Onions are one of those vegetables that people have used for centuries for different purposes. Onions can be used for medicinal needs, cleaning, cooking, gardening and more! Part of being prepared is knowing how to reuse items for multiple purposes. That’s why knowing multiple onion uses can be so important. Comment below to tell us what you’ve used onions for.
Reduce bruising
If you are cut and bruise easily, onions might be your best friend. After you’re cut, immediately press the cut end of a raw onion on a superficial bruise and keep it there for 15 minutes. The reason this works is because of allicin. Allicin is the same compound that makes your eyes water. This will stimulate the lymphatic flow in the blood, pushing away excess blood in the tissue - decreasing the causes of bruising.
Dyeing Easter eggs
You can use a lot of natural elements to dye Easter eggs different colors. Use 4 cups of yellow onion skins in 1 quart of hot liquid to create sienna-colored eggs. Let them soak for a few hours. If you want to create lavender-colored eggs, combine 4 cups of blueberries with 1 quart of hot water.
Repel caterpillars from your garden
Do you have a lot of caterpillars eating up your cabbage? Peel 2 medium-sized onions and grate them into a large bowl. Add 1 gallon of water and let the mixture sit overnight. Strain the mixture and put the liquid in spray bottles. Spray this liquid all over the leaves of your cabbage and other vegetables and watch the caterpillars turn away. To make the plants smelly enough, you may need to spray twice.
Remove rust from knives
If you have a kitchen knife that has a little bit too much rust on it, simply poke the knife into a large onion a few times and the rust should begin to shine again.
Clean your BBQ
If you love to barbecue as much as I do, then you’re grill is probably pretty dirty. You can easily clean the barbecue by heating it up and using a fork to hold the onion. Scrub the onion on all the grease and grime in your barbecue and watch as they get wiped away.
Treat acne
Does your child have a big dance coming up and can’t get rid of that nasty spot? You can come to the rescue by mixing crushed onions with water and applying the mixture to the face. The vegetable’s chemical components will gradually reduce the visibility of the zits.
Get rid of scorch marks
In my first apartment, we had a dryer that would always put little burn marks on all of our clothing. I wish I would have known that I could easily remove these marks with onions! Just cut an onion in half and rub the scorch mark. Let the clothes soak in cold water overnight and then re-wash. This technique works with washable cotton clothing.
Get a splinter out
We’ve all had that painful splinter that won’t come out. Now, just place a ¼-inch slice of onion over the splinter. Wrap the area with a bandage to keep the onion in place. Leave the onion and bandage in place overnight. By the morning, your skin should have shrunk and allowed the splinter to work its way out. And, as a bonus, your finger will smell like an onion for the rest of the day.
Keep frost off your windows
No one likes to scrape frost off their car windows, especially when you’re late to work. To avoid having to scrape the frost off, slice an onion and rub the halves against the windshield the night before a freeze. This should keep frost from forming.
Eliminate new paint smell
If you just painted your bedroom and need to get rid of the noxious smell, place several freshly cut onion slices around the room. Place each onion slice in a bit of water. The paint smell will be absorbed within a few hours.
Send a message to your pet
Many pets don’t like the smell of onions, so if your cat or dog has a favorite couch that they like to destroy, leave small onion slices around the area. That should keep them from returning to the scene of the crime.
Soothe a bee sting
Let’s say that you are outside barbecuing after the football game this weekend and get stung by a big bee. Quickly place one of those onion slices that was supposed to go on your burger and place it over the sting area. This should soothe the pain. If you do have a severe allergy to bee stings, seek medical attention.
Now, let’s discuss
So what do you think? What have you used onions for? Comment below to tell us what onions have helped you with and share your wealth of knowledge. Don't forget to browse the latest in food storage items and stock up while you're here.