Life Hackery

After applying a new color to your nails, you realize the shade really doesn’t suit your taste. You hastily remove it, apply on a new color and toss the old bottle aside. It stays on your dresser — unused and unopened. Later on, you see it’s all dried up. The whole bottle has gone to waste.

Nail polish may be cheap, but it’s still a shame to see a pretty useful stuff go to the trash can. Before you dispose that bottle, here are other interesting ways to use nail polish.

1. Adhesive Alternative

If you’re putting the finishing touches on your model ship, but you’ve run out paste and glue, your clear nail polish should serve as the perfect alternative. Apply a small amount to the piece, attach it and wait until it dries up. This also works for resetting loose jewelry stones or securing loose screws.

2. Make Your Jewelry Tarnish-Proof

Inexpensive or fake jewelry can lose their sparkle as time goes by. To preserve the jewelry’s beauty, coat it lightly with clear nail polish. You can say goodbye to faded jewelry and tarnish marks.

3. Wart Remover

Warts are embarrassing and infectious. To eliminate them, cover with nail polish. After a week, they’ll be gone. Remember to throw away the polish you have used afterwards to prevent the virus from spreading.

4. Make Gleaming Paperweights

Nail polish is also useful when you’re feeling crafty. Here’s how to use it to make a lovely paperweight. First, find a smooth, clean and lovely rock or shell. Put at least 1.25 centimeters or ½ inch of water in a pie pan and put a drop of clear nail polish in it. Let it spread out all over the water surface. Hold the rock in your fingertips, and roll it in the water slowly, coating it with the polish. When all of its surface is covered, place on a newspaper to dry. You’ll have a delightful-looking paperweight that you can use for your office or give away as a present.

5. Seal Envelopes

The habit of licking the envelope flap to seal it can sometimes be ineffective, not to mention disgusting. Instead of using your saliva to seal your mail, dab nail polish on the underside instead. You’ll keep your letter safe and your tongue clean.

6. Glow-In-The-Dark Effect For Remote Control Buttons

You reach for your remote control and press the channel button—only to accidentally increase the volume at an ear-shattering level. This happens to you all the time. To put an end to it, dab some glow-in-the-dark nail polish on the buttons. You’ll never have to worry about pressing the wrong button again.

7. Jewelry Designing

You found this lovely pair of earrings at a garage sale but you see that some of the color is fading and chipped off. Paint over the affected areas using your nail polish. You can even use different colors to improve the original design. Now that’s what you call fashion jewelry.

8. Mark Thermostat Settings

Waking up with a chill can be uncomfortable, and you’re having trouble adjusting the dial-type thermostat again. To help you with this, mark the thermostat with colored polish. Just set the thermostat to your preferred temperature, then make a thin mark from the dial into the outside ring. Getting back to your snug and warm comfort zone won’t be a problem anymore.

9. Smoothing Hangers

Rough, wooden or plastic hangers can be annoying, especially when they cause splinters on your fingers. To prevent this, paint them over with polish so you won’t feel the sharp and rough surfaces anymore.

10. Easy Needle Threading

Isn’t it annoying when you can’t put the thread through the eye of the needle? Oftentimes, you have to lick the frayed thread until it becomes too floppy. Before you get irked, here’s one effective solution: drag the cut thread through the nail polish application brush a couple of times, then roll it between your thumb and forefinger. It will dry up immediately with the thread stiff enough to go through the needle’s eye easily.

11. Prevent A Pantyhose Run From Getting Worse

You notice the pantyhose you’re wearing for the day has a teeny weeny run in it. Apply some clear nail polish over the run to prevent it from worsening. It’s a quick solution until you can replace your hose.

12. Golf Ball Labeler

Playing golf can be relaxing, that is, until you and your golf partner argue on who owns what ball. To avoid confusion, you can place a dot of bright polish on your golf balls. You can also use this for other sports gear that you can’t write your name on.

13. Belt Buckle Shine

Coat clear nail polish over newly-shined belt buckles to prevent oxidation. This will prevent it from becoming cloudy or dusty.

14. Stop Frayed Fabric From Unraveling

Are wisps peering out from your skirt lining? Is your jacket’s nylon lining fraying at the cuffs? Tame these by brushing them in place with clear nail polish.

15. Waterproofing Matches

Camping trips are exciting, but when your matchsticks become wet and you’ve got no light, you’re in for a cold and not-so-fun night. To make sure your matches will work even when they become damp, dip the flammable head in clear nail polish. You’ll be assured to light a cozy campfire.

16. Seal Shoes From Scuffs

If you’re always wearing leather shoes, you may have noticed that the toes and the back take the force of the wear, and always have scratches on their surface. The scuffs can be unnerving, especially if you just bought the shoes. To diminish these damages, paint clear polish over the toes and on the outside of the back seam. Rub it a little to lessen the shine so it won’t be too noticeable. Once it dries, you don’t have to worry about those scuff problems anymore.

17. Shower Knob Temperature Marker

A lot of your precious shower time go to waste when you fiddle with the knobs. The next time you shower, try this: select the settings, then turn off the flow to the shower. Make a tiny mark with your bright polish on the stationary lip of both the cold and hot knob. This will indicate the best handle position so you’ll not waste any precious shower time.

18. Cover Car Scratches

After accidentally bumping into a hedge while trying to park your car, you’re relieved to see your red Toyota getting a few minor scratches. Remove those unsightly gashes by painting them over with the same shade as your vehicle. Your car will get it’s shine and flawless beauty back.

19. Salt Shaker Hole Seal

Your food is always a bit too salty because your saltshaker dispenses a little too generously. Shut a few holes by painting the cover with nail polish.

20. For Rust-Free Metal Containers

Your medicine cabinet or dresser table will look unpleasant if they’ve got rust rings on the surfaces caused by metal can bottoms like shaving cream, mousse or hairspray. Brush some polish around the bottoms of these containers to prevent unsightly stains.

21. Stop Shoelaces From Unraveling

Frayed shoelace ends aren’t very sightly and they can even shorten your laces’ life. Dip the end in clear nail polish, then twist the raveled ends together. Let them sit overnight before using them again.

22. Secure And Protect Buttons

Buttons on your shirt or your child’s stuffed toy can loosen after some time. You can anticipate any problems that may arise by putting a drop of clear nail polish on the buttons’ thread. This will prevent the thread from fraying and the buttons from loosening. You can also coat delicate costume buttons, like pearl ones, to keep them sparkling and prevent them from peeling.

23. Repair Cracked Eyeglasses Temporarily

You accidentally dropped or sat on your eyeglasses and now your lenses have cracked. If you can’t go to your optometrist right away, just seal the crack by brushing clear nail polish over it on both sides. This will hold the cracked pieces together until you’re able to go to your eye doctor.

24. Inhalant For People Who Faint

When someone faints or loses consciousness, many people use ammonia’s strong scent to wake them up, but what if it’s an emergency and you don’t have any near you? Grab your nail polish bottle and put it under the fainted person’s nose. The strong fumes from the chemical will be enough to wake him or her up.

25. Fix Window Screens Or Shades

A little tear in your window shade will become worse as time passes. Prevent it by sealing the hole with a dab of nail polish.

Your pretty fingers aren’t the only ones who can use nail polish. The next time you’ve got a bottle with you, see if you can use it for these tasks.