Banana Peel Uses

Banana peels get thrown into the rubbish more often than not. But why not explore all of the useful ways a banana skin can work for you! They’re truly amazing, so whether you’ve got acne or have run out of shoe polish, you’ll want to grap the banana skin and let it perform miracles.

Banana peel uses in the home

Compost

Compost bins should contain many banana skins if you want a beautiful garden soil. They add potassium, phosphorus and are amazing for root development and general plant health. Be sure you add lots of brown materal, too, to keep a nice balance in your compost. Happy plants are sure to manifest for you when you eat a lot of bananas and add them to the bin.

Compost tea

If you’re looking for a more immediate solution, why not add a few peels to a bucket of water and make a compost tea. Let it sit for a couple of days and you’ll have your plant food ready. Mix one part of the tea with five parts of fresh water and then water your plants with the solution. When you do this once a month, you’ll give your plants a real booth and they will grow stronger the more you do it.

Shine up your houseplants

Rubbing the soft side of a banana peel on your houseplant leaves helps give them a happy glow. This technique really works nicely for indoor plants with waxy leaves like Ficus trees, Calatheas and tropical varieties you enjoy having around the home.

Tenderise meat

Tenderise meat by simply putting a ripe banana skin on the bottom of a roasting pan while it’s cooking. It will keep the meat beautifully moist and tender!

Shine ya shoes

Leather shoes love banana skins. Just rub the soft inside skin onto your leather and it will refresh, clean and shine it to a tee.

Aphid control

Aphids, or green flies, don’t like banana skins at all. Bury some skin around your roses and/or other plants that are prone to aphid attacks and they will be less likely to stick around. You can also use some banana peel tea, explained below, and blend it will some garlic and spray that onto your little lovelies.

Banana peel uses for health and skin

Sooth skin irritations

When you’ve finished eating a banana, stick it in the fridge. Any time you have a skin irritation, take the banana skin and go straight to the bathroom and gently rub the peel on the affected area. This works great for insect bites, stings and allergies. You’ll also find that banana skins improve your skins’ health, too!

Improve your complexion

Massaging your skin with a banana skin won’t turn you into Bananaman, but it will radically improve your skin when done on a regular basis. The fruit acids, vitamins and minerals your skin will receive will knock your socks off, and exfoliate and nourish that complexion, giving it a softer and younger appearance in no time.

Say goodbye to warts

Warts are a pain, but they’ll fade if you rub a little pieve of ripe skin over them nightly before bed. If the freezing them off technique doesn’t take your fancy, simply try this – it’s so easy and painless.

Whiten your teeth

If you just can’t stop making the most of your banana peels, you’ll love this. Use just a portion of a banana peel and rub it on your teeth once a day for two weeks. This will remove stains and add shine, without you having to ruin your teeth with the nasty chemical treatments available at the chemist!

Hemorrhoid cure

Banana skins can help cure hemorrhoids. Eat the bananas, obviously, as they are a good natural laxative when eaten ripe (never green), then rub the peel on the sore spot. The skin will provide everything your hemorrhoid needs to heal up nicely.

Antidepressant properties

By boiling banana skins in water, you can make an amazing antidepressant tea! Just put the peels into a pan and cover with water. After 10 minutes, strain the tea and let it cool. You can add this tea to smoothies or juices, or sip it when it’s still warm and steamy.

Bruise control

Bruises appear after all sorts of bumps and bangs. Rub a banana skin on the painful area, and it’ll help prevent and heal the bruise.