~ Alternate uses for other Common Products ~


Penny pinching tips ~ multiple uses for several
Common Household Items


Intuition  ~  Creativity  ~  Adaptability
Home Page
Table of Contents
Emergencies
Family Affairs
Natural Disasters
New World Order
Outdoor Survival
Self-Reliance
Shortages
TEOTWAWKI
Terrorism & Terrorists
United States Government
War & Military
Other Stuff


Contact SSRsi
News, Ads and Chat
Support SSRsi
Reciprocal Links


SSRsi OnLine Store
Get Firefox!
Alternate uses for other Common Products .
Petroleum Jelly ~ Olive Oil ~ Lemon Juice ~ Nonfat Dry Milk ~ Honey ~ Coffee Filters & Dental Floss
Corn Starch ~ Wesson Corn Oil ~ Bounce ~ 20 Mule Team – Borax ~ Biz and Simple Green

Petroleum Jelly Uses
	Lure trout. Coat small pieces of sponge with Vaseline Petroleum Jelly to simulate 
	fish egg bait.
	Prevent car battery corrosion. Smear Vaseline Petroleum Jelly on clean car 
	battery terminals.
	Remove chewing gum from hair. Apply Vaseline Petroleum Jelly and work into the 
	hair until the gum slides off.
	Remove a ring stuck on a finger. Coat finger with Vaseline Petroleum Jelly and slide 
	the ring off.
	Moisturize your face. Wash your face thoroughly and, while still wet, rub in a small dab 
	of Vaseline Petroleum Jelly. Keep wetting face until the Vaseline Petroleum Jelly is 
	spread evenly and does not appear greasy. Health spas use this secret treatment.
	Revive dried leather. Vaseline Petroleum Jelly, rubbed into a baseball glove, 
	softens the leather.
	Prevent rust on outdoor machinery. Apply a generous coat of Vaseline Petroleum 
	Jelly.
	Remove make-up. Vaseline Petroleum Jelly takes off mascara, eye-liner, lipstick, 
	rouge, and powders.
	Prevent the cap from sticking shut on nail polish bottles. Put a thin coat of Vaseline 
	Petroleum Jelly around the rim of the bottle.
	Help prevent diaper rash. Apply a thin coat of Vaseline Petroleum Jelly to a baby's 
	clean bottom before putting a fresh diaper on the tyke.
	Prevent outdoor light bulbs from sticking in fixtures. To make removal easy, rub a 
	thin coat of Vaseline Petroleum Jelly on the threads before inserting the bulbs.
	Heal chapped lips. Apply a little Vaseline Petroleum Jelly to the lips before going 
	outdoors and again before going to bed.
	Remove lipstick stains from linen napkins. Apply Vaseline Petroleum Jelly before 
	washing.
	Protect skin from wind burn and chapping. Apply a thin coat of Vaseline Petroleum 
	Jelly.
	Discourage candle wax from sticking to candle holders. Coat the insides of candle 
	holders with Vaseline Petroleum Jelly so wax slides out.
	Keep shampoo from getting in a baby's eyes. Rub a line of Vaseline Petroleum Jelly 
	above the eyebrows so shampoo runs off to the side.
	Shine leather shoes. Rub Vaseline Petroleum Jelly over the leather and wipe off the 
	excess with a towel.
	Mix with cotton ball for firestarter
Olive Oil Uses
	Shave. If you run out of shaving cream, slather on Olive Oil.
	Relieve a cough. Mix three to four tablespoons lemon juice, one cup honey, and 
	one-half cup Olive Oil. Heat for five minutes. Then stir vigorously for two minutes. 
	Take one teaspoon every two hours.
	Soothe frostbite. Warm some Olive Oil and gently dab on frostbitten skin.
	Relieve a scalded throat. Take two teaspoons Olive Oil to soothe and coat the throat.
	Rejuvenate dry skin. Lubricate with Olive Oil.
	Condition your hair. Warm up Olive Oil, massage it into your hair and scalp, wrap 
	your head in a towel, and sit under a dryer. Later, shampoo as usual.
	Relieve jellyfish or man-of-war stings. Apply Olive Oil for immediate relief, then seek 
	medical attention.
