For most people, aluminum foil is just a tool for baking meat and fish; sometimes it is also glued to windows so that the room does not overheat in the sun. However, for such a valuable material the scope of use is very modest. What else can you do with foil and ingenuity?
1. Light reflector for indoor plants
A plant on a windowsill does not always receive enough light, which is why it grows poorly. The situation can be improved by placing a concentrating light in a reflector. You need to take any cardboard box large enough to fit the pot with the plant. The top and one long side should be cut off.
The inside of the cut box needs to be covered with foil. Having placed a pot with a plant in it, you should place the box on the windowsill with the side without the side facing the street. Now the light entering the reflector will be focused on the plant.
2. Fake AA battery
It is quite possible to use various battery-powered electronics even in the absence of a sufficient number of batteries, the main thing is to close the circuit. The air conditioner remote control is no exception. If there is only one battery available when it requires two, you can compensate for this with foil. By rolling it into a tube, you can build a cylinder and insert it into the remote control instead of the missing battery. After that it will turn on, but of course it will discharge 2 times faster.
3. Improvised funnel for filling bottles
Without a funnel, it is difficult to pour water or other liquids with a large capacity into a small bottle. This won't be a problem if you roll a small piece of foil into a cone. An improvised disposable funnel will do the job quite well.
4. Scrambled eggs on foil
An old fluted pan can be difficult to cook scrambled eggs because they tend to stick to the ridges and indentations, making it difficult to flip. Such cooking attempts can ruin the scrambled eggs and make the pan very dirty.
If you place a sheet of aluminum foil in a clean and dry frying pan, making a false bottom, and pour vegetable oil on top, you can cook scrambled eggs on a flat surface. The foil is flat, and due to its small thickness, it heats up evenly, so the scrambled eggs on it do not fall apart when frying. In addition, the pan itself will remain clean.
5. Extending the shelf life of bananas
If you buy too many bananas, you may not have time to eat them because they will spoil. By sealing the tails of the fruit with foil, you can prevent moisture loss from the peel, thereby extending the shelf life by several days.
6. Upgrading warm gloves for using a touch phone
There are situations when you have to use a smartphone in the cold with gloves, but naturally the touchscreen does not perceive touches from the fabric. If you wrap the tips of your gloved fingers with foil, the control works even through the fabric.
7. Machine washable with aluminum balls
A washing machine cannot always cope with heavy soiling. To improve the washing effect, you can put several thick balls of foil into the drum along with dirty clothes. They will rub against the fabric, helping to remove stains. The balls need to be changed periodically so that the softened foil does not tear and damage the drain pump.
8. Quickly sharpen scissors
If the scissors stop cutting, you need to roll up a sheet of aluminum foil in several layers. For small scissors, 4 bends are enough.
By cutting the foil into thin strips with blunt scissors, you can sharpen them a little. This is a very fast and effective method that allows you to restore sharpness in literally a matter of minutes.
9. Scraper for cleaning the pan
Grooved frying pans are difficult to clean even with a brush, since it does not penetrate into all the recesses. For foil, a complex surface is not a problem. You need to make a ball out of it and scrape off the internal carbon deposits with it. Of course, this is not entirely easy and quick, but it is effective.
10. Homemade stylus for smartphone
Fine work on the screen of a phone or tablet with your fingers is difficult. Much easier to control with a stylus. It can be made by wrapping a piece of foil around the tip of an ordinary ballpoint pen, pencil or even a stick.
11. Quickly iron clothes on both sides
If you place aluminum foil on the ironing board under your clothes, the folds will straighten out on both sides when ironed.The iron heats the fabric from above, and the foil concentrates the temperature from below. In this way, you can iron not only thin shirts, but also thick trousers at a time.
Many of the suggested ways to use aluminum foil can really come in handy and help out. It’s better to make sure that a roll of foil is always in the house; maybe you can improvise it and use it in other situations.
