It is not every day we get someone to gift us, let alone a pair of socks or handkerchief. But, once in a while, we get that one friend that remembers us and decides this occasion calls for Peter to get a little something from me. So, in that spirit, they send you a bottle of whisky or vodka for you, and wine for your spouse. What Sam, your friend from back in the days, does not know is that you and your spouse decided to stop drinking after your firstborn. You cannot return the gift; neither can you throw it out. So, what do you do?
Scenario II; you have that one bottle of alcohol or several that have been in your cabinet for a long time, and you do not know what to do with them. You no longer want to drink them, and no one else in the family does. So, what do you do? Do you pour it down the sink (not such a good idea, by the way), or could it be used in some other way around the house😕 ?
Let us find out.
Homemade Mouthwash using Vodka
You are at home, just woken up, and you want to sneak a kiss at your significant other, but the foul morning breath cannot let you even breathe in peace. So, you get up to gurgle some mouthwash real quick, but the bottle is empty! What do you do now? Have you got some vodka lying around? Add some water to it and some essential oil you got in your cabinet, peppermint, lavender, jasmine, and voila! You can now go kiss your, king or queen, without holding back.😉
Baking using liquor
Some of us like to experiment in the kitchen. One way to do this is by baking using alcohol. You had that right! It is perceived to help improve the flavor, or is it the alcohol in the goodies😋?
A good way to figure out what liquor to use is to consider its flavor and tasting notes. Anything that has vanilla tasting notes like rum and bourbon works well with cake mix and cookie dough. Red wine, port, and brandy have a sweetness to them that pair nicely with chocolate cake and gingerbread.
Note that the alcohol quality will affect how your baking treats will turn out. If the alcohol is not something you would typically enjoy, do not expect it to taste any better in your baked products.
Remember, you do not always have to bake out your alcohol. You can also incorporate it after the baking is done. An example is, you can add alcohol to a frosting.
Grow plants with beer
A cold beer at the end of a long day sounds like a plan. However, what if instead of pouring leftover beer, you could use it to water your plants? That’s right!
The two ingredients in beer: yeast, and carbohydrates, have some benefit to growing plants. Also, beer is made up of approximately 90% water, and logically plants need water to grow.
Watering plants with beer, however, might be a bit of an expensive option and should only be done when there is a bottle of beer that has gone stale or been open for too long.
Clean the windows and mirrors using Vodka
Vodka is primarily odorless, colorless, and, as it turns out, it is a multi-purpose cleaner. Vodka evaporates quickly, making it ideal as a glass and mirror cleaner. Spray straight alcohol to your window or mirror and wipe off using a microfiber cloth to remove any dust, fingerprints, streaks, or smudges in no time.
Use gin to clean jewellery
There is some jewellery lying around that has not been cleaned for a while, and the idea of you taking your jewellery to the cleaner just makes you tired, fret not you can do it at home.
Pour some gin onto a clean cloth and rub gently over your jewellery. Due to its high level of alcohol, any bacteria or grease will be removed.
You may also soak your jewellery in a little gin, and swirl the gin with your finger for around 20 minutes. After, rinse it under warm water and dry it with a lint-free cloth ( cloth with no fluff)
Remember, if you have something precious, always check with a professional cleaner.
Skin treatment with red wine
If your skin looks a little dull, try a wine exfoliator. Mix your red wine with sugar, creating a nice paste. Gently rub in a circular motion, then rinse with cold or lukewarm water and pat dry. This recipe also doubles as a delicious lip scrub to remove that dead skin.
If you have sensitive skin or find the wine and sugar scrub to be a little rough, just add a tablespoon of honey to soften it up a bit.
Fresh out of your non-alcoholic skin toner? Simply dip a clean cotton ball in some red wine and gently rub it in a circular motion across your clean face and neck. Using red wine as a toner can help reduce oil, remove dead skin cells, clear pores, and fight acne.
Flower preservation using vodka
A loved one has sent you flowers. It makes you giddy inside, and you cannot stop smiling. If possible, you would like to have them in the vase for eternity. But that is not possible. However, you can preserve them for at least a week or so using this little trick.
Add a few drops of vodka to your vase of flowers filled with water. Vodka is said to have the ability to inhibit ethylene production in the flowers, a ripening gas that helps plants mature, slowing the wilting of the flowers. Therefore, keeping the flowers looking fresh and keeping that memory lingering for a little longer.
Remove an adhesive with vodka
You can use vodka as an adhesive remover. Simply dampen a paper towel with the vodka, lay the towel over the sticky area, and wait a few minutes while the fluid dissolves the glue or even gum. Finish removing the sticker residue by rubbing away any lingering material with your fingers or a plastic scraper.
Use wine to garnish your vegetable salad
You have that salad that is to be served later for dinner but does not taste like anything a human being would stomach! Combine some old red or white wine with vinegar, then sprinkle the combo on your salad. Bon Appetit.
Clean wooden furniture with beer
Stale beer is not anyone’s favourite beer. It’s flat, and at that point, it has lost its true taste. However, next time this happens, do not throw it out. Instead, use it to clean your wooden furniture.
Take a clean piece of cloth, dampen it with the stale beer, and then wipe it into your wood furniture. Dry it with a dry cloth and be amazed at how your furniture will shine.
With these tips at your fingertips, do not let liquor go to waste. Use it around the house for one or two things.
Do not forget to leave yourself some for that hot afternoon or chilled evening. If you are out of liquor, place your order with us, and we will deliver at your doorstep, in Nairobi, and its environs—free delivery for orders above Ksh 3,000.
We do personalized gifts and engravings for that special friend or family member.
By Roseline Maina: Digital Marketer