	Soothe an earache. Warm and insert a few drops of Olive Oil into the affected ear, 
	plug with cotton, and apply a hot water bottle.
	Relieve bursitis. Heat Olive Oil and massage into the shoulder or upper arm daily.
	Relieve constipation. Take one to three tablespoons Olive Oil as a mild laxative.
Lemon Juice Uses
	Get rid of dandruff. Apply one tablespoon of ReaLemon to your hair. Shampoo, then 
	rinse with water. Rinse again with a mixture of two tablespoons ReaLemon and two 
	cups water. Repeat every other day until dandruff disappears.
	Eliminate blackheads. Rub ReaLemon over blackheads before going to bed. Wait until 
	morning to wash off the juice with cool water. Repeat for several nights until you see a 
	big improvement in the skin.
	Deodorize a cutting board. Wash with ReaLemon to rid a cutting board of the smell of 
	garlic, onions, or fish.
	Remove fruit or berry stains from your hands. Rinse hands with ReaLemon juice.
	Stop bleeding and disinfect minor wounds. Pour ReaLemon on a cut or apply with a 
	cotton ball.
	Relieve poison ivy. Applying ReaLemon over the affected areas should soothe itching 
	and alleviate the rash.
	Clear up facial blemishes. Dab ReaLemon on the blemish a few times a day.
	Relieve rough hands or sore feet. Apply ReaLemon, rinse, then massage with olive oil.
	Clean brass, copper, and stainless steel. Make a paste from ReaLemon and salt, scrub 
	gently, then rinse with water.
	Relieve a cough. Mix four tablespoons ReaLemon, one cup honey, and one-half cup of 
	olive oil. Heat five minutes, then stir vigorously for two minutes. Take one teaspoon 
	every two hours.
	Train a dog to stop barking. Squirt some ReaLemon in the dog's mouth and say "Quiet."
	Relieve constipation. Before
Nonfat Dry Milk Uses
	Paint your house. Mix one and a half-cups Nonfat Dry Milk and one-half cup water 
	until it is the consistency of paint. Blend in water-based color to make the desired hue. 
	Thin the paint by adding more water, thicken the paint by adding more powdered milk. 
	Brush on as you would any other paint. Let the first coat dry for at least twenty-four 
	hours before adding a second coat. Let the second dry for three days. Early American 
	colonists made their milk paint from the milk used to boil berries, resulting in an 
	attractive gray color. This paint is extremely durable. To strip milk paint, apply ammonia, 
	allow it to dry for about four days, then apply bleach. Make sure you are stripping the 
	paint in a well-ventilated area.
	Thaw frozen fish. Mix one and one-third cup Nonfat Dry Milk in three and 
	three-quarters-cup water. Place the frozen fish in a pan and cover with the milk solution. 
	Milk eliminates the frozen taste, returning the fresh-caught flavor.
	Soothe poison ivy, insect bites, and sunburn. Mix ten ounces Nonfat Dry Milk and 
	twenty-five ounces water in a quart container. Fill up the container by adding ice cubes 
	and two tablespoons salt. Apply to infected area with a cloth for twenty minutes, three or 
	four times daily.
	Substitute whipped cream. Whip one cup Nonfat Dry Milk in a cup of ice water for five 
	minutes. Use immediately.
	Clean silver. Mix five ounces Nonfat Dry Milk, twelve ounces water, and one tablespoon 
	Heinz White Vinegar or ReaLemon lemon juice. Let silver stand overnight in the mixture, 
	then rinse clean and dry thoroughly.
Honey Uses
	Dress wounds and burns. Apply Honey to the injury. Honey is hygroscopic and absorbs water, 
	creating an environment in which disease-producing microorganisms, deprived of their 
	moisture, cannot live.
	Soothe a sore throat. Take one teaspoon of Honey at bedtime, letting it trickle down your throat.
	Cure a hangover. Honey is a concentrated source of fructose. Eating Honey on crackers 
	helps your body flush out whatever alcohol remains in the body.
	Relieve a cough due to a cold. Dissolve one tablespoon Honey and one tablespoon 
	ReaLemon in a small glass of warm water and sip it. For a stronger solution, combine equal 
	parts Honey and ReaLemon, and take one teaspoon at bedtime. Both mixtures may help 
	loosen phlegm.
