20 cool ways to misuse sugar
It is useful not only for beauty and health, but even in the garden. But in food it is better to put it less.
Sugar is one of those kitchen foods that are always on hand along with salt, pasta and cereals. What if guests come and you want to pamper them with homemade cookies? But in fact, sugar is not only an indispensable thing in cooking. Its application is much broader.
Here are a couple of dozen non-standard uses of sugar. After them, you will not perceive it as just a sweetener.
FOR GOOD HEALTH
Calm the child
Studies by foreign scientists have shown that children who were given a sweet solution (sugar and water) before immunization coped with the pain of injections better than children who simply drank water.
Heal wounds
Experts have found that sprinkling sugar on pressure sores or sores before brushing or dressing helps kill bacteria that prevent healing. They, bacteria, need moisture to survive, and sugar draws it out of wounds.
Ease the pain
Sipping too hot coffee or taking a bite of scalding pizza? You can only sympathize with your language. But the next time this kind of trouble happens, suck on a sugar lump, it will help relieve the pain.
Coping with bites
To soothe painful stings from bees and other insects, mix equal parts water and sugar and apply to skin. Leave it on for 20 minutes.
Stop hiccups
Just eat a spoonful of sugar. Its graininess slightly irritates the esophagus, causing the phrenic nerves to “reboot” and forget about hiccups.
FOR BEAUTY
Make the skin smooth
Sugar is an excellent exfoliator. Make your own body scrub: Combine sugar and butter (coconut, almond, jojoba, or olive) to create a loose paste. Add essential oils if desired. Rub the skin gently and rinse off in the shower. Another option for a great scrub is this: mash the banana pulp in mashed potatoes, add 3 tablespoons of sugar and a teaspoon of olive oil. Use it!
Clear lips
And here’s a recipe for an almost edible mint lip scrub (as well as a breath freshener if you lick a little from your lips during the massage). Combine some coconut or olive oil with sugar and a drop of peppermint essential oil. Apply some paste to lips, massage, rinse.
Increase lipstick stability
Sprinkle some sugar on your lips after applying lipstick, wait a minute and lick off the sugar. Ready! It draws moisture out of the lipstick and prolongs the color fastness.
FOR HOME AND GARDEN
Remove dirt
If you have been working in a garden or vegetable garden, digging in the ground and you have very dirty hands, then just add sugar to the soap. Or make a special scrub “for gardeners”: mix 2/3 of sugar with 1/3 of liquid soap or dishwashing liquid. This is the perfect way to clean your hands after digging in the ground.
Get rid of garden pests
If plants in your garden have unsightly root nodes, they can become prey to nematode parasites. To prevent this from happening, sprinkle sugar on the plants and the soil around them. It will feed microorganisms that will increase the amount of organic matter in the soil, making it hostile to nematodes.
Save fresh cut flowers
Add 3 teaspoons of sugar and 2 tablespoons of vinegar per liter of warm water, put flowers in the solution, they will stay fresh longer. Sugar nourishes the stems and vinegar restricts the growth of bacteria. Change the water every other day. For more tips on how to keep flowers fresh, read here.
Catch a wasp
If wasps get you, make a simple trap for them – sugar syrup. Mix two parts sugar with one part water, pour the resulting syrup into a jar and place it outside. The sticky mixture will attract wasps and lure them into this trap.
Get rid of flies
Use sticky tape to catch flies. Mix equal parts sugar, honey and water, bring to a boil (until thickened). Let cool, and then grease strips of paper with this mixture. Secure them to the ceiling with a string. When the paper is no longer sticky, sprinkle the sugar solution over it again.
Help with firing up
Just sprinkle some sugar on the coals before setting them on fire. Once the sugar is exposed to fire, it decomposes and releases a substance that helps the charcoal to ignite.
Remove grass stains
Mix sugar and water to make a thick paste. Apply to grass stain and leave on for 1-2 hours, then wash clothes as usual.
FOR KITCHEN
Clear household appliances
To clean the grinder (be it a coffee grinder, blender or meat grinder) and eliminate odors, add 1/4 cup sugar to it and turn it on for a few minutes. Empty the used sugar and wipe the device with a clean cloth.
Keep baked goods fresh
Add a few sugar cubes to the airtight container where the baked goods are stored. The sugar will absorb moisture and keep the biscuits and breads fresh for longer than usual.
Eliminate odors
To rid the kitchen of cooking odors, burn some sugar in a saucepan (until caramelized when it still smells sweet). The natural aroma of caramel will be a natural air freshener for you. By the way, if you add a little vinegar and sugar to the water while cooking “smelling” vegetables (such as broccoli or cauliflower), your nose will thank you.
Save cheese from mold
Just place a sugar cube in an airtight container with your favorite cheese. And enjoy its taste for a long time.
Decorate desserts
Make your own vanilla sugar. To do this, split a vanilla pod and bury it in a jar of sugar. Let it brew for a week. Then you can add to coffee, tea, cocoa, homemade ice cream, to decorate cookies or muffins. The aroma is guaranteed for you!