Wednesday, February 27, 2013

How a Tampon Can Save Your Life + Other Uses For Everyday Items

When I was checking out at the grocery store today the cashier commented on my orange juice. “Did you know you can use this container to water your flowers with? It is like a little watering can!” Well, hot dang if she’s not right!

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Pretend that there is a little parade of flower pots at my feet, not a carpet.
It is too cold to go outside and pretend to be watering in the snow.

This got me to thinking about all the everyday items (or bodily fluids) that have multiple uses we aren’t even aware of:

  • Getting ready to go for a swim, but need a pubic clean up? Olive oil can be used as a replacement for shaving cream. I have not tried this. You try first and tell me how it goes.
  • Have a smelly gym bag? Throw in a dyer sheet to freshen it up. Then your gym bag will smell like Downy with a hint of jock strap and sweat.
  • A banana (we runners have millions of those around) can be used to clean your CDs.
  • Use baking soda to settle an upset stomach. Mix 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda with a half cup of water and drink. Then throw up and you will stop thinking about your unsettled stomach.
  • Use a condom to waterproof your electronic device on a long run.
  • Why spend big bucks on Body Glide when Vaseline can be used to prevent chafing (duh)? It will also hopefully prevent you from getting in the shower and crying like a little girl when the water hits your chafed nether regions.
  • Washing your face with urine can keep you looking youthful and smooth. I have been doing this for years and I bet you didn’t know I am really 96 years old, not 46. Just kidding. I have not done this, so please let me know how it works out for you (find other creative uses for urine HERE).
  • Tampons (unused) make wonderful kindling for a fire. They can also be used to stop bleeding if you receive a gunshot wound, but hopefully you don’t run in those kinds of neighborhoods.
  • In a pinch, a runner (or hiker or cyclist) could use the cottony part of a tampon as additional insulation in their gloves. (I did not make this up. Someone else did).

What’s a clever/outrageous way you use an everyday household item? I did wash my hair with mayo once because it was supposed to make it silky smooth. Nope, it just made me smell like a sandwich.

Ever tried any of the above? Would you ever try any of the above? The condom thing is actually not a bad idea, but I’d more likely use a zip lock bag. I’ll probably stick with Oil of Olay instead of trying urine.

SUAR

51 comments:

  1. You can put your bar soap in your dresser drawers for scent until youre ready to use them.

    Lemons can be used in a bowl of water, microwaved for four minutes, to clean the microwave. Wait one minute to open the door after it stops running though! Lemons can also be used to polish your stainless steel faucets and also to clean your garbage disposal.

    Visine can be used on zits- to what else- get the redness out! So can toothpaste.

    Sarah
    www.thinfluenced.com

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  2. Omgosh...the condom one has me rolling (fully dressed, tyvm). Lol. But then your phone would smell like spermicide...not pretty.

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    Replies
    1. And if you start to feel some chaffing while running, you can just rub some of the lubrication from the condom onto your raw spot. MULTI-USE!!!!

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    2. If you happen to be running in the desert and get lost, a condom will also hold up to 2 liters of water!

      Obviously we should always keep a condom around!

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  3. I was told that hand sanitizer is flammable, and can be used as a fire started when camping. Lucky me, the next time I went backpacking, it rained for three hours before nightfall.

    Yeah. Hand sanitizer didn't seem to help. Burning my map did (don't worry, I mostly knew where I was going, and it was only a LITTLE plastic coated). At some point, I just wanted the damn fire, even though it really wasn't needed for anything other than, "CAMPFIRE!"

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  4. I've actually done the tampon as kindling thing.

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  5. My daughter and I were on a road trip recently and her finger wouldn't stop bleeding. There wasn't even a napkin in the car, and it was about to drip. We did have one tampon, so she grabbed that and soaked the blood up with it. Later I got in the car and saw a bloody tampon sitting in the cup holder. I had forgotten about the earlier incident, and I thought, WHAT THE HECK??? It took me a minute to stop feeling like I was going to heave.

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  6. Use a denture tab to clean your water bottles...use hot water, soak for overnight or a couple of hours or until clean. Rinse and use!

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  7. Preparation H is good for getting rid of swelling around your eyes from goggles! And yes I have tried it!

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  8. My friends dad cut his toes pretty severely during a jet skiing incident and we used maxipads for the blood.

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  9. I used a tampon for a nose bleed once.

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  10. baby oil works great for shaving legs and SHAMPOO is the BEST tub cleaner EVER...especially after using baby oil to shave your legs!

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  11. I use empty plastic food packaging bags (think salad in a bag-bags, cereal bags, frozen fruit bags) to scoop the cat's poop into. My very green friend taught me that one!

    And here in chronically damp Seattle, I just use a ziploc bag to mostly waterproof my phone while running. It does the job and is way less conspicuous than a condom. Dog walkers might get the wrong idea!

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  12. When shopping for your wife, you can use tampons in the line at the drug store to show the gay guy hitting on you that you have a wife ...

    The insulation in the gloves is that like for running in 31 degree weather?

    Get rust of your clothes by soaking in lemon juice then drying in sun.
    Small amounts of hand soap (without scent) can be used as a laxative.
    Pour table salt on carpet spills and then vacuum when dry.
    Coke can be used to dissolve teeth - drink daily for 100 years - voila!

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  13. Maxi pads are great for soaking up pet urine!

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  14. I think you are running out (pun intended) of things to write about...

