ones which have actually been verified:
1. Removes road tar and grime from cars
2. Loosens stuck zippers
3. Untangles jewelry chains
4. Keeps pigeons off the balcony. (Apparently, they hate the smell.)
5. Lubricates prosthetic limbs
6. Protects silver from tarnishing
7. Keeps ceramic and terra-cotta garden pots from oxidizing
8. Keeps scissors working smoothly
9. Lubricates squeaky home and vehicle door hinges
10. Lubricates gear shifts and deck levers on riding mowers
11. Eliminates squeaks from kids’ swings
12. Makes home windows easier to open. (And it’s safer than a hammer!)
13. Helps stubborn umbrellas to open and close
14. Restores and cleans vehicle roof racks
15. Lubricates and stops squeaks in electric fans
16. Lubricates wheel sprockets on tricycles, wagons, and bicycles
17. Removes residual duct tape adhesive
18. Cleans bugs off of grills and bumpers
19. Displaces the moisture and allows a car to start when sprayed on the distributor cap
20. Removes black scuff marks from floors
4. Coca-Cola
Wisebread highlighted a whole bunch of clever uses for Coke or Pepsi. Here are some of the more interesting ones:
1. Remove grease and blood stains from clothing and fabric
2. Clean oil stains from a garage floor
3. Remove rust. (My mom said she used to do this as a kid do get corrosion off her bike — I guess she didn’t have any WD-40!)
4. Loosen a rusty bolt. (Another WD-40 trick. Am I the only one here beginning to think Coke is a main ingredient in that stuff?)
5. Tenderize and add extra flavor to a pot roast. (Okay. Let’s see WD-40 do this!)
6. Kill slugs and snails
7. Help a lawn become lush and green
8. Prevent an asthma attack
9. Defrost a frozen windshield. (I prefer using hot coffee — black — but that’s just me.)
10. Clean burnt pans
11. Neutralize a jellyfish sting
12. Clean car battery terminals.(I’ve done this before. It works!)
13. Entertain the kids by creating an exploding fountain. (With the help of a pack of Mentos.)
14. Make your hair curly
15. Age documents and photos
16. Clean tile grout
17. Make better compost. (The the acidity and sugar feeds microorganisms.)
18. Remove gum from hair
19. Remove stains from vitreous china
20. Clear up swimming pool water
21. Deodorize laundry
22. Remove dye from hair by pouring Diet Coke over it
23. Remove marker stains from carpet
5. Fabric Softener Sheets
Most people use fabric sheets to make clothes soft and remove static cling. But did you know that these versatile sheets can also:
1. Repel mice and ants
2. Act as a mosquito, bee and yellow jacket repellent; tie one through a belt loop
3. Prevent dust from settling on computer monitors
4. Dissolve soap scum from shower doors
5. Eliminate wastebasket odors; just place them in the bottom
6. Prevent dust from settling on Venetian blinds; wipe them down and no more dust
7. Deodorize stinky shoes
8. Keep stored tents and sleeping bags smelling fresh
9. Prevent musty suitcases
10. Collect cat hair. (No word on whether it works on dog hair too.)
11. Act as a car or room air freshener
12. Prevent thread from tangling; run a threaded needle through a sheet before sewing
13. Collect sawdust resulting from drilling or sandpapering
14. Eliminate odors from dirty laundry; place a sheet at the bottom of a hamper
15. Remove splattered bugs from cars; scrub with a wet sheet
16. Clean baked-on food from pans; put a sheet in pan, fill with water and let sit overnight. Sponge clean.
6. Paper Towels
Those of you who have seen my great paper towel test know that some paper towels are better than others when it comes to sopping up spills — but paper towels can also:
