Off Label Usage

[Deirachel]

Considering how helpful we all seem to be and thinking of the "Rain" thread over in Craig's corner, I thought it would be fun and useful for us to have a thread about creative uses for things we (may) have hanging around the house for chores and what not, but aren't "designed" for them.

Things I remember posting before or seen posted (here or elsewhere):

Suck on a match (for the sulfur) to help keep blood sucking insects away - Skiballa (I wonder if just taking sulfur tablets would do the same)

Use hot water, aluminium foil, and baking powder to polish silver (combine in a glass or metal container and soak the silver, then buff) - Me from my grandmother

Carbonated water to clean corrosion from battery terminals (commonly the Coca-cola trick) - Mythbusters (they "discovered" it's just the bubble action of the carbonated water that lifts the corrosion)


And, today, when needing to get a rubber fitting that's being stubborn onto a metal mount on a vehicle, use a water-based "personal" lubricant to assist without risking eating away the rubber and for easy clean-up.

My case, I had to replace the exhaust insulators/hangers on my wife's minivan. I could not get a part specifically made for the van ('99 Ford Windstar), but I did find a pair made for Honda's which have the holes at the right spacing... but the holes are too small to fit over the flanges on the ends of the post. I had the choice of using a fine-toothed file or a drill to enlarge the holes, but I figured that would reduce the strength of the piece. So, I grabbed the K-Y out of my med kit and smeared it in both holes on the rubber hanger, and then I could just shove both in without damaging either the posts or the rubber. Take care to make sure it's a water and glycerine lubricant as silicone or oil-based lubricants may damage the rubber over time. To clean the lubricant away, I used a turkey baster with hot water to rinse it away. No need to use soap with can damage the rubber either.

Of course, when that was done, I had to clean my hands of the grease and crud from the undercarriage, so I used the other tip my mechanic mentor taught me. Rub a bare tampon between your hands to get most grease and oil off your hands before you have to touch clean parts/door handles. Mainly, I keep a few tampons with no applicator (OB brand) in my motorcycle tool kit in case of roadside repairs. Rub the hands down to get the worst of the grease off, then most any hand wipe can get the rest. (I keep tampons, a pocket pack of baby wipes, and a ten pack of latex gloves in my kit. If my repair rips the gloves, then I use the tampon/baby wipe combo to clean my hands before I put my riding gloves back on, and I don't have to worry about greasy riding gloves!)

Whatcha got to help with our honey-do lists?

[sydnie7]

Coffee removes those black deposits from aluminum cooking/baking pans. Just pour your leftover morning coffee into the pan and let it soak. Then imagine what it's doing to your innards LOL

[robthehiker]

I don't have any hints to share but from now on I'm going to carry tampons, KY jelly, latex gloves and baby wipes in my sporran.

[Santa Wally]

I don't have any hints to share but from now on I'm going to carry tampons, KY jelly, latex gloves and baby wipes in my sporran.

That should make for an interesting explanation on your part if your sporran would be checked by security going into DisneyLand, DisneyWorld, airport or other venue.

Now back to the original topic...

[Deirachel]

I know it sounds odd, but all I have to say about the tampon trick is try it. Easy way to check is grab one (easy enough if you have a wife) and hit your kitchen sink. Turn on the water to nice and warm (yes, this test wastes some water). Pour a bit of cooking oil on your hands and rub them together like your using a lotion. Then, use the tampon. You'll be amazed at how effective it is. Then, get the last bit of it off with some old-fashioned dish soap. If you find it doesn't work well enough for your purpose, then you know. But for me, it helps keep me riding.

As for the latex gloves? Using them while working on parts is just smart. Part cleaners, brake dust, et al are all bad for you. I add a cheap paper dust mask to my kit specifically for dealing with brakes.

Clean out old margarine (and similarly packaged foods) tubs. Use them as "tupperware" for work or home. That way if someone accidentally tosses you lunch leftovers from the work fridge, you don't loose your wife's expensive plastic. Or, if you forget to eat the leftovers at home, you can just toss the whole thing in the trash with no loss of life (although if it's starting to grow and talk back to you, you might want to duct tape the lid close). And they can go in the microwave with the lid just cracked to help keep it clean.

Edit: Nice tip there sydnie7

[Tobus]

Actually, tampons are incredibly useful for many different things. There's a case to be made for keeping them in your vehicle, survival pack or hiking gear, first aid kit, etc.

Hmm... other 'off label' uses for things? Well, here's an interesting discussion I had recently with a friend about using soda cans or tuna/catfood cans to make an alcohol stove for camping. Of course, the usefulness of a small, cheap, homemade stove doesn't end with camping.

Ideas like these really excite me as an engineer, finding new and creative ways to retrofit or repurpose common items for completely different uses. This is a bit of a lost art these days. My grandparent's generation and those before them, who had to live frugally, and didn't live in an age where everything was disposable, knew how to reuse things and make common products serve multiple functions.

[Scout]

Aerosol "Brake Parts Cleaner", available at any auto parts store, is a superb solvent for cleaning dirty firearms at about a third of the cost of aerosol "Gun Scrubber" which is essentially the same stuff but marketed specifically for gun cleaning. A word of caution though, Brake Parts Cleaner will strip every bit of lubricant off of metal, so be sure to re-oil your firearms appropriately after use.

[Big Mikey]

Clean out old margarine (and similarly packaged foods) tubs. Use them as "tupperware" for work or home. That way if someone accidentally tosses you lunch leftovers from the work fridge, you don't loose your wife's expensive plastic.

Be advised that repeated heating of these types of plastic will cause them to "off gas". My nerdy science friend says that once or twice is fine but they should be turfed after that.

[rmccool]

An even better alternative to carbonated soft drinks for cleaning corroded lead-acid battery terminals (such as those on automotive batteries) is to use a strong mixture of baking soda in hot water.

Just make very sure that if the battery has a removable cap for checking (and refilling) the electrolyte, that the cap is tightly closed. Even a bit of the baking soda solution getting into the battery will ruin the battery and may cause the battery case to burst.

[gary meakin]

One of my favorites:
When the crysal on your watch gets scratched (which mine does quite often at work)
Rub with a little toothpaste and voila, it's as good as new.