By Bobbi Burger Brunoehler of BobbisBargains.
gogoloopie/flickr
I love my Pyrex dishware and my casserole dishes almost every day. However, the one thing that I don’t like about glass dishware is the baked-on brown stuff that I can’t seem to get off. No matter how much I wash my casserole dishes, they always look dirty. I’ve used SOS pads, but they rusted all over my sink. I don’t want to buy new dishes.
Then I read an article that said a balled up piece of aluminum foil and a bit of dish soap would remove stains from glassware. I didn’t believe it. So, I grabbed a bit of stray aluminum foil, loosely balled it up, spritzed a bit of dish soap and water on it, and began to scrub. Oh my goodness! The impossible-to-remove gunk came right off! My dishes look like new!
So what else is aluminum foil good for? Here are five ways that I personally use aluminum foil:
- As liner at the bottom of my toaster oven. My mom taught me to do this and it is a super tip. When you get a new toaster oven, cover the bottom tray (under the heating element) with aluminum foil. All those yucky, sticky crumbs settle on the foil. When it just gets too messy, unplug the toaster and pull off the foil when cool. Put down fresh foil. It’s magic. Without the foil, the only way I know to get a clean toaster oven is to buy a new one. Foil = cheaper than new toaster.
- Make a solar oven. Aluminum foil is one of the key materials needed to make and cook in a solar oven. If you haven’t done this yet, it’s a great project to do with your kids.
- My brother likes to give a cat a balled up piece of aluminum foil. Apparently, watching the ensuing activity gives my brother something to do.
- Aluminum foil, hot water, and baking soda will magically take the tarnish off your silver. (This link goes to a video.)
- Sharpening scissors. Getting scissors professionally sharpened is expensive. When my scissors get dull, I take a sheet of foil and fold it until it is about 8 layers thick. Then I cut thin strips with my scissors. Instant sharpening.
Do you know of other uses for aluminum foil?
Welcome to Bargain Babe! I’m Mara, and I’m so glad you’re here. I am an obsessive bargain hunter and penny pincher, and I am determined to live a full life without EVER paying full price.
This may sound wierd but you can make a grilled cheese sandwhich with foil and steam iron – the kind you use on clothes. Put cheese between two pieces of bread and wrap it in foil. Heat up your iron and place on top of the wrapped sandwich and give a couple of shots of steam. Turn your sandwhich over and do the same to the other side. And Voila! You have a grilled cheese sandwhich. This would be great when traveling with kids in a motel!
I read that if you put foil under the ironing board cloth, it saves you time to just iron one side of your clothing. You will find that both sides are smooth because the foil transfers the heat underneath so you only iron once on the first side.
@Barbara My daughter will love this one. She adores grilled cheese sandwiches.
@maureen Yes, I read that too. Since I hardly ever iron, I didn’t know if it would work. Have you tried it?
Bobbi, those are great suggestions. Does this work with Corningware as well as glass? I do know that if you put a sheet of aluminum foil in the bottom of a stoppered sink, add water and baking soda, you can simply submerge any silver needing tarnish removal, and let the solution do the work for you.
I know that using layers of sandpaper works to sharpen scissors, but didn’t know about foil. Now I have another way to reuse foil that has at least one more life in it.
Didn’t Johnny Depp make a grilled cheese sandwich on the ironing board in Benny and Joon?
I suppose aluminum foil wouldn’t work on glass shower doors. The products out there just don’t cut it! Any suggestions? Thanks.
@ Bobbi, you know I have and I think it only works well on cotton, not any other fabric. On thinner material like silk, not a good idea.