Cucumber is an amazing, super low-calorie veggie with incredible properties and uses you have probably never imagined. Packed with minerals and vitamins, it gives us a great skin tone and keep us in good health. Thanks to its folic acid, Vitamin B and C, magnesium, potassium, calcium and zinc, among others, this storehouse of nutrients is really precious. However, how many of its wide range of benefits do you really know? Let’s find out!
You can use cucumber to:
1. Get rid of pests (and keep them away)
If you have pests in your backyard that you want to get rid of them without using any harmful chemicals, use cucumber. Place slices in a pie tin and place in your garden. Besides a chemical that is found in cucumbers, the aluminum of the tip will react with the cucumber chemicals and give off an odor that you may not smell, but pests absolutely detest.
2. Remove stains
You can remove tarnishes and stains from kitchenware and other cooking appliances by simply using thickly sliced cucumber. Rub the slices on the dirty and dull appliances and see the stain disappear.
However, not only kitchenware can benefit from a good cucumber rub. Stainless steel, faucets, and sinks can also be sparkly clean. If you want to see them shine like when brand new, rub them with slices of cucumber now!
3. Shine shoes
Cucumber can also serve as a shoe polish. Rub some slices on your pair of shoes (give it some time). A few seconds later, you’ll see your shoes become all shiny again. Besides that, the chemical in the cucumber will create a waterproof coating that adds extra protection to your fav pair of leather business (or date!) shoes!
4. Defog the bathroom mirror
The salts in the water in the bathroom make the mirrors turn foggy, which is pretty upsetting, especially when you want to have a bubble bath after a long day cleaning the house. To enjoy the steam without having to re-do the mirror, rub cucumber slices over it.
5. Remove stains from furniture and walls
A home with kids running around is a home full of happy laughter and joy. However, it’s also a huge canvas for the little ones to sharpen their drawing talent. This, most of the times, ends up with furniture and walls filled with scribbling of any sort, from colored pencils to crayons! Again, use cucumber – only unpeeled this time and not sliced – and go over the markings and kid artwork with it. Some people say that they even use the outside of the cucumber as an eraser to remove penned mistakes from their essays and papers! You can try!
6. Remove the squeaky sound from hinges
That irritating squeaking sound from door hinges will disappear if you rub cucumber on them. This is because the chemicals contained inside it also have lubricating properties. For the same reason, you can use cucumber as a lubricant in cases where you’d normally use, say, WD 40!
7. Reduce Hangover Headaches
Who would have thought that consuming such a seemingly plain veggie could have such a property? You can now significantly reduce a splitting headache caused by alcohol. It can also help with headaches related to stress. This is because cucumbers are rich in sugar, Vitamin B, and electrolytes, all important to the body to keep a balance. Make sure you eat half a cucumber before you go to bed. You’ll be thankful in the morning!
8. Make the skin firm
Thanks to the photochemical that is found in cucumbers, consuming the favorite vegetable is a great way to boost your collagen production that contributes to having a firm and youthful skin. Make sure you are not allergic to it as a face mask and make a face pack. Put cucumber slices on your face for 15-20 minutes and once you remove them, you’ll notice your face feel and seem rejuvenated and fresh.
Another thing you can do for to make your face glow and have a healthy look is to put cucumber slices in a pot of boiling water and duck over the steam so that it strikes all your face. Do so for 5 minutes and see what follows!
9. Treat Halitosis
Halitosis is an oral health condition that is caused by bacteria in the mouth and makes you have a bad breath. Again, the photochemical present in cucumbers can help you get rid of that nasty breath and destroy the bacteria in your mouth, striking the problem to its root. You just press a slice of cucumber against the roof of your mouth with your tongue and let the cucumber work its magic.
10. Treat a sunburn
As long as you didn’t give yourself a third-degree sunburn, you can use cucumber slices on the affected area and give your skin some of the lost moisture. Once you try it out, you’ll realize that you have something much more effective than commercial remedies.
11. Reduce high blood pressure
The potassium contained in cucumbers will help you bring your blood pressure back to almost normal levels the soonest possible. This cannot happen overnight, though. You’d have to make it a habit and eat cucumber every day.
12. Restore energy
After a long day or physical exercise, you can have cucumber as an energy booster. The carbohydrates and Vitamin B present in it will give you the energy you need to deliver your daily tasks and, most importantly, allow you to sustain it for a longer time. This is also why many people have given up on caffeine and eat cucumbers instead.
Since a cucumber can also keep you full for several hours, it’s also a preferred snack to fill yourself up (zero calories!).
13. Relieve you from constipation
Cucumber is rich in fiber and water, which make it a great food for people with a problematic bowel movement. Use it as a constipation remedy and you will soon see results.
14. Reduce cellulite
If you rub slices of cucumber to the areas with visible cellulite, you can help that area produce more collagen and tighten the skin. The phytochemicals present in cucumber will also work quite exceptionally on wrinkles.
For more incredible uses of the most ordinary stuff we all have around the home, check out amazing uses of lemon, mouthwash, cornstarch, eggshells, and many more! Just feel free to browse the blog!