For as long as I can remember, I’ve been throwing out those tiny packets of silica gel. We find them in appliance or electronics boxes to prevent moisture from damaging them as they are transported from the manufacturer to store shelves.
For this reason, they are handy for nearly any application where you would like to prevent moisture. Whether it’s placing a packet in your photo boxes or protecting documents from moisture damage, here are 22 silica gel uses you can use today!
1) The most obvious silica gel uses are to use them whenever you store something.
While many packets are marked to throw away, you can use them when storing items in boxes. They will kill bacteria or prevent any from forming and will also absorb any moisture.
2) Preserve your Christmas ornaments by keeping them dry.
Many ornaments have glue or fabrics on them and keeping them dry will allow you to display your favorite ornaments for years to come.
3) Keep your books looking newer longer.
When it comes to paper, moisture is the enemy. Keep a couple of silica gel packets in your library to absorb any excess moisture.
4) Store your wet vacation clothes safely.
If you hit the beach on vacation but don’t have time to dry your clothes, simply put the items in a plastic bag with a few packets of silica gel to prevent mold or funky odors from forming.
5) Help keep your camera clean and dry.
While many cameras are waterproof, even those that aren’t should be kept moisture-free. More silica gel uses include keeping a packet of silica gel in your camera case to ensure your camera is always kept dry and moisture-free.
6) Dry out your waterproof camera after a day of shooting in the elements or underwater.
Even waterproof cameras can be damaged by condensation so help keep them dry by storing them with a some packets of silica gel. As an added bonus, it will also help the lens stay clean by preventing water marks.
7) Keep your clothes smelling fresh and clean.
Keep a packet in your clothes drawer or gym bag to prevent odor-causing bacteria from forming.
8) Protect windows from condensation.
If you notice your windows are always fogging up, it’s because you have excess moisture. Help absorb some of that moisture and prevent mold by placing some silica gel packets on your window sills.
9) Make your razor blades last longer.
Silica gel absorbs moisture so other little known silica gel uses including preventing rust. Store them in an airtight container with a few packets of silica gel to prevent them from rusting and becoming dull prematurely.
10) Prevent bulk pet food from getting soggy.
Like any food bought in bulk, it eventually gets moist and loses its freshness the longer we keep it. Keep your dog or cat’s food stay fresh by storing it in a bin and taping a packet of silica gel to the inside of the lid.
11) Prevent fog or ice buildup on the inside of your windshield.
Ever wonder why you have fog or you sometimes have to scrape your windshield on the inside? As the moisture from your car mats or seats evaporates, it increases the humidity in your car and steams up your windshield and car windows. Keep a few packets on your dash or cup holders to help absorb excess moisture.
12) Prevent mold from destroying your seedlings when gardening.
Moisture is the enemy when storing seeds since you don’t want them germinating early or growing mold. Store them in an airtight container with a packet of silica gel until you’re ready to plant them.
13) Extend the life of your Halloween carved pumpkin.
Prevent your Halloween pumpkin from rotting too quickly by tearing open a packet of silica gel and embedding the beads inside your pumpkin. A little goes a long way and you’ll generally only need a few beads.
14) Keep your hearing aid working perfectly.
If you wear hearing aids, help prevent moisture from getting in and damaging the electronics. Routinely store them in an airtight container with a packet of silica gel, especially if you live in a damp climate.
15) Prevent corrosion on your silver jewelry.
Place one or more silica gel packets in your jewelry box to prevent corrosion on silver or other jewelry. Silica gel uses like this one can save so much money too by preserving your jewelry.
16) Preserve freshness when storing medicine and supplements.
Prevent mold and spoilage by adding a packet of silica gel to your pill or supplement bottles if they don’t have one already.
17) Keep your memories preserved and free of moisture.
Moisture can seep into photographs and make them stick together over time. Pulling them apart can produce rips or tears in your priceless photographs. Prevent this by slipping in a packet of silica gel in your photo boxes.
18) Prevent moisture from damaging your important documents.
When storing important documents, throw a couple of silica gel packets in your filing cabinet to help prevent moisture and keep documents dry.
19) Quickly dry your flowers for craft projects.
If you want to speed up the process of drying flowers, put them in a plastic bag with silica gel to dry them quickly.
20) Salvage any electronics you may have dropped in water.
If you accidentally drop your phone or other electronics in water, dry them off immediately and remove the battery. Then, put them in an airtight container with several packets of silica gel and store overnight to help remove additional moisture before turning it on again.
21) Extend the shelf life of your makeup.
Your makeup needs to stay dry to remain useful so keep a packet of silica gel in your makeup bag.
22) Keep your clothes looking newer longer.
Keep your clothes looking like new and prevent moisture from breaking down clothing fibers by hanging a packet of silica gel on a few hangers. Alternatively, you can also create sachets with dried flowers and a packet of silica gel to make your closet smell great.