	Substitute honey for sugar when cooking. Use Honey in place of granulated sugar for up to 
	one-half of the sugar. With experimentation, honey can be substituted for all the sugar in 
	some recipes. For baked goods, add about one-half teaspoon baking soda for each cup of 
	honey used, reduce the amount of liquid in the recipe by one-quarter cup for each cup of 
	honey used, and reduce oven temperature by 25 degrees Fahrenheit to prevent 
	over-browning. For easy removal, spray measuring cup with Pam Cooking Spray before 
	adding honey.
	Make children sleepy at bedtime and help prevent small children from wetting the bed. A 
	teaspoon of honey at bedtime will act as a sedative to a child's nervous system and will attract 
	and hold fluid in a child's body during the hours of sleeping. When a child over one-year old is 
	given honey, the blood and tissue calcium begins to increase. The calcium unites with excess 
	phosphorous to form a compound that makes bones, teeth, hair, and fingernails. The sedative 
	effect on the nervous system of a child may be observed within an hour. Honey should not be 
	fed to infants less than one year of age. Honey is a safe and wholesome food for older children 
	and adults.
	Help heal erysipelas. Generously cover the affected area with honey, and then cover with 
	cotton for 24 hours. Repeat if necessary.
Coffee Filters & Dental Floss
Many of the products that we have around the home each day have other uses. Two of the most versatile and 
cheap things to have on hand are coffee filters and dental floss. Notwithstanding their obvious uses, they can also 
be used as follows:
Coffee Filters
	1. Filter broken cork from wine. Filter the wine through a coffee filter if you break the cork 
	when opening a wine bottle.
	2. Clean windows and mirrors. Because they are lint free, coffee filters can be used to 
	clean windows.
	3. Protect china. Put a coffee filter between each dish.
	4. Cover bowls or dishes when cooking in the microwave.
	5. Protect a cast-iron skillet. Put a coffee filter in skillet and it will absorb moisture and 
	prevent rust.
	6. Apply shoe polish. Again, it is lint free.
	7. Recycle frying oil. Strain oil through a sieve lined with a coffee filter.
	8. Weigh chopped foods. Place chopped ingredients in a coffee filter on a kitchen scale.
	9. Hold tacos and other messy food.
	10. Stop the soil from leaking out of a plant pot. Line a plant pot with a coffee filter.
	11. Prevent a Popsicle from dripping. Poke a hole in coffee filter, insert popsicle. The 
	filter catches the drips.
Dental Floss (Unflavored)

	1. Truss poultry for cooking. Fill the cavity with stuffing and tie legs together
	with dental floss. Can also be used to sew the cavity closed.
	2. Repair the mesh screening on playpens.
	3. Cut a birthday cake into neat slices.
	4. Lift cookies from a cookie sheet. Slide a strand of dental floss between fresh 
	baked cookies and the cookie sheet.
	5. Repair a tent or backpack.
	6. Sew buttons on heavy coats.
	7. Hang pictures, sun catchers, or wind chimes.
	8. String beaded necklaces.
	9. Slice cheese.
Corn Starch Uses
	Kill cockroaches. Mix equal parts Kingsford's Corn Starch and plaster of Paris. 
	Sprinkle the mixture in cracks and crevices. Cockroaches will eat the mixture 
	and "petrify."
	Cure athlete's foot. Sprinkle Kingsford's Corn Starch on your feet and in your 
	shoes to absorb moisture and reduce friction.
	Relieve sunburn pain. Add enough water to Kingsford's Corn Starch to make a 
	paste, and apply directly to the burn.
	Clean blood stains. Immediately cover the spot with a paste of Kingsford's Corn 
	Starch and cold water. Rub gently, place the object in the sun until dry to draw 
	the blood into the corn starch, then brush off. Repeat if necessary.
	Substitute for baby powder and talcum powder. Apply Kingsford's Corn Starch 
	sparingly when diapering a baby. Corn starch is actually more absorbent than 
	talcum powder, but apply lightly since it does cake more readily.
