10 Surprising Ways You Can Use Olive Oil Around the House

When it comes to tackling your chores, olive oil really comes in handy.

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impregnate wooden table with oil; Shutterstock ID 148623044
Shutterstock / LarsZ

Polish the Furniture

Sure olive oil makes a wonderful dip for bread and even makes these cookies taste amazing. But did you know it makes a wonderful furniture polish? Simply apply it with a soft rag. To make it smell less like olive oil, add a few drops of your favorite essential oil.

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Shutterstock / kai keisuke

Make Cleaning Measuring Cups Easy

Making a pecan pie for Thanksgiving? It’s really not that difficult…except for the cleanup, especially when it comes to getting the corn syrup, honey or molasses out of the measuring cup. But you can avoid that annoyance by rubbing olive oil into the measuring cup before filling it with a sticky ingredient. It’ll slide right out and cleanup will be easy!

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Child trying to close a zipper; Shutterstock ID 566069029
Shutterstock / Purino

Free a Stuck Zipper

Got your zipper stuck halfway? No worries: Olive oil has your back. Simply apply a dab of it with a cotton swab to the teeth of your zipper. Then gently ease your zipper into the direction you want it go. Check out these other amazing ways to repair a broken zipper.

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Hand with microfiber rag cleaning vents of microwave oven; Shutterstock ID 121364071; Job (TFH, TOH, RD, BNB, CWM, CM): Taste of Home
Shutterstock / tab62

Shine Stainless Steel and Brass

Apply olive oil to stainless steal or brass using a clean rag. It not only brings the shine but also prevents streaks, corrosion, and tarnish.

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Artist paints a picture of oil paint brush in hand with palette close up.; Shutterstock ID 528643702; Job (TFH, TOH, RD, BNB, CWM, CM): Taste of Home
Shutterstock / K_E_N

Remove Paint from Your Skin

DIY painting can save you money, but afterwards, how are you supposed to get the paint off your skin without rubbing it raw? Easy: Rub on a dab of olive oil like you would lotion, let it soak for a few minutes, then rinse with soap and water.

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door hinge; Shutterstock ID 697709365; Job (TFH, TOH, RD, BNB, CWM, CM): Taste of Home
Shutterstock / Artsiom Kuchynski

Fix a Creaky Door Hinge

Olive oil is a lubricant, after all, so it only stands to reason that applying it to an annoyingly squeaky door hinge can quiet the creakiness. Here’s another option for fixing a squeaky hinge.

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Cleaning shoes on wooden background; Shutterstock ID 376274287; Job (TFH, TOH, RD, BNB, CWM, CM): Taste of Home
Shutterstock / PopTika

Polish Your Shoes

Shoe polish smells terrible. Olive oil smells like…olive oil. And it doesn’t stain your hands. So what better way to shine your shoes than to spray a bit of olive oil on them and buff to a high shine? Hey, here are some really good reasons not to allow shoes in the house.

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gardening tools and soil on a wood background; Shutterstock ID 162547868; Job (TFH, TOH, RD, BNB, CWM, CM): Taste of Home
Shutterstock / Aggie 11

Clean Your Garden Tools

A bit of olive oil applied to your garden tools before digging into the dirt can cut down on dirt buildup. It can also help prevent rust and corrosion.

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Closeup shot of female hand wiping brown leather chester couch of sofa; Shutterstock ID 781929394; Job (TFH, TOH, RD, BNB, CWM, CM): Taste of Home
Shutterstock / AXL

Condition Leather

Rub olive oil into your leather chair or your baseball glove, let it sit for 30 minutes and then wipe away the excess. Your leather will be grateful.

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Gum sticking on jean with holding hand of food stain on clothes of daily life ; Shutterstock ID 592614866
Shutterstock / Fecundap stock

Remove Gum

Got gum in your hair? We hope not! If you do get into this sticky situation, just grab your olive oil. Soak some into a washcloth, wrap it around the gummy hair and let it sit for 10 minutes. The gum will break down and literally slip right off your hair. Here are tricks for getting gum off just about everything else.

Taste of Home
Originally Published on Taste of Home

Lauren Cahn
Lauren Cahn is a New York-based writer whose work has appeared regularly in The Huffington Post as well as a variety of other publications since 2008 on such topics as life and style, popular culture, law, religion, health, fitness, yoga, entertaining and entertainment. She is also a writer of crime fiction; her first full-length manuscript, The Trust Game, was short-listed for the 2017 CLUE Award for emerging talent in the genre of suspense fiction.