Banana peel aren’t exactly what you want hanging around your home too long, but they actually have multiple practical uses.
So instead of throwing them in your garbage or compost, keep your peel a few hours and try one of these tricks !
Save money with these unusual ways to use banana peel.
1. Treat Depression
Green and yellow banana peel extract had anti-depressant-like effects (1). This is because it contains tryptophan, which is key in creating serotonin, a calming hormone (2).
To use, steep 1 fresh banana peel into a teapot of boiled water and steep for 5-10 minutes.
2. Fruit Fly Trap
Anyone who loves fruits knows how difficult it is to get rid of fruit flies. Worst of all, they crawl all over and inside any food left out on your kitchen counter, making them must less appealing.
All you need is a tall yogurt container with a plastic lid, banana peel, a hammer and a thin nail. Use the hammer and nail to punch about 5-10 holes into the lid. Place the peel in the container, and snap on the lid.
The flies will get inside but won’t be able to escape. Just leave your homemade trap near your fruit bowl and throw away after a few days.
3. Fix Scratched Disks
Do your CDs and DVDs ever skip a beat? Tiny scratches are probably the cause. Instead of throwing them out, try this trick from Apartment Therapy!
- First, apply toothpaste to the scratched area and massage it gently into the surface using a rag.
- Remove the paste and take a piece of sliced banana and rub it in circular motions into the DVD. Next, take the banana peel and do the same thing
- Clean the disc using a cloth and spray window cleaner onto it.
4. Natural Pesticide
Bugs are pretty unavoidable in outdoor gardens and plants, and they can cause intensive damage to your crops.
To avoid aphids, one of the most common garden pests, cut up 2-3 banana peels into fine slices. Dig a one inch deep hole at the base of your affected plants and place the peels inside, covering them back up with soil.
The high potassium content of these peels will keep the most stubborn bugs away.
5. Remove Ink Stains
There’s nothing more difficult to remove from your skin than the ink of an exploded pen. The inside of banana peel weakens the bond between ink and your skin and effortlessly removes it from your skin. The quicker you use it after a spill, the better.
6. Stop an Itch
If mosquitoes bites keep you squirming all summer long, keep bananas on hand! The inside of the peel reduces inflammation and relieves itching within minutes of application. It also temporarily relieves poison ivy itch.
7. Whiten Teeth
Banana peels will make your teeth whiter without the use of any harsh chemicals. Best of all, it doesn’t damage tooth enamel. Just rub the inside of the peel on clean teeth for 2 minutes or so. Repeat daily for best results.
8. Buff leather shoes
Similar to how banana peel buff scratches on CDs, it can also fix scuffs on leather products. Potassium, an important mineral found in bananas is actually an important ingredient in shoe polish (3).
9. Perk Up Your Plants
This little trick works well with potted ferns, cacti, and spider plants. Use the inside of the peel to remove dust and hydrate the leaves. You can also use banana-based compost to replenish the nutrients in the soil.
10. Remove Splinters
To effortlessly pick out painful splinters, apply the inside of a peel over your wound for 30 minutes. The peel attracts the tiny sliver of wood and traps it inside. Best of all, it’s relatively pain-free.
sources:
[1]https://thescipub.com/PDF/amjsp.2011.59.64.pdf
[2]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2908021/
[3]https://www.wikihow.com/Polish-Shoes-with-a-Banana