30 Brilliant Fashion Uses For Common HouseholdProducts
Lets be honest: Between paying rent and bills, socializing, eating, dressing, downloading, and pretty much everything else we do, it often seems like hanging onto money isnt exactly an easy feat for most young women . Thats why were fans of occasionally using some clever tricks to get around shelling out cash for small fashion and beauty-related things that could be done using stuff we already have in our linen closets, our kitchens, or our bathrooms.
For example, did you know that using the inside of a banana peel can whiten your teeth as well as an at-home kit, or a dash of olive oil can often fix a jammed zipper? Its these small hacks that can often save a little money, a lot of time, and overall keep your stuff (and yourself!) looking fabulous.
Whether your New Years resolution was to start saving , or whether youre just naturally resourceful, check out this list of 30 brilliant fashion uses for common household products! Once youre done, be sure to share a few of your favorite tips in the comments section below!
1. Dawn dish detergent Due to its high level of surfactants, Dawn dish detergent is especially successful at removing grease and oil stains from clothing.
2. Rubber bands Wrap rubber bands around the cap of nail polish bottles and other hard-to-open tops for better grip.
3. Apumicestone The best way to de-fuzz and de-pill a sweater: Use a pumice stone, which is typically meant for your feet.
4. A salad spinner. Despite what it says on the tag, cashmere is left cleaner and softer when washed by hand. To dry it, use a salad spinner, which releases excess water in seconds without stretching the fibers.
Dry that cashmere sweater in a salad spinner! Photo via Fashion Vibe
5. Coca Cola Who knew fizzy Coke is adept at cleaning tarnished real silver? Simply drop your pieces into a glass of the soda and soak it for about an hour.
6. Cold-pressed avocado oil This oilfound in any grocery storeworks wondersmoisturizingdry skin patches.
7. Hairdryer Did you know that yourhairdryercan stretch out too-tight shoes? Simply wear the shoes with thick socks and blast with a dryer for instant expansion.
8. A toothbrush The best at-home method to keep diamonds sparkling: liquid dishwasher detergent and an old toothbrush.
9. Zip-Loc bags To stop angora or mohair from shedding, fold the garment and place it into a zip-loc bag and freeze it for at least three hours. Another use forfreezer-sized Zip-Locs:To stretch tight shoes, fill two bags with water and place into each shoe. Let it freeze overnight. As the water freezes, itll gently expand your shoes.
10. Windex Use Windex and a damp cloth or paper towel to keep patent leather clean and shiny.
Keep patent leather gleaming with Windex. Photo via They All Hate Us
11. Wax paper If you get wax on a piece of clothing, layer wax paper over the hardened wax and then run an iron over it to loosen it up. Once you pull off the paper, the wax should come right out with it.
12. Hairspray Spritz your tights and stocking with sticky (read: cheap) hairspray to avoid holes and runs.
13. Stale bread To clean dirt off suede, remove the crust from a piece of stale bread. Gently rub dirt and stains with the edge of the stale bread, and theyll disappear. To de- scuff suede, use an eraser or nail file.
14. Vodka Did you know that pouring a dash of vodka into vase water seriously extends the life of your flowers? Also, spritzing vintage or thrifted clothes with amixture of one part vodka, two parts water removes musty odors.
A bit of vodka will help keep those pretty flowers alive. Photo via The Everygirl
15. Double-stick tape It works in a pinch to hem a garment if you cant get to the tailor.
16. Distilled white vinegar Add a 1/2 cup of distilled white vinegar to the final rinse cycle while doing laundry to maintain the wash of your favorite pair of dark jeans.
17. Vaseline To stop squeaky shoes, remove the insole and apply Vaseline.
18. Dryer Sheets Use these to effortlessly remove static from your hair or your clothes (and a damp useddryer sheet can remove soap build-up and mineral deposits in your shower or tub, too!)
19. Ice trays Store earrings and rings, or extra buttons/beads that come with new clothes.
20. An old shoe bag Hang it on the back of your bathroom door and fill it with loose products and makeup, or hang in behind your bedroom door and fill with jewelry and accessories.
21. Baby powder If you get an oil stain on your favorite leather bag, coat the mark with baby powder and let it stand overnight. By morning, the stain should be gone. If a bit still remains, repeat the process.