1. Act as a quick-and-dirty lumbar pillow. (You’ll need to use the whole roll, of course.)
2. Remove silk from fresh corn; just run a damp paper towel across the ear
3. Act as a coffee filter. (I’ve done this before in a pinch and it works well.)
4. Keep lettuce fresh longer; wrap around lettuce head to soak up excess moisture. (I’ve done this for years.)
5. Prevent frozen bread from getting soggy as it thaws; simply place a paper towel in the bag before freezing
6. Provide temporary sunburn relief; lay a damp towel across affected skin
7. Clean your can opener; close the opener over a paper towel edge and turn the crank
8. Keep cast iron pots rust-free; placed in clean pots, they’ll absorb moisture
9. Remove crayon from chalk boards; place a paper towel over wax, then press a warm iron over towel
10. Remove candle wax from carpet and upholstery(Use the same method as above.)
11. Sprout seeds; place a few seeds between damp towels, then keep damp for two weeks
12. Act as a cheap place mat
13. Strain fat from broth; place a paper towel in colander and pour the broth through it
14. Protect Christmas tree ornaments during storage
15. Prevent bacon splatter in a microwave oven
16. Remove residual grease from sewing machines; run the first few stitches through the towel
Well, that’s it. Remember, these are only partial lists for each of these products.
If you have any favorite special applications for any of these items, don’t be shy! Share them with the rest of us!
Photo Credit: Tupolen und seine Kamera
Penzo,
Great list. This would be a fun present to give at a wedding shower or for a housewarming–along with your list of course.
Good ideas!
I didn’t know that about Coca-Cola. Good to know. I’d also like to add Borax, you can use it for many things other than a laundry booster, especially if you mix it with baking soda and / or vinegar. It often is the base for many kinds of make-it-yourself soaps and cleansers.
Hmm, very interesting using fabric softener sheets as bug repellent. I’ll have to give it a try!
@Bill: I think that is a great idea too. Thanks for stopping by.
@LittleHouse: Borax? Interesting, thanks for the tip – I’ll have to check that one out. It’s been a while since I’ve heard of Borax. I remember my high school shop class used to have a Borax dispenser that we used at our wash-station.
@James: Thanks, James. Hopefully, you learned a new application or two that saves you money in the future.
@Kimberly: The Honeybee and I tried it while we were on the East Coast last month and it seemed to work for me – but not so much for her.
Good list. Paper towels keep other veggies fresh too, not just lettuce. And what about using vinegar to make salad dressing?
If a paper towel works on other produce as well as it does lettuce, I’m going to have to try it! Thanks for the tip. π
She’s right! I wrap carrots, celery, peppers, etc in paper towels before I put in a plastic bag.
Does anyone else think that maybe Coca-Cola is not something we should be putting in our bodies? Imagine what it does to your insides. I’m glad I don’t drink soft drinks!
Vinegar and baking soda together works even better in the drain.
Baking soda + vinegar = hours of fun while hanging out with small kids.
Kids! Heck, that would entertain me too, Jenna! π
Well, since you put WD40 on the list, duct tape has got to be up there as well.
Vinegar is definitely #1 on my list.
Fabric softener sheets keep more than bugs away. Deer tend to munch things in the garden, but most of them dont like the smell of the dryer sheets. I cut 1 cm. strips off a sheet and tie them in the plants at nose height for the deer. Works for us so far. In smaller plants, somewhere near the top seems to work.
Wow!!
I am amazed at what some of these products can be used for….
I re-use plastic packaging as plant pots, and plastic bags act as mini green houses..
@Sandy: You’re right. I think duct tape is the king of them all.
@Douglas: Thanks for the tip! π
@Richard: It is amazing, isn’t it? Just curious, what kind of plastic packaging are you talking about?
Plastic packaging used for plants: I’ve used milk jugs for larger plants (sunlight degrades it quickly), cottage cheese tubs for medium plants (cold weather makes them brittle), and yogurt containers for seedlings. if you’ve got a cold frame, these containers survive longer.
forgot to say that I cut the milk jugs either in half, or remove about 3/4 of the top so the ‘handle’ stay intact.
