Artistic and Sensible Makes use of For Junk Meals

After I made the change to consuming complete meals over a decade in the past, I noticed I had numerous meals I now not needed to eat lurking within the pantry. In case you’re making the change or want to scrub issues out, listed here are some artistic makes use of for junk meals!

I compiled an inventory of how to make use of these for different family functions. I hate to waste as a lot as the subsequent particular person, however I lastly needed to understand that my physique will not be a rubbish can. And I refused to make use of issues simply to complete what’s in the home. 

Once we switched to an actual meals eating regimen, I donated the entire unopened non-perishables. That also left the entire opened packages of flour, sugar, oil, and so forth. to cope with. As an alternative of simply pitching it, we used it for some enjoyable tasks and round the home.

The youngsters had a blast (and I acquired pampered) whereas we used up the remainder of our “junk meals.” I’ve divided them up by classes, however among the recipes burn up a number of totally different substances. These had been my options:

1. All-Function Enriched Flour

I’ve actually modified my stance and outlook on issues over time, particularly with regards to grains. I prevented them utterly for a few years whereas I used to be therapeutic my autoimmune illness. Now I’ll eat sure grains, like white rice and natural flour (particularly sourdough) carefully. 

One factor you’re not going to search out in my pantry although (a minimum of not anymore!) is bleached, enriched, white flour. Listed here are some methods to make use of it up.

Make Play Dough

A win-win scenario. You get to spend high quality time together with your youngsters and burn up the leftover flour in your pantry. In case you don’t have youngsters, this may very well be enjoyable for grown-ups too… take into account it stress aid. And when you want a gluten-free playdough model, I’ve one right here. 

This playdough makes use of up flour, vegetable oil, Koolaid or meals dye, and iodized desk salt. 

Have some extra meals dye you need to burn up? Combine it with some yogurt for finger paint. Simply make sure to take an image of your child’s artwork mission earlier than throwing it away! 

Paper Mache Paste With Flour

Combine equal components of white flour and water to make a glue-like paste. Let your youngsters use their arms and a few outdated items of newspaper to make creations. As soon as it dries, it’s very like a sculpture. 

As youngsters, we used to explode balloons and put paper mache over them. After they dried, we popped the balloons, lower them in half and painted them to make masks.

Polish Stainless Metal

Oh the fingerprints! Stainless-steel reveals smudges… lots. After regular cleansing, pour or rub some all-purpose flour onto the stainless to make it shine and take away fingerprints or water spots. 

The oils and fiber within the flour buffs the tiny grooves within the metal. It additionally helps pull out dust and dirt {that a} common cleansing fabric can’t. 

2. Sugar

I’ve written lots about sugar over time and why I ditched it. Whereas I’ll nonetheless have pure sweeteners carefully, I stop bleached, white sugar. Sugar is a humectant that makes for an awesome pores and skin scrub although! Listed here are a number of totally different sugar scrub recipes to strive. 

You may even use a sugar syrup to wax physique hair. Listed here are directions for tips on how to make and use a sugar wax.

Kill Undesirable Ants

For many people, hotter seasons can imply ants in the home. As an alternative of utilizing noxious pesticides, you possibly can simply deal with the issue with a bit sweetness. People and ants alike each love sugar.

To make a easy ant entice:

• Combine 2 components sugar with 1 half borax (which is nice to have readily available for cleansing).
• Put it in a bit container or jar that ants can crawl out and in of. Be certain your youngsters can’t get to it.

Borax is toxic to ants, however they’ll’t resist sugar. It gained’t kill them instantly, however they’ll take it again to their nest the place it would ultimately kill all of them. I’ve used this twice to do away with ants in our home. Killing ants=good use for sugar!

3. Vegetable Oil 

You might need observed extra conversations round seed oils and vegetable oils recently, even from mainstream sources. Vegetable oils are excessive in inflammatory omega-6 fat and are linked with an entire host of well being points. These embrace corn, canola, and soy. 

Listed here are some methods to make use of up the remainder of the vegetable oil in your house. 

Clear Your Wooden Naturally

There are pure methods to scrub any kind of ground, and that vegetable oil lurking in your pantry makes an superior hardwood ground cleaner.  Moderately than letting it skew your Omega-3 and 6 ratios, use it to make your flooring shine. 

Combine 1 cup of vinegar OR lemon juice with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Use this combination to scrub your flooring. You’ll want to patch take a look at an space first. You’ll have much less irritation, and your flooring can have a pleasant shine!

It’s also possible to combine vegetable oil with vinegar to make a DIY dusting spray for wood furnishings. 

Canola Oil within the Backyard

Some sources say canola oil can work properly as an insecticide and fungicide within the backyard. It kills bugs by suffocating them and helps stop powdery mildew by offering a barrier between the plant and fungi.

