A. Aluminum Foil Life Hacks
You can keep aluminum foil for leftovers and cakes in your kitchen, but here are some homemade foil tricks that will change the way you think.
1. Scrub your dishes
After baking a lasagna or casserole, you can easily scrape off the stuck food with a ball of crumbled aluminum foil. You can reuse the foil that covered the dish during oven cooking and avoid spoiling the sponges in the melted cheese or sauces.
2. One more picture
Make a unique and beautiful cheap wooden frame! Simply paint the wooden frame with artificial glue and glue aluminum foil to the front of the frame. For best results, fold the film around the edges of the frame. It’s okay if the foil is wrinkled – it adds to the rustic look! Once the glue is dry, float it lightly over the metallic paint to create a rusty metal image.
3. Sharpening the scissors
Fold the foil in quarters to form four layers. Then cut the foil with scissors – this will sharpen the blades.
4. Freezer leftovers
Wrap leftover pizza in foil and place directly in freezer. When you’re ready to eat again, just take it out of the freezer, put it on a baking sheet and put it in the oven. This reheat will keep the crunchy crust and the cheese melted – much better than microwave!
5. Cupcake diy holders
Make a temporary cupcake holder (perfect for parties!) with Reynolds aluminum foil. Line a cupcake tin with foil, making sure the foil is molded into each cup to create cutouts. Place the molded holder on top of another piece of aluminum foil. Place a muffin in each well. Then place the two ends of the foil in the middle and fold it 2 to 3 times. Check out the full tutorial here.
6. Immediate funnel
Avoid the clutter of pouring oil or other cooking ingredients into another bottle by forming a tinfoil funnel. Easy to clean afterwards as you can just throw away the dirty film. This works great for making herb-infused oil.
7. Diy panini press
Wrap a sandwich in aluminum foil. Place sandwich between two baking sheets. Then wrap a brick in aluminum foil and place the brick on the top baking sheet. Bake and bake until the sandwich is hot and melted.
B. Handy Aluminum Foil Hacks You’ll Wish You Knew Sooner
If you line your baking sheets with aluminum foil, you’re only realizing a fraction of its potential. These ingenious aluminum foil hacks can save you time, money and effort.
1. Catch ice cream drops
Using aluminum foil goes far beyond keeping your best baking sheets clean. In fact, you can keep kids from messing up their clothes by rolling a piece of aluminum foil in the bottom of an ice cream cone before giving it to them. Ta-da – no drops!
2. Sharpen your scissors
What can you do with the scraps of aluminum foil you keep? Use them to sharpen your blunt scissors! If necessary, flatten them, then fold the strips into several layers and start cutting. Seven or eight passes should be enough. Very easy, right?
3. Speed up your ironing
When you iron clothes, much of the heat from the iron is absorbed by the plate itself, so you’ll have to go through several iron passes to remove creases. To speed things up, place a piece of aluminum foil under the ironing board cover. This film reflects heat back through clothing and smoothes out wrinkles more quickly.
4. Put some bite into your mulch
Aluminum foil cuts also extend outdoors! To keep hungry insects away from cucumbers and other vegetables, mix foil strips with garden mulch. As an added benefit, the film reflects light back onto your plants.
5. Improvise a frying pan
If you don’t want to drag a skillet with you on your next camping trip, you can carve your own by centering a forked toothpick over two layers of sturdy aluminum foil. Wrap the edges of the foil tightly around the forked branches, leaving some slack in the foil between the forks. Turn the toothpick over and press the center to hold the food for frying.
6. Remove the colors from the doorknobs
If you’re painting a door, aluminum foil is great for wrapping around the handles and preventing paint from getting into them. Place the aluminum foil over the door when winding the handle, then run a knife around the base of the handle to cut the foil. So you can paint all the way to the edge of the button. In addition to wrapping the buttons on the doors you’re painting, wrap all the buttons that are along the path you’re cleaning your hands and brushes for.
7. Bake a perfect pie crust
Some of these aluminum foil tricks will help you in the kitchen. Prevent the edges of your homemade pies from burning by covering them with foil strips. Aluminum foil prevents the edges from being overcooked by browning the rest of the cake to perfection.
8. Create special shapes for cakes
Make a teddy bear birthday cake, Valentine’s Day heart cake, Christmas tree cake, or whatever the occasion demands. Simply form a double-thick, high-performance aluminum sheet into the desired shape into a large form.
9. Soften brown sugar
To restore hardened brown sugar to its former powdery radiance, cut a piece, wrap it in aluminum foil, and bake at 300°F (150°C) for five minutes.
10. Decorate a cake
No pastry bags handy? No problem. Shape a piece of sturdy aluminum foil into a tube and fill it with frosting. Bonus: there’s no pastry bag to clean – just throw away the foil when you’re done.
11. Keep buns and buns warm
Would you like to enjoy the oven heat of your homemade buns or breads for a dinner or picnic? Before carrying your basket, wrap your fresh baked goods in a napkin and place a layer of foil underneath. The sheet reflects heat and keeps the bread warm for a long time.