I knew a lot of these but not many for fabric softener sheets because I don’t use them at all. I’ve used cola to take dead bugs off a windshield before, although you don’t want to get it on your paint! I like using vinegar + baking soda to help clean out the garbage disposal.
Len,
Great list, but I have a problem. My wife made me print it out so she could stick it on the refrigerator, but, because the list is bigger than my fridge, I may need to go shopping for a new one. Maybe I can use a super small font and buy my wife a magnifying glass instead. What do you think?
@Jen: Then judging by your admonition, can I assume we can add yet another application to the list for Coke? (Paint remover!)
@Joe: LOL! Well, either that or maybe you can get a long extension cord and some duct tape and then attach the computer monitor to the fridge! π
Sure Len, I think Coke is a little weak but I’m sure it would work if you soaked it. π
Great list. The list of uses for Coca-Cola should give people ample reason to think twice before guzzling a can. If something cleans tile grout, do we want to be regularly drinking it?
Admittedly, I have had more than enough over the years and am now trying to cut it out of my diet. Saves money too.
I’ll keep that list handy. I frequently talk about water being a much better substitute for colas, but this reinforces my thinking. I’ll save this one. Very good post, very useful.
That’s kind of a silly reason not to drink come since vinegar and baking soda are on the list. They are both just as acidic and caustic as Coke.
Great list!
I do have one criticism though. WD-40 is a water displacer (hence the name, “Water Displacment – 40th Attempt”), not a lubricant. For short-term use as a lubricant, yes, it’ll work, but if you search “bicycle wd-40” (without the quotes) in your favorite search engine, you’ll find numerous articles on why WD-40 is not intended as a lubricant, especially not for a bicycle.
Save lubrication for oils actually intended for lubrication, and your gadgets perform considerably better, for longer.
Good advice, Don. Thanks for the clarification. π
I’d be careful to recommend hot coffee to defrost a windshield (even in jest). You could crack the windshield easily by doing that…
Yes, I had my tongue planted firmly in my cheek when I wrote that. Thanks for the warning. π
Baking soda as a refrigerator deodorant is a myth that arm & hammer is trying to get us to believe. It doesn’t work. Just clean your refrigerator every once in a while.
Just about everything that a paper towel can do, a wash clothe or other towel can do just as well and when you’re through, you can toss it in the wash and re-use it.
@Mikeyo: It’s not a myth. As I understand it, the chemical properties of baking soda are well suited to absorbing odors produced from both acids and bases due to it being nearly ph neutral (actually, it’s a very weak base).
@Brian: Very true. The obvious downside, of course, is it’s not very convenient. Thanks for stopping by, B! π
You got close, but you almost hit an even better solution right on the nose.
You mentioned using paper towels as coffee strainers, but it should be the other way around.
You’ll often find more coffee strainers per pack than you would paper towels for a fraction of the cost, and of course the strainers come in less packaging.
Sorry if someone already mentioned this.
I also meant to mention that Pigeons, like the vast majority of birds, don’t have a developed sense of smell.
So I’m doubting it’s the actual smell of WD-40 that’s making them leave the balcony.
I’m really done now! π
What a brilliant suggestion re: coffee filters for paper towels (assuming they are absorbent enough)! Are they? I figure they can’t be TOO absorbent because they are designed to act as a water filter. I bet they would be good when scrubbing strength is more desired than absorbency.
Maybe the WD-40 makes the ledge too slippery? Just a thought. Thanks for sharing! π
They do a pretty decent job, actually! Nothing to clean up a massive spill with; about on par with the C-fold towels you find in public restrooms.
To give credit where credit is due… It was an old coworker of mine who sent me a list of things to do with coffee filters… Enjoy! π
1. Cover bowls or dishes when cooking in the microwave. Coffee filters make excellent covers.
2. Clean windows, mirrors, and chrome… Coffee filters are lint-free so they’ll leave windows sparkling.
3. Protect China by separating your good dishes with a coffee filter between each dish.
4. Filter broken cork from wine. If you break the cork when opening a wine bottle, filter the wine through a coffee filter.
