We all know that cooking oil comes in pretty handy in the kitchen. It helps keep food from sicking and can even impart a nice flavor in your meals. Did you know, however, that there are even more uses for cooking oil?
So, before you fork over the cash for some specialty product that you’ll only use a couple of times, ask yourself if cooking oil can do the job! Here’s a quick list of some uncommon uses for cooking oil.
1. Fix a squeaky door.
One of the best uses for cooking oil is to fix a squeaky door. Just put a few drops of cooking oil in the hinges and no more squeaks! This tip alone should save you $5 to $10 on special penetrating oil sprays alone.
2. Prevent rust on tools.
Do you hate it when your garden tools get rusty? Coating them with a thin layer of cooking oil should keep your tools rust-free. This also helps soil slide right off shovels and trowels.
3. Measure sticky ingredients.
Some uncommon uses for cooking oil don’t even require you to take it out of your kitchen. Coat your measuring cups and spoons with cooking oil when you’re measuring sticky ingredients like honey and peanut butter. The sticky substances will slide right out and clean up will be much easier.
4. Keep lids from sticking.
Speaking of honey, don’t you hate it when the sticky mixture literally glues the lid onto the jar?! Next time you open a new jar, coat the threads with a little cooking oil to prevent sticking. This also works with things like maple syrup and jelly.
5. Remove label and sticker adhesive.
Adhesive from product labels and stickers can be notoriously hard to remove. However, you can coat them with a little cooking oil, and the adhesive should scrape right off after a few minutes. This should come in pretty handy if you want to reuse a jar or clean up rogue stickers that the little ones slapped everywhere.
6. Deep condition hair.
Don’t spend big bucks on a hot oil treatment. Just reach for your cooking oil. Warm it up and massage it into your hair, then wrap your head in a hot damp towel for several minutes to an hour. Wash your hair as you normally would and enjoy silk soft strands.
7. Remove makeup.
You might not buy makeup remover again after this tip! Among the many uses for cooking oil, removing makeup is high on the list. It does just as good of a job as commercial makeup remover, but at a fraction of the cost!
8. Dry nails faster.
Have you heard the tip about spraying Pam on freshly polished nails to get them to dry faster? Well, cooking oil works just as well. Dip each nail into cooking oil or use a dropper to drop oil onto your nails. Leave it on for a few minutes, then wash your hands. Your nails should be dry to the touch.
9. Soften and moisturize cuticles.
Using cooking oil to dry your nail polish has an added benefit. It can also soften and moisturize dry ragged cuticles. You can keep your cuticles in good shape in between nail drying by massaging them with a couple drops of oil.