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  15. When I first started volunteering backstage at our local theater, we put condoms over the mic packs so that the actor's sweat didn't make them short out. If anyone decides to try this, it is *extremely* important to note that the condom must be unlubricated, otherwise your iPod will be rather nasty. (it really does work, but the Glad wrap that is sticky works better and is cheaper)

    I haven't tried any of the others, though!

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  16. Brilliant list!!
    P.S. Your hair looks fabulous!

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  17. I tried vaseline instead of BodyGlide - it did NOT work and hurt like a mofo in the shower afterwards! I love the watering can idea!

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  18. Urine also helps to neutralize a jellyfish sting. I haven't tried this personally, but I've heard it is very effective. How you get the urine on the sting is your business.

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    Replies
    1. I have heard this, but when I was stung by a jelly fish they used margarine/butter to help with the stinging and swelling.

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    2. When I was stung, they used lime juice.

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  19. The guy at our local Extension (4H) office told me last summer that you can put your husband's urine around your garden to keep the wildlife from eating it. Apparently it only works with male urine.

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  20. Baking soda and water also helps with a UTI. Yeah, so sad that I know that one :(

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  21. Use Dawn Dishwashing Liquid to remove grease stains from your clothing. It REALLY works!

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  22. Stuff dryer lint into empty toilet paper rolls to use as fire starters.

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  23. I always use coffee containers as plant pots :) Sometimes we use lids as plates, but we're lazy college students and we routinely run out of clean dishes.

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  24. My husband was in the marines and is now a cop and he keeps tampons in his emergency pack, in case of gun shot wounds.

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  25. You're so funny!!

    My mom used to let us put egg and mayo in our hair when we were teenagers.

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  26. I always learn something fun when I come to your blog. I am gonna try the olive oil thing. Maybe.

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  27. Urine can also be used to help take the sting out of jellyfish stings or you could just carry meat tenderizer with you every time you go to the beach. Just don't rinse with freshwater as a first response. Very bad idea - you will get more stings.

    I use baking soda to clean the bathtub. Better than any store bought product and I don't end up dizzy inhaling fumes.

    I also stopped buying plastic storage containers for leftovers. Instead, I just use the plastic containers that lunch meats come in. Now I have a cupboard full and no additional cost. Cool.

    I tried washing my hair with beer years ago. It was supposed to give it more shine or something. I didn't notice a change.

    My newest find - Vick's vapor rub....works great on sore muscles after a workout and helps clear any congestion issues at the same time! Sleep well.

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  28. Be careful with the vaseline instead of bodyglide trick. I tried this once, and after a swim-bike-run training session, then a trip through the laundry, my tri-shorts were see through in places they shouldn't have been! (seems the petroleum eats away at the special-drywick-fancy fibers of the shorts..)

    Instead of saving a few bucks on bodyglide, I ended up spending $50 on new tri-shorts AND then buying the bodyglide anyway..

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  29. I affixed Super Overnight Maxi pads to my shins when my new ski boots caused bruising. Though quite effective, this was slightly awkward while trying to impress the new guy I was dating at the time!

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  30. My friend used to pee in one of her plants lol. It was pretty green..

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  31. Just heard this one last night: using a (new) tampon to stop a nosebleed. Seriously--someone in my class last night said after she had nasal surgery, she would get literally two ounces of blood out her nose each night for awhile. She used tampons to plug her nose and stop the bleeding.

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  32. I always bring a tampon and a mini maxi pad in my mountain biking seatbag in case I fall and bleed. Also, I wear a stretchy hairband or bandana so I can make a splint for the same reason (which I used when I broke my ankle once in the woods.) Also, a dollar bill can act as a boot in a tire if you get a gashed tire.

    For running, a bra can be used as a pocket in a pinch. LOL.

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  33. Bread bags.. use them for everything.. My grandmother saved all..

    Could you write about Fuel for races.. and your experience with it. I'm new to that and there are no direction on use for those fuel things.. How is a newbie suppose to not learn the hard way? And where do you stash them if you have to run with it? Help!!

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    Replies
    1. I safety pin the top of the gels on the inside of my shorts at the waistband. Just tear them off when you need them.

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  34. Check out my embarrassing story today on my blog www.runbuns13.blogspot.com/

    It's with an Olympic runner! I think you'll find it humorous!

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  35. I use baking soda (1 teaspoon in about 3 litres of water) and apple cider vinegar (same concentration) to wash and condition my hair.

    Baking soda is also great for cleaning (floors, ovens, as washing powder) and vinegar in your wash acts as fabric softener and takes the funk out of running clothes.

    I also use oil to wash my face (castor oil and coconut oil), and coconut oil in my hair.

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  36. Preparation H foe sunburn relief. Takes the swelling down.

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  37. Tampons for nosebleeds, esp with active kids in sports. Bag Balm for just about any dry skin issue. And I've been told that if I spray a little WD-40 around my porch, it will keep my chickens ( and all of their $hat) off of it.

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  38. We use mini or maxi pads for vet treatment on our horses. Had one cut on a joint that we used baby diapers on. worked like a charm!
    Sandra

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    Did you create this website yourself or did you hire someone to
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  40. Olive oil does work as shaving cream, but it clogs up your razor something awful!

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  41. My husband used chapstick on his nipples during a half marathon and no chafing!

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  42. Hair conditioner works great as an alternative to shaving cream and chance are, you already have some in the shower with you, even if you're out of shaving cream!

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