From keeping cheese fresh in your fridge to unsticking a zipper, wax paper can be surprisingly handy around the house.
By Jill Nystul – One Good Thing
Wax paper has always been a staple in my kitchen, even though I typically haven’t used it very often. It’s useful in certain situations for keeping food from sticking, and every so often I’ll use it as a medium to preserve flowers and leaves.
But most of the time, my roll of wax paper simply sits in a drawer—at least, until now. Because today I’ll be sharing 13 brilliantly practical uses for a wax paper that I hadn’t considered before!
Easy Fridge Cleanup
Line the drawers in your fridge with pieces of wax paper for easy cleanup. In the event of a spill, drip, or splatter, you can just toss the wax paper out and replace it with a fresh piece.
Ice-Free Ice Cream
While it’s certainly better than eating no ice cream, eating icy, rock-solid ice cream isn’t the most pleasant experience. Luckily, a little wax paper can help keep your ice cream ice-free!
Just press a piece of wax paper onto the surface of the ice cream before replacing the lid and putting it back in the freezer.
Keep Cheese Fresh
After cutting into a block of cheese, wrap the remaining cheese in a piece of wax paper before putting it back in your fridge. The wax paper will allow the cheese to “breathe” without drying out.
Baking Helper
Wax paper can be a huge help when you need to roll out dough for a baking project. Place a piece of wax paper between the dough and the rolling pin to prevent the dough from sticking without the need for extra flour.
Fast Funnel
Need a funnel but don’t have one on hand? Just roll a piece of wax paper into a cone shape. This is especially helpful when dealing with liquids because the liquid won’t soak through the paper.
Unstick A Zipper
Stuck zippers used to be a huge pet peeve of mine, but now I know that wax paper can help both solve and prevent stuck zippers. Rub a piece of wax paper over the teeth of a zipper and it will glide more easily, which can help unstick a stuck zipper or prevent it from sticking in the first place.
Cork Helper
If you’re struggling to get a cork back into a bottle, wrap the cork in wax paper! The waxy coating will help the cork slide back in without compromising the airtight seal.
Shine Your Faucet
Wax paper can keep your faucet shiny and free of water spots. The next time you clean your faucet, finish by rubbing it down with wax paper. The paper will leave behind a thin layer of wax that will add shine to your faucet and help keep it clean!
Photo Rescue
Spilled water on a special photo? Lay it out to dry on a piece of wax paper. The wax paper will help the photo dry out without sticking to it.
Microwave Protector
The next time you heat up food in the microwave, put a piece of wax paper over it first. The wax paper will help prevent splatters and keep your microwave much cleaner.