25 Everyday Products That Have Strange Alternate Uses

You can build an entire house out of binder clips.

Charlotte Gomez / BuzzFeed

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We asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us about the everyday products that they've found odd alternate uses for. Here are some of the clever solutions they've come up with:

1. Tame wrinkled fabrics using a flat iron.

lifehacker.com

"I iron everything with my straighteners."

—vikkibuntain

"Works on most fabrics (the cheaper the better) and it's useful for traveling or when you’re running late in the morning."

—tessinspace

Get a cheap-but-good one on Amazon for $21.

2. Blot your face with disposable toilet seat covers — they work just as well as their expensive counterparts.

Chrissy Mahlmeister / BuzzFeed / Via buzzfeed.com

"Before you go and spend money on those oil drying sheets, a (CLEAN) public toilet seat cover works just as well and it’s free."

—skailyr

Get some in a travel pack from Amazon for $11.

Or:

"Coffee filters work the same, and are less gross to think about putting on your face."

—katieh402d7ed73

3. Use a salad spinner to spin your hand-wash-only laundry dry.

amazon.com

—Taylor B, Facebook

Get one from Amazon for $30.

4. Spray Windex on your carpet to get out nail polish stains.

Lesbyerley / Getty Images

"I spilled neon purple polish over my beige carpet and you can’t even tell. Yes, I was freaked out by putting bright blue Windex on my carpet, but it doesn’t leave a mark."

—cassidyw460209e84

Get some from Amazon for $3.77.

5. Use an electric blender to whip up textured paint for your walls.

amazon.com

"3D painting. I whip paint with an electric blender (like you would whip cream with), then I put it into a piping bag and squeeze it out. Makes for really nice home decor once finished."

—tori1234455

Get an immersion blender for $28.

6. Soak burnt dishes and pans in laundry detergent to clean off baked-on grime like magic.

amazon.com

"Laundry liquid for difficult washing-up jobs like casserole dishes and burnt pans. Soak, then wipe, and the burnt food cleans off like magic."

—jennyb27

Get some from Amazon for $12.

7. Bend up a bobby pin to make a bookmark when you're in a pinch.

snapguide.com

"They stay in place and you can use it to keep your hair out of your eyes while you're reading! I use the bumpy side on the page I’m on."

—actuallyinsane

Get a whole lot of them on Amazon for $4.

8. Use kitchen shears to cut pizza more effectively than using a circle cutter.

amazon.com

"Great if you have little kids or aren’t good with knifes, cutters, etc.; saves you half the time."

—skailyr

Get some nice kitchen shears from Amazon for $18.

9. Wipe up grimy dishes easily with some dryer sheets.

Nifty / BuzzFeed / Via buzzfeed.com

"They clean the heck out of anything grimy or greasy. Dirty bathtubs, showers, stoves and mini blinds. It cuts right through the dirt, with no cleaner and no water."

—ashleylparrott

Get a box of them on Amazon for $9.

10. Leave a sock full of cat litter in your car to keep your windows from fogging up.

Thinkstock / Via buzzfeed.com

—sgarnett

Get a 14-pound bag on Amazon for $5.

11. Remove eye makeup with cheap baby wipes.

Juanmonino / Getty Images

"I use baby wipes to remove eye makeup. They work really well and are way less expensive."

—k4e39fd4aa

Get a pack of six on Amazon for $11.

12. Add Goldfish crackers to chowder to make it cheesy and even more delicious.

Facebook: GoldfishSmiles

"Sometimes I use Goldfish crackers instead of oyster crackers to make my chowder cheesy while maintaining the soup’s nautical theme. I mean, I suppose you can use Cheez-Its in a pinch, if you tell yourself they’re the board that Rose floats on from Titanic, but I don’t think you’d be fooling anybody."

—dafuqizat

Get a whole carton of them from Amazon for $9.

13. Run out of bobby pins? Use a paper clip to get the job done just as well.

Jeff Barron / BuzzFeed

"Always works in a pinch."

—samanthal4e0320c87

Get a box of 100 from Amazon for $3.

14. Complete a killer breakfast by waffle ironing hashbrowns.

Serious Eats / Via seriouseats.com

"Peel, cheese-grate the potatoes, squeeze out extra juice, toss with a little flour, spices, and a whipped egg. Then put it all in the waffle iron until crispy and golden brown."

—artistthateats

Get one from Amazon for $23.

15. Get some tights, and when they are at the end of their life, cut them up to make hair bands.

amazon.com

"Cutting the legs off old tights and using the band works really well, especially for thick hair."

—n41c0d45a4

Get some great opaque ones from Amazon for $9.99 (see more tights recommendations here).

16. Hair frizz getting out of control? Rub dryer sheets on your hair to take out the static.

amazon.com

"I wipe my hair with dryer sheets if it’s all static frizzy from being too dry in the winter."

—artistthateats

Get a box from Amazon for $9.

17. Tame your charging cables and cords with binder clips.

BuzzFeed Blue / Via youtube.com

"I use binder clips to keep my computer/electronic cords tidy and accessible. I string them through the handles, and then clip on the edge of a desk/table. Great for phone chargers next to your bed."

—artistthateats

Get a box of them for $0.45!

18. Rub toothpaste on car scuff marks to buff them out.

Bhakpong / Getty Images

"My car seems to be a magnet for people hitting it in parking lots and not leaving a note. Don’t have enough money to go out and get paint remover? USE TOOTHPASTE. You think I’m joking? Try it yourself. It gets off paint transfer and buffs out scuffs like a dream."

—alexandramariskerrb

Get a twinpack from Amazon for $6.

19. Or use binder clips to guard your razor blades from getting dull during travel.

Krisblackphotography / Getty Images

"I use a binder clip to cover the blades on my razor every time I travel."

—kwaters2017

"Add a pack of silica gel (free in a shoe box and other places) and stop your blades from rusting."

—stephievee

Get a box of them for $0.45!

20. Stop your jean zippers from running away by looping a keychain ring around the zipper and top button.

Paige Russell / Via instructables.com

"I use a key ring on a pair of pants where the zipper wont stay up. I hook the key ring onto the zipper, zip it up, hook the key ring around the top part, and then close my pants. Keeps them up and you can't even see the key ring really. :) You’re welcome."

—tatdprincess

Get a whole box of them on Amazon for $6.

21. Spray WD-40 on sticker residue from old bumper stickers to remove it.

Facebook: OriginalWD40

"WD-40 to remove old decal sticky stuff from car windows or bumpers."

—Horace Hellcat, Facebook

Get a two-pack from Amazon for $10.

22. Hang bottles on a shower rod to clean up the area under your sink.

NIfty | BuzzFeed / Via buzzfeed.com

—izzy777718

Get one on Amazon for $15.

23. Repel pesky mosquitos with dryer sheets.

Brandonaaron / Getty Images

"When camping, instead of using bug spray to repel mosquitoes (ew, chemicals!), rub your arms, legs, and clothes down with dryer sheets! Works incredibly well."

—betherick85

Get a box from Amazon for $9.

24. Use plastic wrap to waterproof a cast.

Michael Krinke / GettyImages

"Glad Press & Seal wrap works great if you need to wrap a cast or bandage in order to shower or keep dry through swimming."

—lostunicorn

Get a box from Amazon for $13.

25. And rub walnuts on wood furniture to buff out most scratches.

Anthiacumming / Getty Images

—hevb2

Get a bag of them from Amazon for $12.

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The comments used in this post have been edited for length and clarity.