12. Polish your silver
Does your cutlery look a little boring these days? Try ion exchange, a molecular reaction in which aluminum acts as a catalyst. Simply line a baking sheet with a piece of aluminum foil, fill it with cold water and add two teaspoons of salt. Place the stained cutlery in the solution, let it sit for two to three minutes, then rinse and dry.
13. Leave the cutlery unspotted
Store freshly cleaned cutlery on a piece of aluminum foil to prevent staining. To store cutlery for a long period of time, first cover each piece with cellophane paper – be sure to squeeze out as much air as possible – then wrap in aluminum foil and close the ends.
14. Protect steel wool pads
It’s insane. After using a steel wool pad, place it in a bowl by the sink, and the next day you find a rusty mess that is only good for trash. To avoid rust and make your money worth it, wrap it in foil and throw it in the freezer. You can also extend the life of your steel wool soaps by crumpling a piece of aluminum foil and placing it under the steel wool in a bowl or container. (Don’t forget to regularly drain the water that accumulates below.)
15. Scrub your pans
Don’t have a mop? Crush a handful of aluminum foil and use it to scrub your pots.
16. Keep the oven clean
Are you baking a lasagna with gas or a casserole? Keep dirty drops from the bottom of the oven by placing one or two sheets of aluminum foil on the grill. Do not cover the bottom of the stove with aluminum foil; this could cause a fire.
17. Improve refrigerator efficiency
This is how you can easily get more heat from your old cast iron radiators without spending a dime extra on your gas or oil bill: make a heat reflector to put behind it. Glue heavy aluminum foil to the box with the glossy side of the paper facing out. The radiant heat waves bounce off the sheet into the room, rather than being absorbed by the wall behind the radiator. If your radiators have caps, it’s also helpful to put a piece of aluminum foil under the cap.
18. Protect a child’s mattress
As every parent of a potty-trained teenager knows, accidents do happen. If they happen on the bed, however, you can take it easy on the mattress – even if you don’t have plastic protection available. First, place several layers of aluminum foil across the entire width of the mattress. Then cover them with a big beach towel. Finally, secure the mattress cover and bottom sheet.
19. Hide worn stains on mirrors
Sometimes a worn stain adds to the charm of an antique mirror; sometimes it’s a distraction. You can easily hide small defects in a mirror’s reflective surface by placing a piece of aluminum foil with the shiny side facing outward on the back of the glass. To hold the film in place, secure it to the back of the mirror or to the frame with tape. Do not stick it on the mirror itself.
20. Clean jewelry
To clean your jewelry, simply line a small bowl with foil. Fill the bowl with hot water and mix with a tablespoon of non-bleach (non-liquid) washing powder such as Tide. Soak the jewelry in the solution and let it soak for a minute. Rinse well and air dry. This process uses the chemical process known as ion exchange, which can also be used to clean cutlery.
21. Move furniture easily
To slide large pieces of furniture over a smooth floor, place small pieces of aluminum foil under the legs. Put the matte side of the film down – the matte side is actually more slippery than the glossy side.
22. Repair loose batteries
Does your flashlight, remote control or your child’s toy work intermittently? Check the battery compartment. The springs that hold the batteries in place can lose their tension over time and loosen the batteries. Fold a small piece of aluminum foil until you have a cushion thick enough to make up for the slack. Place the pad between the battery and the spring.
23. Don’t paint your glasses
You want to update your reading for as long as it takes to dye your hair. But you can’t read without your glasses, and if you put them on, hair dye can stain them. Solution: Wrap the temples of your glasses with aluminum foil.
24. Clean your fireplace
Are you looking for an easy way to remove ash from your fireplace? Place a double layer of strong aluminum foil over the fireplace floor or under the wood grate. The next day – or when you’re sure all the ashes have gone cold – just fold it up and throw it away.
25. Apply a patch
An ironing patch is an easy way to fix small holes in clothing – but only if it doesn’t stick to the ironing board. To prevent this, place a piece of aluminum foil under the hole. It won’t stick to the sticker and you can peel it off when you’re done.
26. Clean your iron
Does starch build up in your iron and make it stick? To get rid of it, run the hot iron over a piece of aluminum foil.
27. Protect tree trunks
Rats, rabbits and other animals often feed on the bark of young trees in winter. A cheap and effective deterrent is to wrap the tree trunks with a double layer of tough aluminum foil in late autumn. Be sure to remove the foil in the spring.
28. Create a Sun Box for Plants
A sunny window is a great place to keep light-loving plants. However, as light always comes from the same direction, plants tend to bend. To bathe your plants in light from all sides, make a sun box: take the top and one side of a cardboard box and line the other three sides and bottom with foil, shiny side out, glue or glue she stuck. Put the plants in the box and place them near a window.
