You’ve been using aluminum foil your entire life, but believe it or not, you’ve been using it wrong this whole time. While it’s true that you can use aluminum foil for baking cookies, veggies, granola bars, or to wrap up a sandwich for your kids’ lunch, aluminum foil can serve a much higher purpose. So, the next time you rip out a sheet of aluminum foil from the box, try using it to solve some of your everyday hassles with these amazing hacks. These tips are guaranteed to make your life a little easier.
Reseal Your Snacks
Have you ever had a bag of chips, pretzels or some other snack that you couldn’t finish, but you’re all out of plastic zip-lock bags? Well try this next time. Take a strip of aluminum foil, place it over the opening of the bag your snacks are in. Flatten the foil the way you want it to close and then heat the foil up with an iron.
This will create a seal that will keep your snacks fresh until you get hungry again.
Keep Your Scissors Nice and Sharp
Are your scissors so dull that they can’t even cut through butter? Well, if that’s the case, then try sharpening the blades with aluminum foil. All you have to do is fold a large sheet of foil a couple of times until it becomes nice and thick. Then use the scissors to cut about 15 lines into the foil.
This will leave the blades nice and sharp again.
Keep Your Stove From Getting Messy
It’s bad enough that you spend hours cooking over a hot stove. On top of that, the surface gets very dirty. But here’s a solution.
Cover your stove with aluminum foil. This will keep the surface clean while you cook the day away. Once you’re done, remove the foil and toss it in the trash.
Use It to Move Furniture Around
If you feel like rearranging your furniture but don’t want to risk scraping and scratching your beautiful tile floors, then try this hack. Grab some aluminum foil and wrap it around the leg of your furniture like a couch or a table. Once the foil is attached to all the legs, you’ll be able to drag the furniture to its new location without damaging the floor.
Make the Perfect Egg
Grab the pan you’re going to use and line the inside with a sheet of aluminum foil. The foil has to be pressed hard along the pan so that it looks like a bowl. Then prepare your egg the way you normally would.
Not only will the egg cook faster but it makes the clean-up so much easier. All you have to do is remove the foil and toss it in the trash.
Create the Ultimate Sludge Catcher
Have you ever noticed how slimy the bottom of the kitchen sink gets? Well, it’s not surprising given all the mixture of food and liquids that have gone down the drain over the years. Now there’s this nasty sludge that’s built up that you don’t want to touch, not even with gloves. But if you want to clean the sink anyway, crumple up some aluminum foil into balls and leave them near the drain, this will absorb all that disgusting sludge you’re too afraid to touch.
Iron Wrinkles Out Faster
Imagine that you have a fancy party to go to but all of your clothes are wrinkled. You don’t have time to iron out every wrinkle from your dress or suit. But there’s a way to speed up the process.
Just take a long sheet of aluminum foil out and lay it out on the ironing board. Then cover the foil with a towel and iron whatever piece of clothing you need. The foil reflects the heat back up so you’ll get the wrinkles out quicker.
Catch Ice Cream Cone Drips
Your kids begged you to take them to get an ice cream cone, but you’re afraid that they’ll make a mess on their clothes. Well here’s what you can do. Bring a sheet of aluminum foil and wrap the bottom of the cone with it before giving it to them.
This will keep cone drips from ruining their clothes.
Keep Cupcakes Away From Each Other
You spent hours making some delicious cupcakes for a school bake sale. The last thing you need is for the cupcakes you spent so much time frosting to accidentally touch each other and ruin your culinary masterpiece. So, here’s what you do.
Cut some aluminum foil and shape them into long, thick strands. Then make a barrier out of them so you can keep your cupcakes socially isolated from one another.
Increase Outdoor Lighting
You can improve the outdoor lighting in your front and backyard by creating a makeshift reflector behind the light. Simply attach some aluminum foil with a couple of strips of electrical tape. Duct tape works too.
But make sure that the tape doesn’t come in direct contact with the light bulb.
Add Insect Repellant to Mulch
Mix some strips of aluminum foil into your garden mulch. This will keep insects away so they don’t munch on the vegetables in your garden. But did you know that there’s a second added bonus to this hack? The aluminum also reflects sunlight onto your plants, which helps them to grow.
Eat Ribs Without Getting Messy Fingers
When you cook ribs, the bone that’s sticking out often gets charred. This gets your fingers all dirty and nasty when you try grabbing a hold of your ribs to eat them. So next time, try wrapping the excess bone with aluminum foil.
This keeps all the greasy char from the bone from dirtying your hands.