Spill oil on that gorgeous Chanel bag? Baby powder to the rescue! Photo: Jenny Norris
22.Refrigerator Use your fridge to store eye cream, toners, and astringent. The cooling effect de-puffs eyes and skin.
23. Olive oil A fashion use for olive oil (apart from using it as a moisturizer for skin and hair, which works wonders): Use it on a stuck zipper by dabbing a drop on the zippers teeth with a Q-tip or tapered small small makeup brush. Brilliant!
24. Toothpaste Did you know toothpaste can also be used to whiten yellowing fingernails? It works!
25. Old magazines Not sure what to do with that old stack of mags? Roll them up and stick them in your boots and booties to help retain their shape.
26. Baby oil Add baby oil to broken bronzer for a tinted body oil, or to a broken blush for a dewy cheek stain or lip gloss.
27. Coffee filters Cork break into your bottle of wine? Wrap a coffee filter around the opening and secure it with a rubber bands. This strains out all those pesky particles, salvaging the vino. (Okay fine, this tip isnt exactly fashion related but, hey, its important!)
28. Tea bags If shaving left you with some razor burn, a tea bag will soothe inflamed skin and reduce the pain.
29. Tin foil Did you know you can remove tarnish from silver aluminum foil, water, baking soda and salt? Its true! Heat up some water and put in a bowl or pan, then add a sheet of aluminum foil to the bottom, and sprinkle in the baking soda and salt. From there, add your silver (making sure it comes into contact with the foil), and watch the tarnish fully disappear. This happens due to a chemical reaction.
30. Banana peels It might sound odd, but used banana peels can whiten your teeth! Rub the inside of a peel along your top and bottom teeth for about a minute each, and let sit for around 10 minutes. From there, grab a dry toothbrush and start brushing. Doing this a few times a week can significantly lighten teeth as well as any whitening kit.
I found some of these to be pretty smart. It's a slow day.
30 Brilliant Fashion Uses For Common HouseholdProducts
Lets be honest: Between paying rent and bills, socializing, eating, dressing, downloading, and pretty much everything else we do, it often seems like hanging onto money isnt exactly an easy feat for most young women . Thats why were fans of occasionally using some clever tricks to get around shelling out cash for small fashion and beauty-related things that could be done using stuff we already have in our linen closets, our kitchens, or our bathrooms.
MORE: 101 Painless Ways To Save Money Right Now
For example, did you know that using the inside of a banana peel can whiten your teeth as well as an at-home kit, or a dash of olive oil can often fix a jammed zipper? Its these small hacks that can often save a little money, a lot of time, and overall keep your stuff (and yourself!) looking fabulous.
Whether your New Years resolution was to start saving , or whether youre just naturally resourceful, check out this list of 30 brilliant fashion uses for common household products! Once youre done, be sure to share a few of your favorite tips in the comments section below!
1. Dawn dish detergent
Due to its high level of surfactants, Dawn dish detergent is especially successful at removing grease and oil stains from clothing.
2. Rubber bands
Wrap rubber bands around the cap of nail polish bottles and other hard-to-open tops for better grip.
3. Apumicestone
The best way to de-fuzz and de-pill a sweater: Use a pumice stone, which is typically meant for your feet.
4. A salad spinner.
Despite what it says on the tag, cashmere is left cleaner and softer when washed by hand. To dry it, use a salad spinner, which releases excess water in seconds without stretching the fibers.
Dry that cashmere sweater in a salad spinner!
Photo via Fashion Vibe
5. Coca Cola
Who knew fizzy Coke is adept at cleaning tarnished real silver? Simply drop your pieces into a glass of the soda and soak it for about an hour.
6. Cold-pressed avocado oil
This oilfound in any grocery storeworks wondersmoisturizingdry skin patches.
7. Hairdryer
Did you know that yourhairdryercan stretch out too-tight shoes? Simply wear the shoes with thick socks and blast with a dryer for instant expansion.
8. A toothbrush
The best at-home method to keep diamonds sparkling: liquid dishwasher detergent and an old toothbrush.
MORE: How To Care For Every Item In Your Closet: 101 Tips
9. Zip-Loc bags
To stop angora or mohair from shedding, fold the garment and place it into a zip-loc bag and freeze it for at least three hours. Another use forfreezer-sized Zip-Locs:To stretch tight shoes, fill two bags with water and place into each shoe. Let it freeze overnight. As the water freezes, itll gently expand your shoes.
