This Tropical Food Scrap Turns Water Into A Polishing Powerhouse

Food has uses in the kitchen that go well beyond making delicious meals. For instance, coffee grounds can get rid of garbage bin smells, and bread works wonders for cleaning the kitchen. If you're into the idea of using food, especially leftovers, to clean, hold on to your banana peels to create an effective polishing paste. All you need to do is add the peels and a small amount of water into a blender and process them to make a paste similar to the chemical one usually used to polish silverware. From there, rub the paste into the item that you're polishing with a soft cloth. Once you're satisfied with the polish, buff clean the residues.

Banana peels work for this particular task because they have potassium and natural oils that help polish and create shine, while their enzymes break down stains. The main advantage of using this over chemical products is that the smell is much more pleasant and the paste is gentler on the skin. If you're too tight on time to make the paste, you can also rub the inside of the peel straight onto your silverware. It works well enough when you're in a rush.

The same qualities that make bananas great for polishing silverware also make them ideal for minimizing scruffs and smudges. For this, use the peel directly rather than making the paste. The oils will help the smudges and scruffs on shoes and hardwood floors appear smaller. Peels also work to polish leather products, which is a lifesaver when you're out of shoe shine.

Of course, you shouldn't use bananas to clean any surface. Avoid using them on fabrics and suede since the oils can stain them. Stone countertops can also absorb too much oil, so they're not an ideal surface for this trick. If you're unsure what's safe or not, stick to silver, stainless steel, and leather. These are the surfaces with which banana peels work best. 

Another important thing to keep in mind is to always use fresh peels. Once you're done with the paste or peels, you can throw them in the garbage or down the drain, or put them in your kitchen compost (which is easier to maintain than you'd think).