Clean Your Barbeque Grill
There’s nothing better than a weekend barbecue with family and friends. But the grill can get pretty dirty after a day of grilling. Now some people wrap their vegetables, like corn or potatoes, in aluminum foil to keep the grill clean.
But you can’t really cook a nice piece of steak or some ribs on the grill if they’re covered in foil. But don’t worry. There’s a way to clean your grill after your barbecue’s set and done. Simply crumple up a sheet of aluminum foil into a ball and scrape the grime off the grill. It’s quick and easy.
Create a Makeshift Oven
When you’re out camping, there’s always one thing you miss—an oven. Of course, you can’t bring the one in your kitchen with you. But you can replicate its effects with aluminum foil.
Once you get the fire going, you’ll need two flat surfaces like the grates of a grill. Wrap these pieces in aluminum foil and place them at an angle by the fire. The foil will reflect the heat back onto the food so that everything cooks better.
Protect Your Doorknobs While Painting
Wrap your doorknobs with a sheet of aluminum foil and use a utility knife around the base to trim the foil. This ensures that you can paint your door up to the edge of the knob without actually painting the knob itself. Clever? You bet!
Keep Your Pie Crust From Burning
Next time you bake a homemade pie, make sure to cover the edges with aluminum foil. This will keep the edges from overcooking and burning, but won’t stop the rest of the pie from getting all nice and brown.
Create Your Own Stylus
We could certainly use our fingers when navigating through our tablets, iPads, or other touchscreen devices, but we would wind up smudging and scratching the screen. But here’s a great way to make your own Stylus without paying for one. Simply grab a pencil or pen.
Then cut a Q-tip in half and tape the tip to it. Finally, grab some aluminum foil and wrap it around the entire contraption and voila! You’ve got your own makeshift Stylus pen.
Clean Your Pots and Pans
Dishwasher soap and a sponge doesn’t get all the gunk out of the bottom of your pots and pans, but aluminum foil can. All you have to do is crumple a piece up and start scraping those stained spots that are so hard to get rid of. Put your shoulder into it and you’ll see how those coats of grime start to come off like magic.
Make Hardened Brown Sugar Soft Again
Brown sugar is a staple in most kitchens where cookies and cakes are baked, but it gets really hard if you don’t use it right away. However, there’s a way to soften brown sugar up again. Just grab a harden piece and wrap it up in aluminum foil.
Then bake the brown sugar in the oven at 300°F (150° C) for about 5 minutes. Once you unwrap it, you’ll see that the brown sugar is soft and powdery.
Create a Pastry Bag
Looking to decorate a cake but you don’t have a pastry bag to create an intricate design? Grab some heavy-duty aluminum foil and form a tube. Then fill it with free-flowing frosting and design away or write a special message on top of a cake. Once you’re done you can toss the foil.
No clean up required.
Keep Bread Rolls Warm
There’s nothing tastier than warm bread or bread rolls at a dinner table. But they tend to get cold pretty fast. But you can keep them oven warm even longer with this hack.
Start by loading your basket with your baked goods. Then wrap them in a napkin and place a layer of aluminum foil underneath them. The foil will reflect the heat and keep everything warm until it’s time to eat.
Keep Your Feet Warm in the Winter
Do you live in an area where the weather gets very chilly in the winter? Well this aluminum foil hack will keep your feet toasty warm. All you have to do is line the sheet of foil with the insoles of your shoes. The heat your body generates will be reflected back onto itself as you walk.
Create a Makeshift Battery
Have you ever found yourself looking for AA batteries but all you have are AAA batteries? Well, don’t get your panties in a twist because aluminum foil can help. Just take a tiny piece of foil and crumple it up so that the foil can fill the space between the small battery and the battery conductor. This will allow the electrical signals to go through just fine.
Create the Perfect Taco Holder
Anyone who has ever made tacos knows how annoying it is to keep them from falling over to the sides. But you can create your own taco holders by turning a bunch of aluminum foil sheets into balls and then placing them between the tacos. This keeps the tacos in place and helps you avoid making a mess on the tray or plate.
Extend the Life of Your Steel-Wool Pads
Have you ever noticed how quickly your steel-wool pads rust? Well you can prevent your pads from getting rusty by wrapping them in foil and throwing them in the freezer. You can also crumple a sheet of foil and place it under the steel wool and above the container.
Make Your Fireplace Easier to Clean
Place a couple of layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil across the bottom of the fireplace and light up a fire the way you normally would when staying warm during winter. The next day, all you’ll have to do is make sure that the ashes are nice and cool. Then fold the layers of aluminum foil up and toss them.