	Shampoo your hair. Kingsford's Corn Starch can be used as a dry shampoo. Work 
	into your hair, then brush out.
	Prevent or kill mildew in damp books. Sprinkle Kingsford's Corn Starch throughout 
	the book to absorb the moisture from damp pages, wait several hours, then brush 
	clean. If the pages are mildewed, brush the corn starch off outdoors to keep 
	mildew spores out of the house.
	Detangle knots. Sprinkle a stubborn knot with a little Kingsford's Corn Starch.
	Clean silver. Make a paste with Kingsford's Corn Starch and water. Apply with a 
	damp cloth, let dry, then rub off with cheesecloth
	Remove grease or oil stains from smooth fabric. Apply Kingsford's Corn Starch to 
	the spot, wait twelve hours, brush off, then launder as usual.
	Give your dog a dry shampoo. Rub Kingsford's Corn Starch into your dog's fur, then 
	comb and brush out.
	Prevent pastry dough from sticking to the cutting board and rolling pin. Sprinkle the 
	cutting board and rolling pin with tasteless Kingsford's Corn Starch before rolling out 
	the dough. 
Wesson Corn Oil
	Moisturize skin. Massage Wesson Corn Oil into your skin, wait fifteen minutes, 
	remove the excess oil with Bounty Paper Towels, then take a hot-water bath.
	Make bubble bath. Mix two cups of Wesson Corn Oil, three tablespoons of liquid 
	shampoo, and one-quarter teaspoon of your favorite perfume. Mix the solution 
	in a blender at high speed.
	Prevent cat hairballs. Add a teaspoon of Wesson Corn Oil to one cat meal daily.
	Condition hair. Massage lukewarm Wesson Corn Oil into dry hair, cover hair 
	with a shower cap for thirty minutes, then shampoo and rinse thoroughly.
	Remove oil paint from skin. Use Wesson Corn Oil instead of turpentine.
	Season a cast-iron skillet. Rub a drop of Wesson Corn Oil on the inside of the 
	pan to keep it seasoned. Place a sheet of Bounty Paper Towel over and under 
	the skillet when storing. To season a new cast iron skillet, grease with unsalted 
	Wesson Corn Oil and warm in an oven for two hours. Repeat after washing the 
	skillet for several weeks.
	Remove rust spots from a cast-iron skillet. Apply Wesson Corn Oil, let stand, 
	then wipe thoroughly. Repeat if necessary.
	Prevent car doors from freezing in winter. Rub the gaskets with Wesson Corn 
	Oil to seal out water without harming the gaskets.
	Prevent snow from sticking to a shovel. Coat the shovel with Wesson Corn Oil.
	Oil wooden spoons, cutting boards, and butcher block. Put Wesson Corn Oil on 
	a Bounty paper towel, rub it into the wood, then wipe clean.
	Soothe tired feet. Rub warmed Wesson Corn Oil into your feet, wrap in a damp hot 
	towel, and sit for ten minutes.
	Remove a splinter. Soak the wounded area in Wesson Corn Oil for a few minutes 
	to soften the skin before trying to remove the splinter.
	Remove burrs, tar, and sticky substances from a dog's hair. Saturate the area with 
	Wesson Corn Oil. Wash with dog shampoo, rinse immediately, and brush clean.
	Clean the sap from your hands. Rub your hands with Wesson Corn Oil and wipe 
	clean with a Bounty Paper Towel.
	Make cleaning a barbecue grill easy. Before cooking, coat the grill with Wesson 
	Corn Oil. Clean when the grill is cool to the touch.
	Remove paper stuck to a wood surface. Saturate the paper with Wesson Corn Oil, 
	let sit for a while, and gently peel the paper off.
	Treat ear mites in cats. Put a few drops of Wesson Corn Oil into your cat's ear and 
	massage. Then clean out all debris with a ball of cotton. Repeat daily for three days, 
	and the mites should be gone. The oil soothes the cat's sensitive skin, smothers the 
	mites, and promotes healing.
Bounce Uses
	Repel mosquitoes. Tie a sheet of Bounce through a belt loop when outdoors during 
	mosquito season.
	Dissolve soap scum from shower doors. Clean with a used sheet of Bounce.
