We’ve all heard how aluminium is leading the space age and how aluminium foil for roofing insulation is gaining popularity in Malaysia, but did you know that the soft metal has some unusual uses right in your home? With a little ingenuity and creative magic, aluminium can be used in such ingenious ways that it’d make you wonder, “Why didn’t I think of doing that before??” 

 

1. Move heavy furniture without lifting.

If you have a smooth floor type like marble or polished concrete, wrap the legs of a table up or line the bottom of the furniture and start pushing – the reduced friction between the aluminium and the floor will make heavy furniture easily to push about, minimizing the amount of heavy lifting you’ll need to do!

 

Well, not exactly as effortless as skating on ice, but it’s better than nothing!

 

2. Fill in loose battery electrical contacts.

Have a loose battery contact? Line the contacts with highly conductive aluminium to reconnect the circuit, just like you’d do with some folded paper and an uneven table leg! Just make sure to you separate the contact points for 9v batteries to avoid a short-circuit!

If the contacts have corroded (appearing greenish in colour) you can clean it using a q-tip dipped in a mixture of vinegar and table salt. Remember to neutralize the vinegar acid after with some sodium bicarbonate, or with some water before dying it off – be careful not to get water in the inside of electronics! 

 

3. Use it in place of steel wool.

Rolled aluminium foil works a lot like steel wool does for scrubbing sticky messes from dishes and kitchenware, except that it’s a lot cheaper. Because aluminium is a soft metal it’s not going to scratch most materials either. However, this does not give you license to throw all sensibilities out of the window.

 

4. Reduce interference between a TV and DVD player.

Placing a sheet of aluminium foil in between a stacked TV and DVD player can cut down on electromagnetic interference, and probably improve picture quality when the two devices are operating. In the event of a nuclear explosion, you can do the same thing to protect yourself and family from dangerous gamma wave radiation – You’ll just need to use more sheets and be completely wrapped up in it!

 

Not-so-clever radiation shield: If you’re going to use aluminium to protect yourself from gamma radiation then you’re going to need a few more layers and far more coverage.

 

5. Cook food more evenly in microwaves.

Again, aluminium’s electromagnetic-reflective properties help out in the kitchen! Because water tends to absorb microwaves better, food stuffs that contain lots of water tends to heat and thus burn more easily. So if you’re cooking a pie with berries you can wrap the berries up in foil before cooking it in the microwave for more even baking – or you could just put the berries on later after the pie has been cooked…

 

6. Remove rust without damaging the iron underneath.

To gently remove rust, use a balled piece of aluminium foil soaked in some machine oil. If you want to avoid an oily mess you can use water instead as long as you dry it properly afterwards.  

 

7. Makeshift funnel.

Need a funnel? Roll some aluminium foil for a funnel that’s water-resistant, food-safe, lightweight and completely disposable/reusable. The funnel end of this makeshift tool will also conform to the shape of any opening you put it to as well!