Rachael Ray

There’s nothing like the fruity, bitter or pungent flavor and taste of a good olive oil whether it’s being used in our cooking, dipping or dressings.  But whodathunk that this yummy product has tons of uses outside of  our kitchen!  So what follows are 10 of them, ’cause like Rach who coined the term EVOO (which means Extra Virgin Olive Oil since she felt saying it all was a mouthful), I too like to find things that save time, money and my sanity in my everyday life:

1.    CREAKY HINGES/STICKY KEY HOLE:  Take aim with a can of cooking spray or simply wipe some on the hinge with a cotton ball

2.   SHINE/RESTORE LEATHER:  Put some on a clean cloth to buff and condition your leather shoes and cracks in dry leather items like baseball gloves …it’s also a terrific skin moisturizer so you can try ‘buffing’ leathery skin J

3.   DUST/POLISH WOOD FURNITURE:  Combine a 2:1 ratio of olive oil to lemon juice in a spray bottle to make your own healthy dusting polish! Olive oil will remove the dust and the lemon gives it a pleasant scent. It will also help to get out small scratches-apply with a soft cloth and work it in a bit.

4.   STICKER REMOVER:  This is one of my fave uses since I break wine glasses on a regular basis and I don’t want to ruin my manicure.  Simply dab some on the label/sticker and let it sit for a few minutes and viola…no scraping, no gluey yuck ‘n sticker be gone and mani remains in tact!

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5.   STUCK ZIPPER FIXER:  Dab just a lil bit on the teeth of your pant, pocketbook or boot zipper to help smooth the way!

6.   HAIRBALL HALTER: Feed your kittie a ¼- ½ teaspoon will help prevent hairballs and keep their coats shinier!

7.   BUBBLE GUM S.O.S.: No need to give your child a short bob when they get bubble gum in their hair just put a generous amount on the gum and hair around it.  Let sit for 5-10 minutes before removing it.

8.   PAINT  SCRUB/SKIN EXFOLIANT:  Mix a little salt or sugar with olive oil to create a scrub which will remove paint and doubles up to exfoliate your skin…Love that!

9.   MAKE UP REMOVER:  Apply a couple of drops of olive oil to a damp, warm washcloth to take off makeup ‘n moisturize your face too! Another terrif ‘n easy beauty multi-taskin’ must!!!

10.  HAIR CONDITIONER:  Massage a few tablespoons of warmed olive oil into your damp hair and work through to the ends.  Leave on for 30-60 minutes, rinse and your scalp will feel terrif, and your locks will be sleek ‘n shiny!

Please visit my website www.juliestips.com if you have any tips, questions on cleaning, organinzing, home repair, mani-friendly decorationg, fave recipes using olive oil or  Olive Oil/Popeye episode share all here!