Wondering what to do with extra bananas and peels? Check out these clever uses for bananas that range from taking the sting out of a bug bite to polishing your living room furniture.
Top 15 Clever Uses for Bananas
1. Egg Substitute.
For an egg substitute in chewy baking recipes, replace one egg with one ripened mashed banana. Great idea for infants and vegans.
2. Shine Your Shoes.
Rub the inside of a banana peel on your leather shoes, wallet or hip jacket. Just wipe away the residue with a lint-free cloth.
3. Clean your houseplants.
Wipe down the leaves with a banana peel to remove dust and dirt.
4. Polish your furniture.
To make your living space gleam, rub pieces of an overripe banana on wood furniture with your fingers and then wipe off with a cloth. This is a fun one for the kids interested in cleaning!
5. Relieve a bug bite.
Banana peels have anti-inflammatory properties, which means they can help take the sting out of bug bites, poison ivy or even a bad sunburn. Put the banana peel in the fridge for 5-10 minutes then press on the affected area.
6. Get rid of ink stains on your hands.
If you’ve tried everything to get that ink off your toddler’s hands, try a banana peel. It’s a great non-toxic way to clean up a mess.
7. Remove Scratches from CDs.
Still using CDs and DVDs? Then you know the frustration when a song or a clip skips. Remove scratches from CDs by rubbing some banana on the scratch in a circular motion. Then wipe the CD with a lint-free cloth.
8. Get rid of fruit flies.
Place a banana peel in a plastic bag with the top half folded down. Wait an hour or two for all the fruit flies to gather on the peel, then seal the top of the bag and throw away the peel and the flies. Mission accomplished.
9. Prevent cramps.
Bananas are a rich source of potassium. Add bananas to your pre or post workout routine to prevent cramps.
10. Ease your heartburn.
If a meal left you feeling the burn, eat a banana. Bananas help neutralize stomach acid.
11. DIY Face Mask.
Want an all natural way to detox? Make a face mask using bananas for a glowing, healthy skin. Find DIY recipes here.
12. Deter aphids in your garden.
Are aphids attacking your rosebushes or plants? Bury cut-up banana peels two inches deep around the base of the aphid-prone plants to keep the aphids away. Don’t use whole peels or the bananas themselves, or raccoons and squirrels will be digging them up for a snack.
13. Try it as a natural fertilizer.
Banana peels, like the fruit itself, are rich in potassium, an important nutrient for your garden and you. Dry out banana peels, then grind them up in a food processor. Sprinkle the powder in early spring to give seedlings a healthy start.
14. Create a magical backyard wonderland.
You can entice butterflies and birds species to your backyard by putting out overripe bananas. Punch a few holes in the bananas to make the fruit more accessible to the butterflies. The fruit is also likely to attract more stinging insects as well, so make sure that the platform is well above head level and not near the swingset. Don’t forget clear it off before sunset, unless you also want visits from raccoons and other nocturnal animals.
15. Get rid of that splinter.
The natural enzymes in banana peels can help loosen splinters. Press the inside of the peel on your skin for up to 30 minutes and it will help move the splinter to the surface for easy removal.
Learn more about Equal Exchange fair trade bananas.
Originally posted 2017-04-26 12:59:21.
