Potatoes are a pretty common staple of many people's diet. But there are other uses for a potato, and we're not talking about potato salad or hash browns. There are tons of odd ways people have found uses for potatoes outside of the kitchen, and here are some of our favorites. If you have some, please share...no spuds about it!
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Broken Light Bulb Remover
If you've ever wound up with a broken light bulb in a lamp socket, don't panic. Instead, get a potato. Press the potato into the broken bulb. It's thick enough to protect you from the glass, and you can use it to unscrew the bulb. When you're done, you can just throw out the potato and not have to worry about cutting yourself.
Potato Stamps
You can use a potato to make your own stamp. Cut one in half and carve out the shape or design you'd like the imprint to be. Then dip the potato-stamp in paint so you can decorate whatever surface you'd like. It's very simple to do and it leaves behind a pretty textured pattern.
Plant Food
Did you know that potatoes are one of the more nutritious foods for people? Well, it turns out that potatoes are nutritious for your flowers as well. It's an old home garden tip that geraniums love potatoes. When you plant your flowers in the ground, place some small slivers of a potato around the root. As the potato breaks down, it releases nutrients into the soil that the flower is more than happy to soak up.
Remove Tarnish On Silverware
Check out eHow for the exact details, but you can use a potato to clean the tarnish off of your silverware. Take half of a potato and dip the unskinned side into some baking soda. You can then rub this onto your silverware, gently of course. The baking soda helps break the tarnish down and your potato absorbs it.
Hot Or Cold Compress
There is a reason why we play the game hot potato. It turns out that potatoes do an excellent job at both retaining coldness and heat. So depending on what you need, you can make a nice compress out of a potato to help an aching body part. Just put it in the freezer to make it cold, or microwave it to get it hot. Your back or knee will thank you later!
For more great uses for everyday items, check out our previous installments of "5 Uses For..." in our slideshow below!
