Just like the cling film, aluminum foil is a staple item that you’re bound to have in your pantry. This material is excellent for storing leftover food items in your fridge and even used to line pans under the stove burners. But that’s not all aluminum foil can be used for. This might come as a shocker but aluminum foil can actually help you around with your household cleaning chores.
You heard us – that roll of aluminum foil in your larder can be more than just a wrapping material; check out some of these amazing cleaning hacks that you can use with the cheap and readily available aluminum foil.
#1: Helps Remove Rust
Rusted metal might seem like a permanent effect that can’t be undone but that’s not true at all. You can actually use something as cheap and simple as the aluminum foil in your pantry to completely get rid of rust. Although it might only provide a temporary solution, there’s no denying that this material can bring back the shine and polish to your chrome materials.
To remove rust from chrome, all you’ll need is a piece of aluminum foil, some dish soap, warm water and fresh microfiber cloths.
Begin with mixing the dishwashing liquid or dish soap into the bucket of warm water to make a soapy solution. Soak your microfiber cloth into this soapy mixture and use it to wipe the surface of the rusted chrome. This helps to soften the rusted areas making it easier to peel off with aluminum foil.
Empty the contents of the bucket and pour in clean water into it again. Cut out a piece of aluminum foil and submerge it in the bucket of clean water. Using this piece of foil paper, scrub the rusted chrome gently until the rust is removed. You might need to use several pieces of damp aluminum foil paper to completely polish a much rusted surface.
Finally wipe the chrome with a dry and clean microfiber cloth. Additionally, you can apply wax coating on top of the metal for an ultimate shiny effect and to prevent it from getting rusted again.
#2: Polishes Silverware
Another popular use of aluminum foil in the house is to polish old and lusterless silverware. You can easily clean the tarnish off the silverware in no time with some aluminum foil and you won’t need to invest in buying new utensils any time soon.
You should have aluminum foil on you as well as a heat-resistant glass-made baking dish, a small bucket of boiling hot water, a tablespoon of baking soda, a tablespoon of rock or sea salt and half a cup of vinegar. You will also need microfiber cloths or clean paper towels for drying and a pair of tongs to prevent direct contact with the boiling water.
With the aluminum foil, wrap the glass-made baking dish completely with the shiny part of the aluminum foil turned up. Produce a mixture of baking soda and the sea salt, and add the combination onto the baking dish covered in foil paper.
Next you’d want to pour in half a cup of distilled white vinegar in the baking dish. The mixture will cause effervescence in the baking dish if you’re doing it right.
Pour in the boiling hot water in the baking dish carefully and add the silver layer in a neat singular line at the very bottom using a pair of tongs. This is important because you need to make sure that your cutlery is in direct contact with the foil paper.
Let the silverware sit in the baking dish for about 5 minutes and then carefully remove each silverware piece from the boiling water one after another with tongs. Dry the silverware with a clean and dry microfiber cloth. You might need to repeat the process if your silverware is heavily tarnished.
#3: Sharpens Scissors
This is more of a bonus household tip than an actual cleaning hack but it really works. With the help of aluminum foil paper, you can actually sharpen your scissors in no time. For this, you’ll need a long piece of aluminum foil paper ideally about 12 to 15 inches long.
Fold this foil paper lengthwise a few times until it’s about an inch wide and thick with several layers. Cut this folded piece of aluminum foil with the dull scissors you wish to sharpen making sure that you cut all the way through. This helps to sharpen and hone the blade of your scissors in its entire length.
That’s it! The blades should be sharpened now and you can test it out on a simple piece of paper. Do remember to wipe the scissor with a clean microfiber cloth or a paper towel to remove any remnants.
Aluminum foil can work wonders when it comes to cleaning chores in the house. We’ve already mentioned some of them but there are many more that you can explore. Don’t have time to do the cleaning? No problem at all. Leave it up to Dashing Maids, your Denver house cleaners, to get your cleaning chores done in the most efficient and timely manner.