29. Build a Seed Incubator
To give seed-grown plants a healthy head start, line a shoebox shiny side up with foil so that about two inches of foil protrudes from the sides. Drill several drainage holes in the soil – pierce the leaf – then fill the box a little more than half with potting soil and plant the seeds. The leaf inside the box absorbs heat to keep the seeds warm during germination, while the leaf outside the box reflects light on the young shoots. Place the box near a sunny window, keep the soil moist and watch it grow!
30. Grows untangled seedlings
Help the seedlings to grow strong and clear by starting them in a container covered with aluminum foil. Just make a few holes in the foil and stick the cuts in the holes. There’s even an added bonus: the film slows down water evaporation so you don’t need to add less water.
31. Make a baking sheet
To allow the meat to drain off the charcoal, you can make a disposable tray out of a few layers of sturdy aluminum foil. Freehand mold or use an inverted baking sheet as a mold (remember to remove the baking tray when your creation is done). Also, don’t forget to make the drip pan a little bigger than the meat on the grill.
32. Clean your grill grid
After the last steak is inserted and the embers are still smoldering, place a piece of aluminum foil on the grill to burn the rest of the food. The next time you use the grill, flatten the foil and use it to lightly scrub the burnt food before starting to cook.
33. Improve outdoor lighting
Increase electric lighting in your garden or campsite by placing a sheet metal reflector behind the light. Secure the reflector to the light with a few strips of electrical tape or electrical tape – do not place the masking tape directly on the lamp.
34. Make an impromptu record
If you need a handy disposable plate, simply cover a piece of cardboard with sturdy aluminum foil.
35. Keep your sleeping bag dry
Place a piece of sturdy aluminum foil under the sleeping bag to insulate it from moisture. You will stay dry and sleep well.
36. Keep matches dry
It’s a tried-and-true soldier’s trick to remember: Wrap your kitchen matches in aluminum foil so they don’t get damp or wet on camping trips.
37. Attract a fish
None of your fancy fishing lures are working? You can make one that works quickly: wrap some aluminum foil around a hook. Fringe the sheet so that it covers the hook and swings invitingly when the cord is wound.
38. Reinstall a vinyl floor
This use of aluminum foil is perfect if you are doing a renovation in your home. Don’t peel off just because a vinyl floor does. Just lay the tile on the floor, place a piece of aluminum foil over it, and run a hot iron over it a few times until you feel the glue melt underneath. Place a pile of books or bricks on the tile to weigh while the glue hardens. This technique also works well for smoothing out bumps and straightening puckered seams on vinyl floors.
39. Create an artist palette
Tear off a piece of sturdy aluminum foil, bend the edges and you have a ready-to-use palette for mixing colors. If you want to go a little more elaborate, cut a pallet-shaped piece of cardboard with a thumb hole and cover with aluminum foil. Or if you already have a wooden pallet, cover it with aluminum foil before each use and then just peel off the foil instead of cleaning the pallet.
40. Prevent ink from overflowing
If you open a half-used paint can, you will usually find a layer of dry paint on the surface. In addition to being a nuisance to remove, dry parts can also end up in the ink. You can avoid this by using a double attack when sealing a used paint can: First, place a piece of aluminum foil under the can and draw a line around it. Cut out the circle and place the aluminum foil disc on the paint surface. Then take a deep breath, blow into the can and quickly replace the lid. Carbon dioxide in the breath replaces some of the oxygen in the can and helps keep the paint from drying out.
41. Line Roll Trays
Cleaning paint roller trays is a hassle, which is why many people buy disposable plastic trays or liners. But lining a metal roll form with aluminum foil works just as well — and can be a lot cheaper.
42. Keep a brush wet
Do you want to continue painting in the morning? Don’t worry about cleaning the brush – just squeeze out excess paint and wrap the brush well in aluminum foil (or plastic). Use an elastic band to secure the sheet to the bottom of the strap. For wetter storage of the brush, use the Popsicle brush and throw the wrapped brush into the freezer. But don’t forget to thaw your brush for about an hour before you start painting.
43. Reflect light for photography
Professional photographers use reflectors to provide additional light to dark areas of their subject and to balance the overall lighting. To make a reflector, lightly cover a piece of matte cardboard or thick cardboard with rubber glue and cover it shiny side out with aluminum foil. You can make a single reflector any size you like, but it’s best to make three panels and glue them together so they stand upright and fold away for convenient storage and portability.
44. Shine your chrome
To get shiny chrome on your gadgets, carts, golf club shafts, and older car bumpers, crush a handful of aluminum foil with the shiny side facing outward and apply some elbow grease. If you rub too hard, aluminum foil will even remove rust stains. Note: Most of the “chrome” in new cars is actually plastic. Do not rub with aluminum foil.
45.Make a funnel
Can’t find a funnel? Fold a piece of sturdy aluminum foil and roll it into a cone shape. This makeshift hopper has an advantage over a permanent hopper – you can bend the aluminum foil to reach awkward holes, like the oil fill hole in your lawn tractor engine.