Most of us have a roll of aluminium foil somewhere in our kitchen, but it only comes out when we have some food to cook or store. But this ubiquitous household item is being underused and underestimated.
This pliable, strong and highly versatile substance can perform a range of important functions in the home, and here are 10 of the most impressive.
1. Silverware polisher
Line a bucket with aluminium foil, and fill it with warm water. Add two cups of baking soda, and give the solution a good stir. Place your silverware in the water, and leave it to soak for around 30 minutes. A chemical reaction will take place that transfers the silver tarnish from your silverware to the foil.
2. Pie protector
If you’re fed up with the edges of your baked pies getting burnt, wrap them in aluminium foil before you place them your pies in the oven. This will stop the pie edges from cooking faster than the rest of the pastry.
3. Protecting credit cards
There are now devices that are capable of stealing credit card information through items of clothing, which means your data is at risk when you’re walking down the street. But you can block these card readers by wrapping your cards in aluminium foil.
4. Scaring birds
If you’ve just planted the seed for a new lawn, you need to give it time and protection from birds. You can do this by running string along the area and attaching balls of aluminium foil every every six inches or so. This shiny material will reflect light in many different directions — scaring birds away.
5. Ironing
You can iron two sides of a garment at the same time by placing it on a sheet of aluminium foil. The metallic surface with catch the heat from the iron and reflect it back into the garment you’re ironing — saving you time and effort.
6. Scrubbing pans
If you’re struggling to remove carbonised food from metal pans or various items of crockery, roll up some aluminium foil into a ball and use it as a scrubbing brush.
7. Moving heavy furniture
Moving heavy furniture can cause some serious damage to certain types of flooring. This happens because people end up pushing or pulling bulky items instead of lifting them. But you can pull and push without ripping carpet or scratching wood by placing aluminium foil under the feet of cupboards, sofas, tables and other items of furniture.
8. Clean the barbecue
Cleaning a barbecue is often a laborious, time-consuming affair that requires a huge amount of effort. The combination of carbonised food and grease can prove exceptionally tricky to remove, but you can chip away at the larger accumulations by scrubbing with a ball of aluminium foil.
9. Line drawers and cupboards
Whether you’re worried about dust in your underwear drawer or grease in a kitchen cupboard, line your storage areas with aluminium foil to make cleaning a much easier process. This is also a good way of throwing a little light the way of dark drawers and cupboards.
10. Soften sugar
Have you ever gone for a spoonful of sugar, only to discover that it has bonded together to form a very sweet-tasting brick? Instead of throwing it away, wrap it in some aluminium foil, and bake it on a warm oven for three or four minutes. You should find that your sugar brick returns to its natural state.
Remember — aluminium foil isn’t just for the kitchen!