To make use of it, add 1 tablespoon of canola oil and 1 tablespoon liquid cleaning soap to 1 gallon of water. Spray on vegetation to kill bugs and stop powdery mildew. Simply make sure to try to keep away from the nice bugs!

4. Use Up Rice

Rice is among the meals that I ditched for years that I’m now high-quality with every now and then. You may be shocked to listen to that I go for white rice as a substitute of brown rice although and right here’s why. If in case you have non-organic enriched rice or are avoiding it for intestine therapeutic functions, listed here are some methods to make use of it up. 

Dry Out Moist Electronics

Electronics and water don’t combine, or a minimum of they’re not speculated to! My youngsters dropped 3 of our cell telephones in water by mistake (and one I dropped myself). Three out of the 4 had been saved by rice. 

Preserve a jar of rice readily available and when an digital will get moist, put it within the jar and shut the lid tightly. The rice will soak up the moisture and pull it out of the gadget. Except there’s structural harm, this often works. It could possibly take a couple of days or perhaps a couple weeks, so be affected person.

Rice Water For More healthy Hair

Asian cultures have used rice water for luxurious locks for a few years. Rice is stuffed with amino acids, antioxidants, nutritional vitamins, protein, and different vitamins which might be nice for hair well being. Right here’s tips on how to make and use rice water for softer, stronger, and shinier hair. 

5. Oatmeal For Pores and skin Well being

Oatmeal could cause blood sugar spikes for a lot of, and it’s usually contaminated with glyphosate. Right here’s tips on how to burn up a few of that additional typical rolled oats in your pantry.

For a calming facial, powder oatmeal in a blender or meals processor and add heat milk to make a paste. Rub it in your face, let it dry, then wash off. It tightens pores, removes blackheads and moisturizes.

6. Coke For Critical Cleansing

I swapped out my coke and different sodas for more healthy (and tastier in my view) fermented drinks. If in case you have some nonetheless sitting round, coke makes an awesome cleaner for robust messes. It accommodates phosphoric acid that breaks down rust and exhausting water and softens burnt meals. And the citric acid is nice for cleaning soap scum and grease. 

It could possibly even take the rust off of a automotive bumper. Think about what it does to the intestines??

Clear Your Bathroom

Bathroom soiled? I’m positive yours isn’t, however mine typically is. Pour a can of coke in a rest room and let it sit for an hour. Use a brush to take away the stains and flush for a shiny clear. 

I even tried this on a 30-40 12 months outdated bathroom in a home I reworked. It labored (and that bathroom most likely hadn’t been cleaned in 30-40 years). Listed here are some extra methods to make use of coke for cleansing. 

• Take away gum from hair- Soak hair in it for 10 minutes and gum comes proper out. 
• Unclog drains –  simply pour within the coke and wait.
• Clear automotive batteries – Pour coke on a gunky automotive battery or use a fabric soaked in coke to scrub it with. 
• Clear grout – soak a sponge in it and use to scrub grout stains. 
• Take away grease stains – Soak grease-stained garments in coke, then wash as common. 
• Oil stains on ground – Take away oil stains out of your storage ground or concrete driveways. 
• Clear pots and pans – Soak burnt pans in coke to dissolve caught on meals. 
• Shine steel jewellery – Soak steel jewellery briefly in coke to scrub. Don’t do that for jewellery with valuable stones.  
• Banish rust – Coke removes rust from every part from lavatory fixtures to automotive components. 

7. Desk Salt

I’m truly a large fan of salt and devour numerous it on a regular basis. I’m not an enormous fan of standard, iodized desk salt although for a number of causes. If in case you have desk salt that wants used, listed here are some methods to try this. 

Weed Killer

Make a weed killer for driveways and sidewalk areas. For each 1 gallon of white vinegar add 1 cup of salt and 1 tablespoon of dish cleaning soap. Fill a twig bottle or pump sprayer to make use of on weeds. Watch out to not spray in areas (like a backyard) the place you need some vegetation to develop. 

Salt Cleansing Hacks

Salt additionally makes an awesome pure cleansing scrub. 

• Use salt to scrub forged iron skillets, pots, and pans (double test the producer cleansing directions for any non-stick pans)
• Add salt to a espresso stained mug to assist take away the darkish stains
• Therapeutic massage salt and lemon juice right into a wood reducing board to freshen it. Rinse and air dry.

And for a enjoyable mission with the youngsters, strive these 3 ingredient salt dough ornaments! The recipe is just like play-dough, however they dry exhausting and you’ll paint the completed creations. 

Ultimate Ideas 

I hope this gave you some alternate concepts for that junk meals that may nonetheless be lurking in your pantry. In case you haven’t already, take into account swapping them out for complete meals. Elements like natural flour, grain-free flours (like almond and coconut), grass-fed butter, olive oil, uncooked honey, and pure maple syrup are some scrumptious alternate options.

Do you might have some other concepts for substances like these? Inform us about them beneath!