	Freshen the air in your home. Place an individual sheet of Bounce in a drawer or 
	hang one in the closet.
	Prevent thread from tangling. Run a threaded needle through a sheet of Bounce to 
	eliminate the static cling on the thread before sewing.
	Prevent musty suitcases. Place an individual sheet of Bounce inside empty luggage 
	before storing.
	Clean baked-on food from a cooking pan. Put a sheet in the pan, fill with water, let sit 
	overnight, and sponge clean. The antistatic agents apparently weaken the bond between 
	the food and the pan while the fabric softening agents soften the baked-on food.
	Eliminate odors in wastebaskets. Place a sheet of Bounce at the bottom of the wastebasket.
	Collect cat hair. Rubbing the area with a sheet of Bounce will magnetically attract all the 
	loose hairs.
	Wipe up sawdust from drilling or sandpapering. A used sheet of Bounce will collect sawdust 
	like a tack cloth.
	Eliminate odors in dirty laundry. Place an individual sheet of Bounce at the bottom of a 
	laundry bag or hamper.
	Deodorize shoes or sneakers. Place a sheet of Bounce in your shoes or sneakers overnight 
	so they'll smell great in the morning. 
20 Mule Team – Borax Uses
Found with the laundry detergents at your local Walmart
Keep away weeds and ants
	Get the jump on those weeds that grow in the cracks of the concrete outside your house 
	by sprinkling borax into all the crevices where you've seen weeds grow in the past. It will 
	kill them off before they have a chance to take root. When applied around the foundation 
	of your home, it will also keep ants and other six-legged intruders from entering your 
	house. But be very careful when applying borax -- it is toxic to plants.
Eliminate urine odor on mattresses
	Toilet training can be a rough experience for all the parties involved. If your child has an 
	"accident" in bed, here's how to get rid of any lingering smell: Dampen the area, then rub 
	in some borax. Let it dry, then vacuum up the powder.
Remove mildew from fabric
	To remove mildew from upholstery and other fabrics, soak a sponge in a solution of 1/2 cup 
	borax dissolved in 2 cups hot water, and rub it into the affected areas. Let it soak in for 
	several hours until the stain disappears, then rinse well. To remove mildew from clothing, 
	soak it in a solution of 2 cups borax in 2 quarts (2 liters) water.
Deodorize cat filler.
	Mix one-and-a-half cups 20 Mule Team Borax to every five pounds of cat filler to reduce and 
	control odor in the cat box.
Clean a metal coffee pot.
	Fill the percolator with water and add one teaspoon 20 Mule Team Borax and one teaspoon 
	detergent powder. Boil the water, let the mixture sit for a few minutes, then rinse clean.
Make children's clothing flame retardant.
	Mix together nine ounces 20 Mule Team Borax and four ounces boric acid in one gallon water. 
	If the article is washable, soak in the solution after final rinsing, then dry. If the garment is not 
	washable, spray with the solution. This solution, recommended by fire departments, may wash 
	out of clothing and should be used after each washing or dry cleaning.
Make your own automatic dishwashing soap.
	Use equal parts 20 Mule Team Borax and washing soda.
Reduce ash and eliminate smoke problems from candlewicks in homemade candles.
	Dissolve one tablespoon of table salt and three tablespoons 20 Mule Team Borax in one cup of 
	warm water. Soak heavy twine in the solution for at least 24 hours. Allow the twine to dry 
	thoroughly before using to make candles. 
Biz and Simple Green
	1/4 cup Biz (enzyme laundry additive. I use the powder)
	1/4 cup Simple Green in a 1 liter spritz bottle
		- add warm water, shake until dissolved
It's the best household cleaner I've come up with! Cheap to make and very "green". Non toxic unless you breathe 
the mist. I double the recipe for a gallon and add more if it's a really dirty situation. It's also the best remedy I know 
of for SKUNK 

Please Read The Website Disclaimer!
Copyright 1986-2012, The Survival & Self-Reliance Studies Institute (SSRsi), All Rights Reserved
Site conceptualized, designed, created & maintained by MEG Raven
Snail Mail: SSRsi, PO Box 2572 Dillon, CO. 80435-2572