There's almost nothing we like more than fresh bread dipped in olive oil, and it's definitely a staple in most of our cooking. But this lovely oil has household uses that reach beyond the kitchen. See how it can help you below the jump:
1. Clean your cast-iron pans: Make a scrubbing paste with olive or another vegetable oil and a teaspoon of coarse salt. Scrub it in with a stiff brush, then rinse with hot water.
2. Get paint off your hands: Rub some oil into your skin, let it sink in for 5 minutes, and then wash thoroughly with soap.
3. Repair scratches on leather furniture: Pour a very small amount of oil onto a cotton cotton cloth and rub it into the scratched leather furniture in a light circular motion.
4. Protect rattan and wicker furniture: To help keep rattan and wicker furniture from cracking, gently rub some warm oil into the furniture with a soft cloth.
5. Shine stainless steel: For extra sparkle, pour olive oil onto a cloth and buff to your heart's content.
6. Polish wood furniture: Combine 2 cups olive oil with 1 cup lemon juice or vinegar. Work the mixture into the furniture with a soft cloth. To smooth out scratches in light-colored wood, rub them with a solution of equal parts olive or vegetable oil and lemon juice.
Other non-cleaning solutions with olive oil include spraying a bit on squeaky door hinges, and sprucing up your dusty plant leaves.
Do you have other uses for olive oil? Tell us below!
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It can be used to clean your face. Massage it in and wipe off with a soft cloth. Works on make-up too.
It's great for getting adhesive off things after you remove a price tag or label. I also use it on my house keys when they start to stick in the lock.
You can make a exfoliant, or a sugar scrub, of 2 parts sugar and one part oil to remove dry skin before you shower or clean up greasy hands from painting or working on greasy mechanical stuff. Add a few drops of your favorite essential oil also to make it stink pretty if you need to.
In lieu of purchasing body creams too you can use it as a moisturizer while you are still damp from the bath. Again, add a few drops of an essential oil to boost the scent if you need.
I get keratosis or these little dry follicles and patches on my arms, legs and feet. Sometimes if I pick at these they can bleed. I use a loofah while in the shower and now use olive oil to moisturize and while I haven't totally eliminated it, I can say that it is markedly improved because of it.
thanks for the tips!
Oh and that's a good idea username26!
as per username26 this is what I recommend and use on my chopping boards too.
Ok, I had to chime in, If you put it on a zit before bedtime, it will only last one or two days vs, four. if you catch it early enough it will not even come out.
Trust me. It sounds oily, but my 19 year old loves me for telling him, he went through High school unscathed, by acne breakouts.
put it in your ears...cleans out the wax...I use a little dropper - about 2-3 drops every few days or so.
I already use it to buff my stainless steel refridgerator.. but i like the idea of using it on cutting boards. Will have to try that.
It's a wonderful hair moisturizer. I rub a little into the ends before bed, and wash in the morning. Works great.
@propellergirl - ". . . make it stink pretty . . ."
that's hilarious! :) thank you.
to get rid of water marks on finished wood, mix a little olive oil with some ashes (wood ashes work the best) and rub it on the mark with a dry cloth.
but the question is - how do i get rid of the olive oil STAINS on my chopping block?
To remove temporary tattoos.
Another vote for cleaning your face with it! I blogged about it here: http://moorethanfine.blogspot.com/2010/01/miracle-face-washing-epiphany.html
It sounds grody, but it has worked wonders for my face for the eight months I've been doing it. It's a wonder of a makeup remover too. And I shave my legs with it, and have a scrubby hand lotion type thing made of it.
My mom has been using olive oil as a moisturizer for face and hair (put a few drops in your hand, rub into your hair to prevent dryness and split ends) for as long as I can remember.
Will have to try it on my cutting boards.
Ahh! No! Don't use olive oil on your leather!! I work with Fibrenew, a leather restoration company, and people come to us all the time because they've ruined their leather furniture doing this.
Here's a blog post that explains why olive oil is so bad for leather and what it does - it might look better for a few days, but the oil will really cause some major damage to leather:
http://www.fibrenew.com/blog/leather-dirt-and-oil-%E2%80%93-tips-to-avoid-common-problem-ugly-oil-spots/
Try rubbing with a cut lemon, leave to whiten then wash.