Uses for Peanut Butter You've Probably Never Tried*

From shaving cream and leather polish to mousetrap bait, peanut butter gets the job done

*If you or a family member suffers from peanut allergy, please skip this post.

According to the National Peanut Board, Dr. George Washington Carver developed more than 300 products from the humble peanut. They include face powder, shampoo, paper, shaving cream, hand lotion, insecticides, glue, charcoal, rubber, nitroglycerin, plastics, and axle grease.

Today’s peanut butter, a staple in most pantries, can serve an astonishing variety of household purposes. Try these:

• Use a bit of peanut butter on a cotton cloth to rub off label adhesives.
• Massage a bit of peanut butter into hair to remove a wad of chewing gum.
• Use a thin coat as a substitute for shaving cream. (Really! Hydrates and moisturizes.)
• Polish leather and vinyl items using a bit of peanut butter on a cotton cloth. Buffs up wooden items, too.
• Hang pine cones stuffed with a mixture of peanut butter and coarse cornmeal as a treat for winter birds.
• Smear it on garden tools (including wooden handles) as a winter preservative and on lawn-mower blades as a lubricant.
• Spread some on a slice of apple or a scrap of bread for a good mousetrap bait.
• Encourage your dog to swallow a pill by sticking it into the center of a little gob of peanut butter.

Note: Smooth peanut butter works best for these uses.

Tasty, nutritious, and packed with antioxidants, peanuts-only peanut butter can also serve as a healthy butter alternative. If you like the taste, simply substitute smooth peanut butter for the butter In recipes for baked goods calling for butter.

Learn more with these fun facts about peanuts.
 

Related Articles

• Growing Peanuts: Nuts You Will Really Dig
• Lighten Your Hair with Rhubarb