10. Windex
Use Windex and a damp cloth or paper towel to keep patent leather clean and shiny.
Keep patent leather gleaming with Windex.
Photo via They All Hate Us
11. Wax paper
If you get wax on a piece of clothing, layer wax paper over the hardened wax and then run an iron over it to loosen it up. Once you pull off the paper, the wax should come right out with it.
12. Hairspray
Spritz your tights and stocking with sticky (read: cheap) hairspray to avoid holes and runs.
13. Stale bread
To clean dirt off suede, remove the crust from a piece of stale bread. Gently rub dirt and stains with the edge of the stale bread, and theyll disappear. To de- scuff suede, use an eraser or nail file.
14. Vodka
Did you know that pouring a dash of vodka into vase water seriously extends the life of your flowers? Also, spritzing vintage or thrifted clothes with amixture of one part vodka, two parts water removes musty odors.
A bit of vodka will help keep those pretty flowers alive.
Photo via The Everygirl
15. Double-stick tape
It works in a pinch to hem a garment if you cant get to the tailor.
16. Distilled white vinegar
Add a 1/2 cup of distilled white vinegar to the final rinse cycle while doing laundry to maintain the wash of your favorite pair of dark jeans.
MORE: How To Remove Stains: 20 Genius Tricks That Really Work
17. Vaseline
To stop squeaky shoes, remove the insole and apply Vaseline.
18. Dryer Sheets
Use these to effortlessly remove static from your hair or your clothes (and a damp useddryer sheet can remove soap build-up and mineral deposits in your shower or tub, too!)
19. Ice trays
Store earrings and rings, or extra buttons/beads that come with new clothes.
20. An old shoe bag
Hang it on the back of your bathroom door and fill it with loose products and makeup, or hang in behind your bedroom door and fill with jewelry and accessories.
MORE: Denim Cheat Sheet: How To Wash Your Jeans, Break Them In, Fold Them Like a Pro
21. Baby powder
If you get an oil stain on your favorite leather bag, coat the mark with baby powder and let it stand overnight. By morning, the stain should be gone. If a bit still remains, repeat the process.
Spill oil on that gorgeous Chanel bag? Baby powder to the rescue!
Photo: Jenny Norris
22.Refrigerator
Use your fridge to store eye cream, toners, and astringent. The cooling effect de-puffs eyes and skin.
23. Olive oil
A fashion use for olive oil (apart from using it as a moisturizer for skin and hair, which works wonders): Use it on a stuck zipper by dabbing a drop on the zippers teeth with a Q-tip or tapered small small makeup brush. Brilliant!
MORE: The Lazy Girls Guide To Going Green: 25 Simple Tips and Tricks
24. Toothpaste
Did you know toothpaste can also be used to whiten yellowing fingernails? It works!
25. Old magazines
Not sure what to do with that old stack of mags? Roll them up and stick them in your boots and booties to help retain their shape.
26. Baby oil
Add baby oil to broken bronzer for a tinted body oil, or to a broken blush for a dewy cheek stain or lip gloss.
27. Coffee filters
Cork break into your bottle of wine? Wrap a coffee filter around the opening and secure it with a rubber bands. This strains out all those pesky particles, salvaging the vino. (Okay fine, this tip isnt exactly fashion related but, hey, its important!)
MORE: How To Look Taller: 14 Fashion Tips That Work
28. Tea bags
If shaving left you with some razor burn, a tea bag will soothe inflamed skin and reduce the pain.
29. Tin foil
Did you know you can remove tarnish from silver aluminum foil, water, baking soda and salt? Its true! Heat up some water and put in a bowl or pan, then add a sheet of aluminum foil to the bottom, and sprinkle in the baking soda and salt. From there, add your silver (making sure it comes into contact with the foil), and watch the tarnish fully disappear. This happens due to a chemical reaction.
30. Banana peels
It might sound odd, but used banana peels can whiten your teeth! Rub the inside of a peel along your top and bottom teeth for about a minute each, and let sit for around 10 minutes. From there, grab a dry toothbrush and start brushing. Doing this a few times a week can significantly lighten teeth as well as any whitening kit.