21+ Creative and Practical Uses For Junk Food

Once I made the change to consuming entire meals over a decade in the past, I noticed I had plenty of meals I now not needed to eat lurking within the pantry. For those who’re making the change or want to scrub issues out, listed below are some artistic makes use of for junk meals!

I compiled a listing of the way to make use of these for different family functions. I hate to waste as a lot as the following particular person, however I lastly needed to understand that my physique just isn’t a rubbish can. And I refused to make use of issues simply to complete what’s in the home. 

After we switched to an actual meals food regimen, I donated the entire unopened non-perishables. That also left the entire opened packages of flour, sugar, oil, and so on. to cope with. As a substitute of simply pitching it, we used it for some enjoyable initiatives and round the home.

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

1. All-Goal Enriched Flour

I’ve actually modified my stance and outlook on issues through the years, particularly in the case of grains. I averted them fully 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) moderately. 

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

Make Play Dough

A win-win state of affairs. You get to spend high quality time together with your youngsters and burn up the leftover flour in your pantry. For those who don’t have youngsters, this could possibly be enjoyable for grown-ups too… take into account it stress aid. And should 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 remember to take an image of your child’s artwork venture 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 fingers and a few previous items of newspaper to make creations. As soon as it dries, it’s very similar to 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! Chrome steel exhibits smudges… loads. 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 filth and dirt {that a} common cleansing fabric can’t. 

2. Sugar

I’ve written loads about sugar through the years and why I ditched it. Whereas I’ll nonetheless have pure sweeteners moderately, I give up bleached, white sugar. Sugar is a humectant that makes for an important pores and skin scrub although! Listed here are a number of completely different sugar scrub recipes to attempt. 

You’ll be able to even use a sugar syrup to wax physique hair. Listed here are directions for methods to make and use a sugar wax.

Kill Undesirable Ants

For many people, hotter seasons can imply ants in the home. As a substitute of utilizing noxious pesticides, you possibly can simply sort out the issue with somewhat sweetness. People and ants alike each love sugar.

To make a easy ant lure:

Combine 2 components sugar with 1 half borax (which is nice to have available for cleansing).

Put it in somewhat container or jar that ants can crawl out and in of. Ensure that your youngsters can’t get to it.

Borax is toxic to ants, however they will’t resist sugar. It received’t kill them instantly, however they’ll take it again to their nest the place it’s going to finally kill all of them. I’ve used this twice to eliminate ants in our home. Killing ants=good use for sugar!

3. Vegetable Oil 

You may need seen 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 sort of flooring, and that vegetable oil lurking in your pantry makes an superior hardwood flooring 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 may have a pleasant shine!

You too can 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 effectively as an insecticide and fungicide within the backyard. It kills bugs by suffocating them and helps forestall 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 forestall powdery mildew. Simply remember to attempt 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 positive with now and again. You is likely to be stunned to listen to that I go for white rice as an alternative of brown rice although and right here’s why. You probably have non-organic enriched rice or are avoiding it for intestine therapeutic functions, listed below are some methods to make use of it up. 

Dry Out Moist Electronics

Electronics and water don’t combine, or not less than they’re not purported 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 available and when an digital will get moist, put it within the jar and shut the lid tightly. The rice will take in the moisture and pull it out of the gadget. Until there’s structural injury, this often works. It could possibly take just a few 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 filled with amino acids, antioxidants, nutritional vitamins, protein, and different vitamins which are nice for hair well being. Right here’s methods to make and use rice water for softer, stronger, and shinier hair. 

5. Oatmeal For Pores and skin Well being

Oatmeal may cause blood sugar spikes for a lot of, and it’s typically contaminated with glyphosate. Right here’s methods to burn up a few of that further typical rolled oats in your pantry.

For a soothing 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 Severe Cleansing

I swapped out my coke and different sodas for more healthy (and tastier for my part) fermented drinks. You probably have some nonetheless sitting round, coke makes an important cleaner for robust messes. It accommodates phosphoric acid that breaks down rust and onerous 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 automobile bumper. Think about what it does to the intestines??

Clear Your Rest room

Rest room soiled? I’m positive yours isn’t, however mine generally 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 previous bathroom in a home I reworked. It labored (and that bathroom in all probability 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 automobile batteries – Pour coke on a gunky automobile 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 regular. 

Oil stains on flooring – Take away oil stains out of your storage flooring or concrete driveways. 

Clear pots and pans – Soak burnt pans in coke to dissolve caught on meals. 

Shine metallic jewellery – Soak metallic jewellery briefly in coke to scrub. Don’t do that for jewellery with treasured stones.  

Banish rust – Coke removes rust from every little thing from rest room fixtures to automobile components. 

7. Desk Salt

I’m truly a giant fan of salt and eat plenty of it on a regular basis. I’m not a giant fan of standard, iodized desk salt although for a number of causes. You probably have desk salt that wants used, listed below 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 sprig 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 important pure cleansing scrub. 

Use salt to scrub forged iron skillets, pots, and pans (double examine 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 chopping board to freshen it. Rinse and air dry.

And for a enjoyable venture with the children, attempt these 3 ingredient salt dough ornaments! The recipe is much like play-dough, however they dry onerous and you’ll paint the completed creations. 

Ultimate Ideas 

I hope this gave you some alternate concepts for that junk meals which may nonetheless be lurking in your pantry. For those who haven’t already, take into account swapping them out for entire 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’ve some other concepts for elements like these? Inform us about them beneath!