Jun 9, 2019
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The last time you bought a pair of shoes or a purse, were there little white packets inside? Did you – like us – throw them in the trash with the other packing material? We’ve always done it, but it turns out we’ve been wasting such a useable and effective little product according to yourbump.com. That’s right: Inside those packets are little beads of silica gel, a desiccant, which is something that can absorb and hold great amounts of water vapor from the surrounding air. They’re included in your new purse or shoebox because they’re actually protecting your new item while it sits on the store shelf. And that got us thinking: If they’re used for new products, why can’t they also be used for things already around the house? We’ve come up with a handful of clever silica gel hacks to use in your home, and they’ll help you save time and money!
1. Smelly Shoes
Older shoes tend to develop odors thanks to all the wear and tear we put on them. Generally speaking, the smell is caused by bacteria that has accrued from all those times at the gym or out on the town, and the bacteria is often caused by moisture in the shoe. Silica gel packs can help absorb this additional moisture and keep your shoes fresher for longer.
Additionally, you can make odor-absorbent pouches (as seen above) by removing the little silica gel balls from the packets, putting them into a bowl, and adding essential or aroma oils. Dump the fragrant silica gel beads into a small pouch and place them inside your shoes.
2. Off-Season Clothes
When you pull your sweaters and heavy jackets out of storage for the winter, do they often have a musty smell from sitting in a closet all summer? You can easily prevent this problem by placing several silica gel packets around the shelves and in the stacks of clothes in your closet. The packets should help keep the musty smells away.
3. Window Condensation
During the colder months, we always see condensation build up on the windows, especially when we’re cooking dinner. But some well-placed silica gel packs around windowsills can help keep the condensation away, so you don’t miss any of that lovely(?) snowfall outside. Just be sure that the kids know not to play with the packs and they’re out of reach of any pets.
4. Dry Dog Food
Do you keep your dry dog or cat food in a big bin? If so, hopefully you’re aware that after a while it can attract moisture, get soggy, and bacteria can grow, potentially harming your pet if consumed. An easy fix is to tape a silica gel pack to the roof of the lid. The silica gel will absorb any moisture around the food, keeping it fresher for longer.
5. The Gym Bag
Well if it isn’t Captain Obvious! If you’ve been paying attention, then this one’s a no-brainer. The silica gel packs are designed to limit moisture in the air. What is one of the key things that bacteria needs to grow? Moisture. So yeah, throw some silica gel packets into your gym bag and keep them there. They’ll save you every time you forget to empty the bag right after your workout.
6. Musty Book Smell
This one could be controversial! There are plenty of folks out there who love the “musty” smell of older books. And while that smell certainly has an undeniable nostalgic effervescence to it, it can be a little too much at times. If you’d like to get rid of the smell from an old book, just place a silica gel packet in-between the pages somewhere and let it work its magic for a couple of days.
7. Heating Pad
You can make a heating pad with silica gel packets? Is there anything they can’t do?! Well, we haven’t seen them clean the gutters, but we’re still holding out hope. Anyway, to create a heating pad, you’re going to need a lot of packets, or you can purchase some on Amazon. Fill a large, old — but clean! — sock and tie it off. Place the filled sock in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Remove it, but be sure to test the temperature before grabbing hold of the whole thing; we don’t want you getting hurt! Place the heating pad wherever desired.
8. Smelly Laundry
That laundry basket filled with dirty laundry is emanating odors that you didn’t know were possible. Lucky for you, you don’t need to contend with that smell if you’re not ready (or able) to throw a load into the wash. Keep some silica gel packets in the bottom of the laundry basket and they’ll help diminish some of those odors. Just don’t throw the packets into the wash!
9. Save Your Old Photographs
If you have old photographs that you keep in a box, in a cupboard, in a storage closet, in the attic, or in the basement, they could be susceptible to damaging moisture in the air. The moisture can warp, curl, or allow mold to grow depending on how bad it gets. But of course you’ve got your handy silica gel packets laying around now, so drop two or three into the box or storage bin and those photos will stay protected from the damp air.
10. Water-Damaged Phone
The standard solution to dropping your smartphone in water is to throw it in a bag of rice and wait with bated breath to see if it’ll ever work again. But silica gel packs actually work much better than rice. First, take your SIM card out of the phone, and then place the phone in a Ziploc bag with your trusty silica gel packs. Give it at least 24 hours, but just to be safe, maybe give it 48 hours. If anything can save your phone, it’ll be this remedy. Otherwise, we fear that your device may be beyond repair.
