The things you can do with Aluminum Foil (Reynolds Wrap)
Custom Dishes:
For party candies, fruit tarts, frozen desserts, etc. Just make them out of Reynold’s Wrap…shape foil around can or tumbler.
Face Wiper:
Keep a damp sponge wrapped in foil in your car’s glove compartment. For sticky hands…also for the windshield.
Spatter Shield:
Take a square of foil, mold one end around pan handle, let the rest project over pan.
Hot Plates:
When you’re short of hot plate mats, wrap a magazine in Reynolds Wrap.
Ironing Board:
Reynolds Wrap under the cover will speed the job and prevent scorching.
Pan Liners:
Line broiler pans, baking pans and casseroles with Reynolds Wrap. Save scouring.
Pan Lid:
For that lidless pan, shape a cover out of Reynolds Wrap. Crimped around edge, it makes a tight closure.
Paint Brushes:
Wrap pant brushes to keep them soft between jobs. Also line paint-roller tray. Throw away liner when job is done.
Pot Knobs:
When pot with wooden knob has to go into oven, wrap knob in several thicknesses of foil.
Curtain Rods:
Fit small pieces of foil over rod ends to make curtains slide on easier, avoid snagging.
Bake a perfect pie crust:
Keep the edges of your homemade pies from burning by covering them with strips of aluminum foil. The foil prevents the edges from burning.
Soften brown sugar:
To restore your hardened brown sugar, take large sugar clumps, wrap it in aluminum foil, and bake it in the oven at 300°F (150° C) for five minutes.
Preserve steel-wool pads:
To prevent rust wrap it in foil and toss it into the freezer. You can also lengthen the life of your steel-wool soap pads by crumpling up a sheet of foil and placing it under the steel wool in its dish or container.
Pot Scrubber:
Crumple up a handful of aluminum foil and use it to scrub your pots.
Sharpen your scissors:
Fold foil into several layers and start cutting. Cut the foil about 10 times to sharpen the scissors. This is most helpful for youth scissors or cheap household scissors. But it’s not recommended for sewing scissors.
Solar Oven:
Build a solar oven with cardboard and aluminum foil. For directions, visit www.solarcooking.org/plans. Another reader, Karen from Kansas, shares: “An excellent book on the subject is ‘Cooking With the Sun’ by Beth Halacy and Dan Halacy. Instructions for making your own solar cooker are included in the book, as well as lots of recipes. The recipes will indicate if the recipe will work in a reflector cooker, a solar oven or both. Check your local library for a copy.”
Scrub rust off of steel and chrome:
Use a wad of aluminum foil instead of using steel wool. Scrub your grill with some.
Drip Barrier:
Use foil to line the bowl-shaped stove drip pans underneath each stove element.
Wrapping Paper:
In a pinch, foil does the trick as wrapping paper, especially for those awkwardly shaped gifts. You can also cut out custom pictures and shapes and incorporate a creative sculpture or two!
Cat Toy:
Roll some foil into a small ball and teach your cats to play fetch (good luck with that, by the way). Attach the ball to a string and hang it from a door handle, and your kitty has hours of self-directed entertainment.
Clean silverware:
There are a couple of ways to clean silverware with baking soda. You can make a paste with water and baking soda, then rub it on, rinse and polish with a soft cloth. Or you can line a pan with aluminum foil, set your silverware in it, pour boiling water over it and sprinkle 1/2 cup of baking soda into the pan. Let the silverware soak for an hour, then rinse with water, let it dry flat on a towel and polish.
Dryer Balls:
Wad foil into balls that are approximately 3 inches in diameter and use them to reduce static in your dryer. You can wrap a tennis ball in foil, too.
Cardboard Shutters:
Cover foam board or layers of cardboard with foil and place these in windows to reflect light and heat. These can be placed in rear-facing windows, so neighbors don’t complain. For more information and directions read: www.builditsolar.com/Projects/Conservation/CardboardShutter.htm.
