Hot water is a must for comfortable showers, laundry, washing dishes, and more. What you may not know is that it comes in handy for many unexpected problems. From soothing itchy insect bites to unclogging pipes, this low-cost solution can really help you out. Check out the uses below and you might be surprised at how you’ve been overlooking a simple trick for those everyday problems.
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| Fall Asleep in a Blink: If you find yourself having trouble drifting off to dreamland, fill a hot water bottle with hot water and place it under your back. The warmth lowers blood pressure and helps bring on drowsiness in no time. |
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| Clear Kitchen Pipes: Kitchen pipes occasionally get clogged when liquid fats from dirty pots and pans go down the drain and harden inside the plumbing. To clear pipes, pour hot — not boiling — water down your kitchen sink. The hot water melts the fat and grease, helping dislodge and move the gunk down the pipe before it can build up and cause plumbing headaches. Aim to flush your pipes once a week. |
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Easily Slice Ice Cream Cake: There’s nothing more frustrating than trying to slice through an ice cream cake, especially without destroying it. To save yourself that frustration, simply run a knife under hot water for 15 seconds. That will warm the blade so that it glides cleanly and evenly through the cold layers.
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| Revive a Droopy Flower Arrangement: Your beautiful flower arrangement might make an ideal centerpiece, but after just a few days the flowers become floppy. To revive them, florists say to submerge the stems in a vase of hot water (at least 110ยบ F) until the blossoms perk up, then return them to a vase of cool water. The hot water is absorbed more quickly to quench dehydrated blooms. WARNING: Use hot water ONLY on flowers that have already wilted — placing new blooms in warm water will have an adverse effect. |
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| Stop An Insect Bite From Itching: To stop the itch of insect bites, run the affected area under hot — not scalding — water for about 5 seconds. Hot water overloads the network of nerves in the skin that cause itching, stopping the urge to scratch for up to 3 hours. |
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| Guarantee Tastier Carved Meat: While letting a freshly cooked steak sit for 5 minutes before slicing, placing a hot steak on a cold cutting board can leave your dinner lukewarm. Run the cutting board under hot water and towel dry before setting the meat down. You’ll get extra-juicy steak that tastes like it came straight off the grill. |
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| Eliminate Clumps in Mascara: If your mascara has become clumpy, simply soak the tube in a cup of hot water for a few minutes before applying. The heat thins out the mascara so it won’t clump. This works great for liquid eyeliner as well. |
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| Save a Dry Pen: If your pen suddenly stops working, dip the tip of the pen in a mug of boiling water for 10-15 seconds. The hot water will melt away any clogged-up ink on the pen’s ball so it can flow freely again. |
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| Restore a Sweater: If you notice the sleeve openings of your favorite sweater are starting to stretch out, spritz the cuffs with a spray bottle filled with hot water, then blow-dry them on the hot setting. The hot water and hot air cause the fabric to shrink back to normal so the garment fits good as new. |