Make Grilled Cheese
Grilled cheese sandwiches are the best, aren’t they? But imagine that you’re craving one and you’re staying at a hotel without access to a stove. Well, there’s a hack for that. Prepare your grilled cheese sandwich and then wrap it up in aluminum foil.
Now grab an iron and start ironing your sandwich for about eight minutes. Make sure to give each side the appropriate amount of love and attention. Then enjoy!
Customize Your Own Cake Mold
Are you feeling romantic and want to bake a heart-shaped cake but don’t have a mold? Well that’s okay because you don’t need one. You can just rip out a couple of sheets of aluminum foil and shape them the way you want while making sure the shape is sealed tightly. But don’t forget to add an extra layer of cooking sheet before you place your makeshift mold inside a regular pan.
Keep Your Bananas From Spoiling
Bananas are oh-so delicious and yet they can spoil at the drop of a hat. But there’s a way to keep them fresh a lot longer. Simply grab a sheet of aluminum foil and wrap it around the root of the banana.
It’s so simple and it will prevent your bananas from spoiling, especially if you’re the kind of shopper that buys them in bulk.
Clean the Bottom of Your Iron
The more you use your iron, the more the starch is going to build up on the bottom. This will cause it to stick when you’re trying to iron your clothes. To get rid of the starch, simply run your hot iron over some aluminum foil.
Keep Tree Trunks Safe From Animals
During the winter, animals like mice and rabbits tend to feed on the bark of young trees. If you’re trying to protect these tree trunks, you’ll have to wrap the trunks with a double layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil. You can keep it on from the autumn all through winter and then remove it during spring.
Stop Dryer Static in Its Tracks
For those of you who hate dryer static when doing the laundry, there’s a quick fix you’re going to love. Just grab a few sheets of aluminum foil, turn them into balls and throw them into the dryer with the rest of your wet, recently washed clothes. Make sure that the balls are nice and smooth and have no sharp edges to them.
Create a Makeshift Grease Catcher
Some of the tastiest food is also one of the messiest and greasiest, and afterwards we have no idea where to throw the grease away. The drain seems like a likely choice but here’s a better alternative. Grab some aluminum foil and turn it into a makeshift cup.
Then pour the excess grease from your pan into it and wait until the grease hardens. Then you can safely throw it in the trash.
Keep Your Sleeping Bag Nice and Dry
Place one or two pieces of heavy-duty aluminum foil under your sleeping bag. This will insulate it from moisture so you can sleep soundly knowing that you’ll be dry when you wake up early in the morning.
Make a Funnel
Rip a couple of aluminum foil sheets and shape it into a funnel. The more sheets you have the thicker the funnel will be. You’ll find that it works just as well as a conventional funnel and it can be a huge lifesaver in the kitchen or even when refilling your car with fluids.
Making Your Teeth a Little Whiter
Admit it! You’ve spent lots of money on teeth whitening products but none of them worked the way you wanted. Well now that you’ve tried everything, try this whitening solution. Start by mixing toothpaste with sodium bicarbonate and water until it becomes a paste-like consistency.
Now grab a couple of aluminum foil strips that are wide enough to cover your top and bottom teeth. Then add the paste to your teeth and apply the strips. Leave them there for a little while and your teeth will become a beacon of cleanliness.
Keep Your Matches Dry
Matches tend to stay dry inside your kitchen cabinet but they can get wet or damp when you take them with your during a camping trip. If you want to keep your matches from getting ruined, wrap them up in aluminum foil.
Keep Your Paintbrush From Drying Up
If you’re done painting for the day but you plan on continuing tomorrow, don’t waste time cleaning the brush. Simply squeeze out any excess paint and wrap it up in aluminum foil. Then use a rubber band to keep the foil in place.
This will keep your paintbrush nice and wet until you’re ready to use it again.
Clean Your Silverware
Is your silverware looking a little worse for wear? Well aluminum foil can make them look like new again. Simply grab a pan or a cup and line it with aluminum foil. Then add some cold water and salt and place your silverware into the cup.
Wait a couple of minutes and then remove them. You’ll see the difference right away.
Give Your Wi-Fi Signal a Boost
Wi-Fi may not technically be a necessity but it sure feels like it is to some of us. Unfortunately, there’s nothing worse than a low Wi-Fi signal or losing the signal altogether. But there’s a way to give your signal an extra boost.
What you’ll need to do is cover a sheet of carboard with tin foil. Then insert the cardboard around your router where the cords are plugged in. This will give your Wi-Fi the signal boost you desperately need.