10 Surprising Ways You Can Use Olive Oil Around the House
Updated: Jan. 26, 2022
When it comes to tackling your chores, olive oil really comes in handy.
Polish the furniture
Yes, olive oil makes a wonderful bread dip or hearty cake, but that’s not all this oil can do. Did you know it makes a wonderful furniture polish? It’s true! Simply add a bit of olive oil to a soft rag, and gently wipe over your wooden furniture. To make it smell less like olive oil, you can add a few drops of your favorite essential oil.
Condition leather
For shiny, supple leather furniture, turn to olive oil. Rub olive oil into your leather chair or other furniture and let it sit for 30 minutes, then wipe away the excess. Your leather will be grateful. These are our Test Kitchen’s favorite olive oil brands—but you may want to keep the good stuff for the kitchen, not the living room!
Make cleaning measuring cups easy
Make cleaning measuring cups and bowls full of sticky baking ingredients like honey, corn syrup or molasses a breeze. Just rub some olive oil into the measuring cup before filling it with a sticky ingredient, and it’ll slide right out. (By the way, if you see white stuff in olive oil, this is what it means.)
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 to go. Just remember to skip the extra virgin olive oil here and use the regular stuff.
Shine stainless steel and brass
Apply olive oil to stainless steel or brass using a clean rag. It not only brings the shine but also prevents streaks, corrosion and tarnish. Here’s more on how to clean stainless steel appliances with oil.
Remove paint from your skin
DIY painting can save you money, but afterward, 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.
Fix a creaky door hinge
Olive oil is a lubricant, after all, so it only stands to reason that applying it to a squeaky door hinge can quiet the creakiness. Cool! Did you know there are health and beauty benefits of olive oil, too?
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 and buff them to a high shine? These are the five main reasons you shouldn’t wear shoes inside.
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. This trick works even if your olive oil has gone bad.
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.