11. Reusing Silica Gel Packets
So far we’ve seen a handful of uses around the house where silica gel packets can help out. However, the little packets aren’t infinite vacuums for moisture in the air. But it turns out that you can reuse — or “recharge” — them to absorb more moisture again. If the weather is good, place the packets out in the warm sun for an hour. The sun should sap any moisture out of the beads. If you can’t put them outside, put them on a baking sheet and place them in the oven. Many home DIYers recommend setting the oven to 220°F for 30 minutes.
12. Keep Tarnish Away
If you’re like us, chances are that you, too, have some antique silverware that’s been passed down a generation or two. And as you probably know, silver can be especially vulnerable to tarnishing because it’s almost always an alloy (i.e. sterling silver) instead of being pure silver. It’s the other metals in the alloy, particularly copper, that result in tarnishing. (In case you’re wondering why we don’t just make pure silver items, the other metals actually make the silverware or silver jewelry last longer.) The copper reacts to moisture in the air and thus tarnishes. As you’ve already figured out, silica gel packets will help absorb that moisture and keep your silverware in pristine shape when not in use.
13. Wet Bathing Suits
Picture this: You’re going camping, or are on another kind of vacation, and it’s your last day. But before you go, you want one more swim in the pool, lake, or ocean. The problem is that you then have to contend with a wet bathing suit in your luggage. How many hours will it sit there before you can take it out? Well, if you thought ahead, you can likely save yourself a lot of dampened clothing with some silica gel packets. The packets won’t absorb all of the moisture of a sopping wet bathing suit, but if your trunks or bikini is a little damp, the packets can help take some of that moisture out of your luggage for the trip home.
14. Vegetable Seeds
Whether you buy seed packets at the store or meticulously store them from past years’ crops, keeping them fresh can be difficult. That pesky enemy known as moisture can ruin veggie seeds if mold begins to grow on them. But you know what to do now! Keep silica gel packets with your seeds. It will help keep the moisture away and keep your seeds fresh and – most importantly – usable.
15. Dry Your Travel Gear
We’ve touched on this one in previous slides — your gym bag and bathing suit — but it bears mentioning that adding silica gel packets to your regular luggage is a no-brainer as well. Even if you don’t have a wet bathing suit or sweaty clothes in there, you can certainly help keep your stuff dry — and hopefully remove any smells — with our little helpful beads in your suitcase.
16. Christmas Ornaments
As with many things that sit in storage for much of the year, the moisture in our closets, the attic, or the basement can wreak havoc on them. It’s just that a lot of us don’t think about how much moisture can be in the air at different times of the year. If you store away your Christmas ornaments in January, and they won’t see the light of day for another 11 months, throw some silica gel packets in the containers or boxes to help keep them in great shape.
17. Underwater Camera Equipment
This life hack might be a bit specific for most, but it should go without saying that if you have any type of underwater camera or a GoPro, you should keep some silica gel packets in the case. (They probably come with them when you purchase it.) The packets will consistently help remove excess moisture from the equipment and keep them running smoother for longer.
And while we’re on the subject, this can go for any electrical equipment that sits in damp areas or is exposed to water.
18. Protect Your Collectibles
If you’ve got a collection of baseball or other sports cards, or maybe comic books, keeping silica gel packs handy is a must! Heat and humidity can really take a toll on your collectibles, and you may not notice it until it’s too late. If you’re planning to pass your collection down to your kids, or maybe unload those valuables later on down the road, put silica gel packets inside the boxes or cases to protect your investment.
19. Dry Out Flowers
If you love to have dried flowers around the house for decorations, or if you use them in crafts, then this hack is a must. Drying flowers can be tricky. As they wilt, they can brown, mold, or lose their color. But silica gel beads can be used to dry the flowers and keep their color! Just put the flowers in a container and pour the beads over them. Allow the flowers to dry to your desired state and remove. Nothing to it!
20. Dry Fishing Tackle
If you have a fisherman or two in the family, it’s obvious that fishing tackle is going to get wet, but that doesn’t mean it has to stay wet. Throw some silica gel packets into the tackle box, and they should absorb any lingering moisture in (or on) the hooks or other tackle. Again, the packets aren’t meant to soak up puddles. So just make sure everything is relatively dry when putting it back into the tackle box.
21. De-Clump Detergent
If you use powdered laundry detergent, you’ve probably noticed how it can begin to clump up after a while. That’s because of our old enemy, moisture, in the air. But silica gel packets once again can come to the rescue. Throw some packets on top of the detergent and allow them to sit for a while. Just make sure not to accidentally scoop them into the wash the next time you’re doing laundry.
22. Out-of-Season Purses
If you have a little trouble with impulse control when you see a nice, new, shiny purse in the store window, then you may have purses for nearly every occasion or season. If so, you probably put some away for extended periods of time. Well, chances are that those purses came with a couple of silica gel packets when you bought them, so you should just leave them in there. When you go to store them in the closet, the packets will keep everything nice and fresh for next season.
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