16 Awesome Uses For Aluminum Foil - Two Southern Sweeties

Did you know there are many awesome uses for aluminum foil, here are 16 of them. Please let us know any other uses for aluminum foil that you have!

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Soften Brown Sugar – Restore hardened brown sugar to its original form by taking a chunk, wrap it in aluminum foil and bake it in the oven at 300 degrees for 5 minutes

Polish Silver – If your silverware is looking a bit dingy, try an ion exchange. Line a pan with a sheet of aluminum foil, fill with cold water and add 2 teaspoons of salt. Plop your silverware into the pan and let it sit for 2 or 3 minutes. Remove and dry.

Keeping Silverware Untarnished – Now that you have that silverware cleaned, keep it that by storing it on top of a sheet of aluminum foil to deter tarnishing. If you are going to store it long term, tightly wrap each piece with a cellophane wrap and then wrap in foil, twisting to seal the ends.

Keep Pets Off Of Furniture – If you are trying to keep your furry friends off of the furniture, lay out a sheet of aluminum foil across the seat. When your friend hops up and tries to get comfy, the noise will deter them and no longer find this a great place to snooze.

Protect A Child’s Mattress – Potty training can be daunting but this can help at night if you don’t have a plastic mattress protector. Lay several sheets of aluminum foil across the width of the bed, cover them with a large beach towel and then stretch the mattress pad and fitted sheet tightly over the mattress.

Read While Getting Rid Of The Grays – What is a girl to do when she is sitting around with color on her roots trying to get rid of those pesky gray hairs? Read! Wrap the ends of your glasses with aluminum foil and no dyed glasses. (You might also want to read our post Is There A Way To Reverse Gray Hair? Possibly!!

Sharpen Scissors – Inevitably when we get to the end of a roll of aluminum foil we have a couple inches that isn’t really good for much…until now! Take the foil and smooth it out and then fold it several times. Take your scissors and make 8 to 10 cuts through the aluminum foil.

Speed Ironing – I don’t know many people that like to iron so when we can figure out a way to make less time of the chore, we take it. Most of the heat is lost through the ironing board itself. Take a piece of aluminum foil lay it across the ironing board, now replace the board cover and speed through your ironing.

Clean Your Iron – Now that you can iron a bit quicker, make sure your iron is clean of starch buildup. Take your hot iron and run it over a piece of aluminum foil. That sticky starch will disappear.

Keep Bees And Bugs Out Of Beverages – There is nothing worse than a bee or fly getting into your glass of sweet tea just as you sit down on the porch to relax. Take a piece of aluminum foil and cover the opening of the glass tightly. Then poke a hole through the foil with a straw. No more bugs!

Clean Your Barbecue Grill – After you remove your food from the grill, place a layer of foil over the cooking grate while everything is still hot to help burn off any stuck on food. Next time you go to use your grill, crumble up that piece of foil and use it to scrub off any left over burnt on food. Now your ready to go.

Improve Outdoor Lighting – If you need more light for your party or camp site make a foil reflector to put behind your lights. Attach the reflector to the fixture with a few strips of duct tape (we LOVE duct tape in the South). *Do NOT apply the tape to the bulb itself.

Keep Your Toes Warm – If you are doing some cool weather camping make sure to keep those little piggy’s warm! Wrap some stones in aluminum foil and set them by the campfire while you are making s’mores. When it’s time to hit the sack, wrap the stones in towels and place them in the bottom of your sleeping bag.

Re-Attach Vinyl Floor Tile – Don’t become unglued just because a floor tile does. (Ha ha, unglued..get it? Ok, moving on) Position the tile on the floor, lay a piece of aluminum foil over the tile and run a hot iron over the top until you can feel the glue melting under the tile. Set some books, bricks or even a heavy cast iron skillet on the tile until the glue is dry and reset. This also works well on bulges and curled seams in vinyl sheet flooring.

Prevent Paint From Skinning Over – Place your paint can on top of a piece of aluminum foil. Trace around the bottom of the can, cut the circle of foil out and place it directly on top of the paint to keep a skin from forming when you close up the can.

Keep Paint Off Doorknobs – There is nothing worse than trying to paint a door and then having to pick off the paint that gets on the doorknobs. Wrap the knobs with aluminum foil making sure that it overlaps onto the door. Take a sharp utility knife and cut around the base of the knob, peeling off the excess foil. Now you can paint right up to the doorknob without worry.

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