15 Damn-Near Brilliant Hacks Using Cotton Balls

So smol, but so powerful.

1. Pad the inside edge of your drawers with cotton balls so they don't slam, especially on a child's fingers.

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Have some painter's tape lying around? Just roll several little pieces, stick them to the cotton balls, and place them along the top of the drawer. This will keep the drawer from closing completely and crushing any tiny fingers.

2. Soak a cotton ball in rubbing alcohol and dab to remove pesky pen stains on your clothes.

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Once you're finished dabbing the spot, let it air-dry, and wash it in the warmest water that's safe for the fabric.

3. Or, soak it in rubbing alcohol to gently clean the small crevices in things like light switches and remotes.

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Once it's soaked, ring it out so it's not dripping-wet, and use it to reach all those nooks and crannies that could use some disinfecting.

4. Dip one into some milk to remove permanent marker stains from skin.

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Don't have rubbing alcohol in the house? Not to worry — milk works great on marked-up hands, too. Just swipe the milk-dipped cotton ball over the stains and they'll rub right off.

5. Speaking of skin, apply distilled white vinegar or apple cider vinegar to your skin with a cotton ball to soothe sunburn.

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This should bring you some relief.

6. Plug the bottom of your daffodils with cotton balls so they retain more water.

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Cut the bottom of each stem at a 45-degree angle, turn the stem upside down, fill it with water, and stuff it with a cotton ball. This ensures that water stays in the stems and keeps the flowers hydrated at all times. You can try this with any hollow-stemmed flowers, like delphiniums and amaryllis.

7. If you have long or sharp nails, stuff the fingertips of your rubber gloves with cotton balls so they don't get punctured.

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This also works in the reverse — if something happens to poke through the tips of your gloves, it'll hit a lil' protective layer of cotton first.

8. Keep rabbits away from your garden by soaking some cotton balls in white vinegar and placing them in a container with a hole poked through the top.

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Those lil' guys don't like the smell of vinegar, so the container (use more than one if you have a large garden) will repel them from munching on your plants. Just refresh the cotton balls once they start to lose their scent.

9. And keep mice, ants, and spiders away by soaking some some cotton balls peppermint essential oil, and placing them in problem areas around your home.

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Believe it or not, they hate the smell of peppermint! So, you can keep them at bay by soaking cotton balls in peppermint essential oil and putting them in problem spots around your house, like inside kitchen cabinets.

10. Soak some in bleach and place them in hard-to-clean corners of your bathroom where mildew forms.

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With a window open, your bathroom fan running, and gloves on (safety first, y'all), mix water and a little bleach in a small dish. Dip some cotton balls in the solution and apply them directly to the problem areas. If that includes the vertical parts of your caulking, just stretch the cotton balls out a little before dipping them and they should stick. Let them sit for two hours (or more if necessary) and all that gunk will disappear!

11. While you're in the bathroom, go ahead and put a few drops of lavender essential oil on some, and display them in a cute bowl or jar.

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They'll gently release the scent, giving your bathroom a lovely ~spa~ smell.

12. One more bathroom trick: soak some in a solution of vinegar and water, and place them on chrome faucets, knobs, or other fixtures with unsightly water spots.

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Nobody wants mineral deposits. All you have to do is soak several cotton balls in the solution, place them on the faucet for several minutes to dissolve the deposits, and then rinse and dry. Good as new!

13. Soak one in your favorite essential oil and drop it into your vacuum bag so a fresh scent is released as you clean.

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The cotton ball will fill the air emitted by the vacuum with the scent of the oil. Not only does this make vacuuming a little more pleasant, but it also subtly freshens your home as you clean.

14. Dampen one with vanilla extract and place it in the back corner of your fridge.

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While a smell like lavender is perfect to freshen a bathroom, you might want to go with a more appetizing smell like vanilla for your fridge. So long, nasty odors.

15. And put a few drops of your favorite essential oil on a cotton ball and place it at the bottom of your trash can.

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I'd recommend using tea tree or lemon essential oil for this hack, since those oils will really freshen and disinfect the bin.

Just don't do this, please:

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