We hard-boil them for salads, we enjoy them for breakfast, and add them to make delicious cakes and cookies. They are versatile and inexpensive, which is one of the things we love about eggs, However, did you know that besides their contribution to our culinary requirements, eggs can be valuable to us in many other ways? Well, let’s start by saying that eggshells include most of the egg’s useful contents and make great household cleaners, facial masks, drain cleaner and many more!
So, if you like re-purposing items in your home, we have excellent news for you. Without further ado, we present you some incredible ideas to get more out of your eggs!
1. Household Cleaner
Take a clean jar or bottle, add soapy water, grind some eggshells and mix them with the water. This will give you a non-toxic and so easy to make abrasive cleaner. Every time you want to scrub your kitchen sink or dirty pots and pans spotlessly clean, use that concoction. I bet you will be thrilled with the outcome!
2. Laundry Detergent Booster
If you want to keep your whites from turning gray, just take a cheesecloth bag and place a couple of slices of lemon (lemon has so many great uses) and a handful of dry shells (always clean) into your washing machine. Then start laundering knowing that you have made a killer move towards having bright whites at all times!
3. Clean Narrow-Necked Vases
We have all been there. Cleaning the residue from inside narrow or bizarre-shaped vases takes quite some effort. BUT, if you fill the container with water and a drop of dish-washing liquid, and drop crushed eggshells (just one or two will be enough) into it, you will be able to get rid of even the most hard-to-reach gunk. Just give it a few swirls and check out the impressive (gleaming) results. The soap will help loosen the grime, allowing the abrasive eggshells to scrape it away.
Tip: You can try this hack on thermoses, too!
4. Scour any Surface Naturally
With the number of people that suffer from allergies and asthma, it is an imperative need to use household, chemically-free cleaners that don’t irritate the sinuses and skin. For that reason, try pulverizing dried eggshells. Keep then in a plastic container (covered) and use the powder you have made whenever you want to dust a surface. Scrub away the mess with a dishtowel or a sudsy sponge. The particles of the eggshells will buff away grease and stain without triggering any allergies or asthma symptoms. (Here are some more eco-friendly products that you can also use to clean the home without suffering from irritated skin, among others).
5. Drain Cleaner
Grind clean and dry eggshells (you can use a mortar and pestle) and store in a container. Sprinkle the powder periodically into the sink strainer o break down any bits of food that may be trapped them, leaving your pipes debris-free.
6. Facial Mask for Baby-Soft Skin
Grind dry (and, of course, clean) eggshells into a powder and combine with some egg whites (whisked). This should give you a skin-tightening facial mask. Apply on the face and let it dry. Rinse with water and voila!
If you want to ease skin irritations, you can make a mixture of dry eggshells pieces added to apple cider vinegar. Let it stay for 2-3 days and then dab on itchy or irritated skin with a cotton ball.
7. Garden Fertilizer
Enrich your garden soil by placing crushed eggshells into the ground. This will instantly give the soil a plethora of nutrients and about 750-800 mgs of calcium, which is particularly useful and effective if you want to cope with blossom-end rot in tomatoes. You just place the eggshell powder in the bottom of each hole you have dug before you transplant your plants.
8. Pest Repellent (for use in the garden)
Cutworms, snails, and slugs find crawling over eggshells very challenging, so placing eggshells in your garden will keep them out without harming the environment or the soft-shelled pests with dangerous chemicals or pellets.
Tip: If your neighbor’s cat shows a distinct preference for making your garden their litter box, you can also try crushed eggshells around. Having to walk on them will be an enormous deterrent for the four-legged, unwanted visitor.
9. Coffee Taste Enhancer
I haven’t tried that one out myself yet but I have friends that have and they are super excited about the taste they get after crushing eggshells and adding them (one teaspoon will do) to their ground coffee before brewing. They say that they don’t feel any bitter or acidic taste after sipping their favorite blend! This is because eggshells contain alkaline calcium carbonate, which makes the coffee easier on the stomach and taste smoother by neutralizing the acid content of the coffee.
Tip: When camping or anywhere where you use a percolator, using eggshells will help the grounds of the coffee sink to the bottom of the pot so that you can enjoy a delicious cup of coffee.
10. Dog Remedy to Treat Diarrhea
If your lovely furry friend is diarrhea-prone, crush dried and clean eggshells and store the powder in a container. Sprinkle a teaspoon or so on your dog’s food and you will see results within a day (your pet’s stomach issues will clear up).
11. Plant Helper (for house plants)
The minerals found in eggshells are precious to your indoor plants. As usual, crush them down to make a powder and keep in a lidded jar. When you water the plants, sprinkle some in the watering can and feed your plants with nutrients they need to grow healthy.
12. Mineral Supplement
Many calcium supplements and antacids contain calcium carbonate. Guess what else contains calcium carbonate. Correct. Eggshells. Grind some dry and clean eggshells and add the powder to smoothies or shakes (even stews and soups*) to get an extra calcium boost.
*you just add the crushed eggshells to the broth or stock.
There are so many things that come with amazing uses, other than the ones we are used to. Take baking soda, toothpaste, mouthwash, and cornstarch for example! For more fantastic stuff, never stop browsing!