Most of us have vegetable oil in our pantry. It’s often used to season cast iron pans, as an alternative to butter, or even as an ingredient when you’re baking, but other than that, how many uses for vegetable oil do you know? Vegetable oil on skin may be the last thing that would come up to mind, but it’s one of the many uses of this versatile oil.
You may not be aware, but there are so many other non-food uses for vegetable oil. We’ll share 15 top non-food uses of vegetable oil that will surely surprise you.
Shine your wooden kitchen tools
Over time, our wooden spoons or cutting boards probably start to look dull and chapped after a few years of use.
There is still hope. Shine them up with a thin layer of vegetable oil to make them gleam again.
Use vegetable oil on skin and treat dryness
Cold weather is rough on dry skin, and not all of us can use perfumed lotions because they might cause irritation.
If your hands are dry and chapped, get a little vegetable oil and massage it into your skin to get instant relief.
Make oil-based soap in a slow cooker
Believe it or not, you can use vegetable, olive oil, or other oils to make bar soap. There are even recipes online that show you how to do it in your slow cooker!
Your whole house would definitely smell so good when you’re doing this.
Remove makeup
Lots of makeup wipes can dry out your skin and cause irritation. To avoid this, just add a little vegetable oil to a cotton ball and wipe gently.
It’s a great way to remove your makeup and moisturize your skin all at once. But before you would do this, of course, you would want to know what is in vegetable oil before applying it to your face.
Don’t worry because vegetable oil is perfectly safe. It’s a combination of oils from cereals, grains, nuts, and seeds. It’s also a neutral oil, meaning it doesn’t have flavor or smell.
Get paint off your skin
If you’re painting for fun or doing a home renovation, you’re bound to get paint on your skin. It won’t hurt you, but it’s annoying and silly-looking.
Did you know that by using a small amount of vegetable oil, you can easily remove paint from your skin? It would also be a very effective way of cleaning oil paint brushes with vegetable oil.
Buff up your wood and steel appliances
Vegetable oil is a perfect polisher for wooden furniture and all your stainless-steel appliances. Put several drops of new or used vegetable oil on a dry cloth, and it will start to shine again.
Clean up candle wax
Candle wax drips are obnoxious to try to clean. Here’s a hack that you will love.
Before you start, loosen them with a little bit of vegetable oil. You’ll be able to remove the wax with almost no effort.
Remove rust from garden tools
Garden tools live a long life, but they also tend to get rusty from outdoor exposure. Prevent this by cleaning the rust off with a quick scrub of vegetable oil to get them shining again.
Shovel your garden with ease
When you’re working in the garden, it can be annoying to have to stop and clean dirt off your spade every few minutes. Save time by trying this vegetable oil hack.
Make your garden tools “non-stick” by rubbing them down with some vegetable oil before you start working in your garden bed.
Get grass out of your lawnmower
Mowing your lawn is an important way to cut back on ticks but mowed grass can stick to the blades and clump up your machine. Don’t worry, we can fix that.
Polish the blades with some vegetable oil to make sure nothing sticks to them.
Clean your car interior
Vegetable oil is pretty much the universal furniture polisher. Plus, it doesn’t have that strong smell that would put you off.
That even applies to the inside of your car. To keep your steering wheel, dashboard, and seats, shiny and clean, just buff them with a couple of drops of oil on a regular basis.
Add protective coating to wicker furniture
You may be wondering, can you use expired vegetable oil? The answer is yes! Here’s another way you can use expired vegetable oil.
We all know that wicker furniture is lovely but it can also be prone to cracking and fraying with age. Rubbing your wicker furniture down with some vegetable oil makes it shiny and protects it from damage.
Measure honey, syrup, and other sticky ingredients
If you’re a baker, then you know how annoying it is to try to put sticky ingredients in measuring cups or spoons. Plus, it’s so hard to clean after.
To make clean-up easier, grease them with vegetable oil beforehand.
Moisturize cuticles
If you have frequent problems with hangnails and ragged cuticles, moisturize with some vegetable oil. Aside from preventing dryness, it will soothe any irritation and help smooth out your skin.
Get a ring off your finger.
Having a ring get stuck on your finger is both annoying and uncomfortable. What if it happens?
Well, don’t panic — just work a little bit of vegetable oil underneath and slide it off.
Takeaway
Who would have known that the usual cooking oil can have so many uses? Vegetable oil on skin, no problem! It could even work with furniture, cars, and your cuticles.
Now you won’t have to worry about stocking too much vegetable oil in your pantry.
Source: Preparedness Advice, Huffington Post, Expert Home Tips, Care 2 Healthy Living, Outdoor Revival, Wikipedia