Ways to Reuse a Banana Peel

Bananas are a healthy addition to your diet. However, once you have eaten the banana, what are you to do with the skin or peel of it? Once thought the peels were only good for the compost pile, there are actually numerous other uses for them. Although some do sound a little odd and just a shade quirky, they are real uses for your throw away banana peels.

Fruit Fly Trap

You will need a large yogurt container, a nail and hammer, and a banana feel. You will make small holes in the lid of the large yogurt container using the nail and hammer. Place the banana peel inside the yogurt container and snap on the lid with the holes. Place the yogurt container near the fruit flies in your home. The fruit flies will be attracted to the banana peel and will fly into the container. They will not be able to fly back out if your holes are not too large. Once the fruit flies are trapped, dispose of the trap.

Stop The Itch

You can stop the itch of bug bites by rubbing the inside of a banana peel on the bites. The oils in the banana peels will soothe the itch of annoying bug bites. So next time you go camping, bring along some bananas for healthy eating and itch relief.

Look At That Shine

Banana peels are an inexpensive way to polish your shoes. Leather shoes lose that have lost their shine can be brought back to their vibrancy by rubbing them with a banana peel. Banana peels are also a cheap way to polish your silverware. Some people also use them to polish their jewelry.

Keep Aphids Away

For the rose gardener who is fighting a battle against aphids or plant lice, banana peels could be your answer. Chop up some banana peels and bury them below your rose bushes. Do not use whole peels or you will attract new nuisances to your garden such as raccoons and squirrels.

Compost It
Your garden will thank you for tossing your banana peels onto the compost pile. Peels are full of potassium and phosphorus which are nutritious and yummy to you plants.

Fertilize It
Instead of putting banana peels in the compost, save them and dry them out during the winter months. When you are ready to fertilize your spring garden, grind the dried banana peels in a blender and sprinkle them through your soil.

Heal A Cut
To heal a small cut or scrape, rub the inside of the banana peel on it to speed the healing process. Remember that if a cut is serious you should seek medical advice from your doctor. The inside of a banana peel is also great for small burns, rub the affected area with the banana peel to ease the pain and aid in healing.

Splinter Removal
A deeply embedded splinter can be drawn out by cutting a piece of banana peel and taping the inside of the peel against the entry point of the splinter. The enzymes in the banana peel acts like a drawing salve and the splinter will rise to the surface for easier removal and will aid in healing the wound as well.

Wart Removal
Cut a small piece of a banana peel to fit over the wart and and tape the inside of the peel against the wart. In about two weeks, the wart will disappear.

Brighten Your Smile
Gargle with warm water and salt then rub a banana peel on your teeth. Do this once a day and by the end of two weeks, you will have a significantly whiter smile.

Brighten Your Leaves
Houseplants that need a little sprucing can be polished with banana peels. Just wipe each leaf with the inside of the banana peel and they will shine again.