7 Unusual Uses for Olive Oil
Isn’t olive oil amazing? It’s heart-heathy, you can use it for baking and frying, salad dressings, and even drizzle some to add richness to a soup. But olive oil has lots of uses beyond food. From cleaning the house to moisturizing skin to even washing your face, olive oil is as versatile around the rest of the house as it is in the kitchen.
1. De-gunking
From sap to sticky labels, olive oil is great at cutting through gunk. To use olive oil as a label-remover, pull the label off as best you can, then rub the remaining sticky label with olive oil. Let it sit for 10-20 minutes, and it should rub off easily. Wash off the excess oil with warm, soapy water, and you’re ready to reuse those glass jars.
2. Moisturizing
Rub a few drops of olive oil onto wet skin or add a couple of tablespoons to your bath water for soft, smooth skin without the harmful chemicals in store-bought moisturizers. When you’re moisturizing with straight oil, a little goes a long way, so start with a tiny bit. You can always use a bit more, if needed.
3. Prevent Kitty Hairballs
Has your kitty been leaving hairballs all over the house? Put about 1/4 teaspoon olive oil in your cat’s food to help with the hacking.
4. Dry Scalp Treatment
I don’t know about you guys, but this winter weather always dries my scalp out horribly. Put about 1/2 teaspoon olive oil onto your fingertips and massage into your scalp to help sooth dry skin. If your hair feels oily afterwards, you can wash as usual after a half hour or so – give the oil a little time to do its thing.
5. Washing Your Face
Have you heard of the oil cleansing method? Washing your face with oil might seem counter-intuitive, but a lot of folks swear by this technique! Nature’s Nurture has a good walk-through of how the oil cleanshing method works. I’ve also seen this with just olive and castor oil, if you want to simplify this a bit.
6. Cleaning Stainless Steel Surfaces
You can use straight olive oil on a rag to shine dull stainless steel surfaces, like your faucets. Just make sure you choose a rag that’s got some texture, like terrycloth. The friction helps you get a good shine.
7. DIY Furniture Polish
Mix olive oil with lemon juice in a 2:1 ratio to create your own furniture polish. Shake the mixture up to combine it really well, then pour it onto a rag to apply it to your finished wood furniture.
Have you found any interesting ways to use olive oil around the house? Tell us your favorite uses in the comments!
Image Credit: Creative Commons photo by Monica Arellano-Ongpin
