One of my least favorite chores of all time is cleaning residue off my cookie sheets. We’ve all been there, you forget to spray the pan with oil before placing it in the oven and before you know it, you have a hardened mess on your hands. In order to make my life easier and avoid mistakes such as this, I’ve learned to line my sheets with aluminum foil. However, doing this leaves me with an abundant amount of used aluminum foil that I hate throwing away. To help minimize the waste, I’ve come across the options below for reusing used foil!

1. Sharpen utensils: Fold the used aluminum foil over until it is 6 to 8 layers thick. Then, using a pair of scissors, cut through the foil seven to eight times. Doing this will sharpen the blades of the scissors giving them a sharper edge. Follow the same process to sharpen your knives. Please note: This should be done by adults only. Use care when handling sharp objects and always cut away from yourself and others. Please keep knives and all sharp utensils out of children and pets’ reach.

2. Reduce static cling: Roll a patch of used (and relatively clean!) aluminum foil into a tight, 2 to 3 inch ball. Toss the aluminum ball into your dryer with your next batch of wet clothes and say goodbye to static. Using aluminum saves you money as the roll continues to eliminate static even after several uses allowing you to continue reusing the ball and omits the need for dryer sheets.

3. Scare away garden pests: Hang strips of foil in the garden to scare away animals. The shiny, fluttering garden décor will keep birds away from your berries and deer out of the lettuce. In addition to scaring away animals, the foil will also work to reflect sunlight back to your plants. Win-win solution!

4. Clean jewelry: Make your gold and silver jewelry look brand new with a little bit of laundry detergent and somealuminum foil. Line a small bowl with aluminum foil. Add some hot water and one tablespoon of bleach-free, powdered, laundry detergent and mix together. Put your jewelry into the mixture and leave it in for one minute. Then, take it out and let it air-dry. Just like that your jewelry will look shiny and new.

5. Remove clothing wrinkles more quickly: To remove wrinkles faster, place a piece of aluminum foil under your ironing board cover. The foil will act as a reflector, helping to heat the clothing quicker and in turn removing the wrinkles.

6. Protect your drink: To keep bees, ants and other insects at bay this summer, place a square of aluminum foilon top of your glass. Puncture a straw through the center of the foil to keep the drinks accessible.

7. Craft tool: Crumple up a piece of aluminum foil and use it to add texture to your next painting or plastering project. You’ll be surprised by how much character a rough texture can add into your piece!

What else have you used aluminum foil for? I’d love to hear your ideas in the comment section below!