14 Surprising Household Uses for Butter

Butter is used in many recipes, but some people avoid it because of its fat content. However, if you keep some butter in the fridge, it can help solve a lot of problems around the house and help you when you run out of.

Removing water marks from wood surfaces

Mix some butter with some cigarette ash and make a paste. Apply this magic paste to water marks on wood surfaces in the kitchen, bathroom or bedroom with a soft cloth, then wipe the area with a clean, dry cloth. Magic water stain busting with no expense.

Untangling necklaces

To untangle necklaces, just rub the knot with some butter so the links can slide over each other more easily. Use a needle or another long, pointy object to pick apart the little knot you couldn’t untangle before.

Preserving onions

If you leave onions around they go off really quickly and need to be throw into the compost bin. Most people find that they don’t use a whole onion for all their recipes, so this is a great technique you can use often. To preserve the onion, apply butter to the edge of the onion you cut away, then wrap it in foil. Keep it in the fridge or a cool storage room.

Polishing leather

Shine your sports equipment, leather jackets, belts, wallets, handbags or anything else made from leather. It won’t hurt the leather one bit due to its high amino acid content! Just grab a cloth, dip it into the butter as you would with any other polish, and work it in with a circular rubbing motion. Buff afterwards for added shine with a finer cloth.

Preventing water from spilling

Pasta lovers will love this one. Add a small knob of butter to the water you boil your pasta in, and it will prevent it from spilling over the side! Easy peasy, and tasty, too.

Removing ink stains from plastic

Ink stains can get onto all sorts of surfaces if you have kids. Or you might want to use this technique to remove labels from plastic tupperware. Take a cloth and dab it into some butter. Then sit the item in a sunny spot for a couple of days, so it can soften the stain. You could also add a dusting of salt to the butter for stubborn stains. After the required time has passed, work on the stain with a clean, dry cloth. It should rub off easily.

Making shaving easier

If you’ve run out of shaving foam or gel, you’ll need some butter to help the razor slide effortlessly over your skin without nipping you. Apply enough to get the desired effect, shave, then wash it off with a natural shower gel.

Removing chewing gum from hair

You can use butter to get chewing gum out of kids’ or adults’ hair, but you could also use peanut butter, or another oil, like olive oil. Take an old toothbrush or a crafty finger and completely smother the unwanted chewy in the butter or oil. Leave it for a few minutes to work, and then gently pull out the culprit.

Removing a stuck ring

Don’t panic when you try a ring on and it’s too small. Butter, when worked into the finger joint the ring won’t slide over, will let you pull it off easily.

Preserving cheese

If you bought some expensive cheese and would like it to last for at least a couple of weeks, try this old trick. Simply apply a light coating of fresh butter to the cheese surface, making sure you cover the whole lot. Keep it in the fridge, wrapped in plastic, then slice some off when needed. Just make sure you coat the fresh side with some more butter before popping it back in the fridge.

Silencing squeaky doors

This is actually a very practical way of stopping your doors from squeaking. Rub a little butter straight onto the hinge on the door. It won’t drip, unless you have the central heating on full blast, but it will gently soak into the right spot. Voila!

Removing sticky residue

Sticky substances like glue, wax used for hair removal, chewing gum and tree sap all come loose when you rub them with butter before washing with soap and water.

Cutting sticky foods

Pies, toffee, marshmallows, and other sticky food can be cut beautifully without anything sticking if you spread the knife with butter very thinly before cutting them.

Taking pills more easily

To help large pills slide down your throat with more ease, first coat them with a little layer of butter. Who would have thought it.