Olive oil has been a cornerstone of the Mediterranean diet for thousands of years, in the course of that time it has also become a treasured multi-tool in the Mediterranean lifestyle. Far from simply dressing salads and cooking, olive oil has a myriad of little-known uses both in and out of the kitchen. From furniture maintenance to personal hygiene, here are a few wild ways you never knew you could use olive oil.
Beauty
- Shaving: While it may not work into a thick lather, olive oil actually provides excellent traction for your razor and can help to achieve a smooth and non-irritating shave.
- Exfoliating: Rubbing olive oil onto the skin of your face or hands and then scrubbing with coarse salt and rinsing will have your pores feeling like you just left the spa!
- Removing Makeup: Simply dab a bit of oil over your makeup and rub with a face pad to remove it easily and naturally.
Home
- Lubricating Hinges: Do you have a squeaky door that’s driving you insane? A little olive oil rubbed on the hinge will have it swinging smoothly and silently.
- Polishing Wooden Furniture: A teaspoon of olive oil and a rag is all you need to have your wooden furniture looking like new. You can add a squeeze of citrus juice to up the cleaning power and add a fresh scent.
- Removing Paint from Skin: After painting (or re-painting) a room in your house it can be days before the last of the paint finally washes out of your hands. Instead of waiting just rub some olive oil onto your skin, wait five minutes, and then rinse with soap and water to remove the paint for good!
Health
- Curing an Earache: Dabbing a cotton swab with olive oil and very gently running it around your outer ear cavity can remove excess wax and may help soothe earaches.
- Treating Snoring: A sip of olive oil before bed will lubricate your throat muscles and can stop or lessen snoring.
- Treating a Scratchy Throat: If you’ve got a scratch or tickle in your throat drinking a teaspoon of olive oil could sooth the annoying feeling!
Kitchen
- Shining stainless steel pots & pans: With a clean rag, rub a splash of olive oil over your stainless steel pots and pans to prevent streaks, corrosion or tarnish.
- Lubricating Measuring Cups and Spoons: Using measuring cups or spoons to measure honey, simple syrup or other sticky solutions can be a pain. Rubbing the cup or spoon with a bit of olive oil before will prevent anything from sticking to it!
- Freezing into Herb Packed Ice-Cubes: One problem with buying fresh herbs is that they almost always go bad before you’re able to use all of them. By filling an ice tray with olive oil and chopped herbs of your choice and then popping it in the freezer, you can make “seasoning cubes” that you’ll just need to drop into a hot pan next time you sauté.