5. Protect a cast-iron skillet. Place a coffee filter in the skillet to absorb moisture and prevent rust.
6. Apply shoe polish. Ball up a lint-free coffee filter.
7. Recycle frying oil. After frying, strain oil through a sieve lined with a coffee filter.
8. Weigh chopped foods. Place chopped ingredients in a coffee filter on a kitchen scale..
9. Hold tacos. Coffee filters make convenient wrappers for messy foods.
10. Stop the soil from leaking out of a plant pot. Line a plant pot with a coffee filter to prevent the soil from going through the drainage holes.
11. Prevent a Popsicle from dripping. Poke one or two holes as needed in a coffee filter.
12. Do you think we used expensive strips to wax eyebrows? Use strips of coffee filters…
13. Put a few in a plate and put your fried bacon, French fries, chicken fingers, etc on them. It soaks out all the grease.
14. Keep in the bathroom. They make great “razor nick fixers.”
15. As a sewing backing. Use a filter as an easy-to-tear backing for embroidering or appliqueing soft fabrics.
16. Put baking soda into a coffee filter and insert into shoes or a closet to absorb or prevent odors.
17. Use them to strain soup stock and to tie fresh herbs in to put in soups and stews.
18. Use a coffee filter to prevent spilling when you add fluids to your car.
19. Use them as a spoon rest while cooking and clean up small counter spills.
20. Can use to hold dry ingredients when baking or when cutting a piece of fruit or veggies. Saves on having extra bowls to wash.
21. Use them to wrap Christmas ornaments for storage.
22. Use them to remove fingernail polish when out of cotton balls.
23. Use them to sprout seeds. Simply dampen the coffee filter, place seeds inside, fold it and place it into a plastic baggie until they sprout.
24. Use coffee filters as blotting paper for pressed flowers. Place the flowers between two coffee filters and put the coffee filters in phone book.
25. Use as a disposable “snack bowl” for popcorn, chips, etc.
Beautiful! Absolutely love #11 and #13. Thanks for sharing. (It looks like I should have titled my article The 7 Most Valuable Grocery Store Products Known to Man!)
another use for distilled vinegar is fabric softener if you happen to be prone to allergies or sensitive to fragrances. it works just as well as downy or such and is cheaper too. measure it out the same as you would any other fabric softener and your done.
Thanks for the tip! Now for the $64000 question: Will it make your clothes smell like apple cider?
just use the white distilled vinegar. and no it doesn’t leave your clothes smelling like apple cider. at least i don’t think it would unless you used vinegar made from apple cider.
Actually I believe Mikeyo was correct. Baking Soda is lousy as a refrigerator deodorant. See:
http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/chem00/chem00388.htm
Well, not to get too anal about this, but Mikeyo said it was a myth that flat out didn’t work. π
Even the link you referred to didn’t go that far. It even affirmed the chemical properties that allow it to soak up odors, but stated that it didn’t work effectively. And while that may be true – there was no evidence presented to back that claim up. π
Anecdotal evidence from my own personal experience is that my refrigerator stays fresher smelling when it has a box of baking soda in it. I do understand your mileage may vary.
Please remove douching with vinegar from the list. Doctors advise against it.
Who needs Heloise, when there’s LEN PENZO! I have to go against all of my green habits and print this one out. Barb
@Katie: You are correct. I have removed it from the list. Thanks for the heads-up. π
I’m told that dryer sheets rubbed on a dog who is afraid of thunderstorms will help soothe him because it counteracts the static electricity in the air. Although it makes sense, I haven’t used it yet. (I do know that, like on a dog, the hair on my arms and legs tries to stand up when thunderstorms are imminent. Thankfully, the hairs are blonde, fine and invisible)