Bonus. 16 Reasons To Take The Shower Cap From The Hotel With You
You can use a shower cap to keep your food cold when you head out to the park to have a picnic.
Add some ice into the shower cap. Then stick a bowl of food inside the cap. But make sure that the elastic stretches all the way around the bowl. This will keep your food cold for a couple of hours until you get hungry.
It allows your toddler to try solid food without getting way too messy when they throw food around.
Is your little prince or princess ready to try eating on their own? Well, chances are that they’re going to start playing with their food or hurling food around. So, you might want to put a shower cap on their head first. This ensures you won’t have to clean food out of their hair afterwards.
Cover your shoes with a shower cap before you stick them inside the luggage with all of your clothes.
You walked all around town on your vacation, so the soles of your shoes probably picked up all sorts of stuff like mud and dog doodoo. You certainly don’t want any of those things touching your sweaters, shirts, or pants, do you?
A shower cap can also protect your shoes before you step into something you’ll probably regret.
Embrace your inner CSI investigator and put a shower cap on each shoe. This will allow you to walk around in the rain, or in a dusty area, like a construction site, without damaging your expensive heels or white sneakers.
You can use a shower cap to cover up your bike seat, especially if it looks like it’s about to rain.
The last thing you want to do is to perch your behind on a bike seat full of rain water. It’s not only uncomfortable, but people will think you had an accident as soon as you get off your bike. The cap also keeps the water from damaging the leather seat.
Clear shower caps can be used to keep your valuable family recipes mess-free and easy to read.
Who hasn’t smeared flour, cooking oil, or other baking ingredients all over their cookbooks or recipe at one point? But you never have to worry about that again if you wrap up your recipes in a clear shower cap. This also works if you’re looking at recipes on tablets and phones.
Prevent dust from settling on the shoulders of your shirts by using this simple shower cap hack.
All you have to do is poke a hole in the middle of the shower cap. Then, use the hole to slip the cap over the hanger. This will act as a shield to keep your shirts and sweaters dust free. Because there’s nothing more embarrassing than heading to work with dust on your shoulders.
You can capture any excess water that spills out of your indoor plants after you finish watering them.
Indoor plants are awesome, but they require water to thrive. But whenever you water them, you wind up with a stream of soil and water dripping from the bottom of your pot. But if you wrap the bottom of the pot with a shower cap, you can avoid any dripping.
The next time you decide to dye your hair, or add any type of deep conditioning treatment, use a cap.
Most hair treatments require that you keep the heat in, which you can do if you wear a shower cap. Plus, it prevents all of the liquid from running down your face and getting into your eyes, or running down your neck and ruining your clothes.
If you’re a messy eater, then you’re doing the right thing by using a shower cap as a container.
The next time you’re tempted to eat some chocolate chip cookies or crackers, eat them using a shower cap as a plate. That way, all of the crumbs will go into the cap instead of on your shirt, lap or desk. When you’re done, you can either shake the shower cap off and reuse it, or toss it.
Use a shower cap as a broom cover so you can keep the dust bunnies from roaming around everywhere.
You can’t stop brooms from collecting dust bunnies when you sweep. But you can keep them from falling back on the floor by wrapping a shower cap around the broom. That way you don’t have to worry about someone collecting all that dust under their shoes and spreading it around the house.
You can cover a large bowl of leftovers with a shower cap if you don’t have any lids around the kitchen.
Did you make too much food? Maybe you made a dish for a potluck dinner, but no one touched it. That’s okay. Just wrap a shower cap around the bowl and put it in the fridge. It will keep your food safe until you’re ready to eat it again.
Keep cut watermelons juicy and fresh by wrapping the half that you didn’t use with a shower cap.
The last thing you want is for your watermelon to spoil. This hack works great if you’re only using half of the watermelon, and saving the other half for later. You can also wrap up any watermelon slices that no one’s eaten.
Dust can be your kitchen appliance’s worst enemy unless you can keep it dust-free with a shower cap.
You certainly don’t want to use your electric mixer if the bowl is full of dust. That would be nasty. But you also want to keep dust from damaging the inner workings of your appliances too. So, in between uses, wrap them up with a shower cap.
You don’t need a huge greenhouse to grow indoor plants if you have a shower cap at your disposal.
Add some soil and some seedlings to a container. Then wrap a shower cap around it. This will turn the container into a greenhouse, which will allow your seedlings to grow. Once they’re mature enough, you can plant them in your garden and throw the cap away.
If you brought your dog with you, but you forgot to bring their bowl, then a shower cap will do the trick.
Add some water to the shower cap so that your dog can rehydrate. You can also fill it up with food. This doesn’t just work for dogs, but for cats too. And it can be such a lifesaver, especially when you’re traveling.