By Andrea Pyka
You might want to reconsider before throwing out that old box of Cheerios sitting in the back of your cabinet. One cup of finely blended Cheerios could help relieve dry, chapped hands.
Joey Green is the creator of a series of educational books including “Clean it! Fix It! Eat it!” and “Clean your Clothes with Cheez Whiz,” which feature quick and easy household solutions using common food products.
“We’ve all grown up with products we know and love, and when we find that we can do creative things with them that can save money around the house, people are generally interested,” Green said.
Green, a former advertising copywriter who wrote commercials for Burger King, initially heard about unusual uses for food from a fellow accountant at the advertising firm, who soaked in a bathtub full of Nestea and water to help relieve a sunburn pain.
Through further research and testing, Green has discovered over thousands of useful ways to use food in the home, including rubbing Spam on wood furniture to help give it that extra shine.
“The use of food ranges from practical to bizarre, but they all work depending on how much you personally want it to work,” Green said. “You can rub a dab of Jell-O onto your hair and it works exactly like hair [mousse].”
As you wait for the upcoming release of Green’s new book “Fix-It Magic,” here is a brief list of helpful tips for using brand name products that will transform the way you think about your food:
1. Are you still trying to recover from a long night of partying? Then munch down on crackers and honey, which will help your body flush out the alcohol in your system and get rid of a hangover.
2. To help ease your fever, place potato halves on the soles of your feet, keeping them in place for a few hours.
3. Forget swallowing some of those bitter-tasting medicines. Gargling with some Coca-Cola can help soothe your sore throat.
4.To get an extra-smooth shave, smear a coat of peanut butter on your skin as an alternative for shaving gel.
5. Trying to get rid of a pimple before a big date? Soaking a small piece of bread in milk and holding it on your boil will help decrease its size.
6. To preserve clothing colors from fading, add two handfuls of table salt or one cup of white vinegar to your laundry load.
7. Rubbing French’s Mustard on your chest works as a decongestant and helps relieve symptoms of a cold.
8. For soft-feeling hair, condition your locks with one-half cup of Cool Whip. Apply to dry hair once a week, leaving it on for 30 minutes, and rinse before shampooing.
_For more helpful tips on unusual uses for food, or to order one of Green’s books, visit wackyuses.com._
_For breaking health and science related news, read each week’s “Did you know?” section for a look into little-known and interesting facts about the health and science world._
