25 Clever Uses for Plastic Wrap You’ll Wish You Knew Sooner
Updated: Jun. 20, 2022If you're only using plastic wrap to keep your leftovers fresh, you're tapping just a fraction of its potential.
Use plastic wrap to keep your paintbrush from drying out
Taking a break from your home makeover? Don’t let your paint rollers or brushes dry out overnight. Simply wrap the paint-covered brushes and rollers with plastic wrap until you’re ready for the next coat.
Use plastic wrap to keep the fridge top forever clean
Make the next time you clean the top of your refrigerator the last time. After you’ve got it all clean and shiny, cover the top with overlapping sheets of plastic wrap. Next time it’s due for a cleaning, all you need to do is remove the old sheets, toss them in the garbage and replace with new layers of wrap.
Find out 20+ thrifty tricks to make everything in your home last longer.
Protect your computer keyboard with plastic wrap
When you’re off on holiday and giving your computer a break for a couple of weeks, cover the keyboard with plastic wrap. During long periods of inactivity dust and grime start to settle in between the keys.
Check out these other computer tips everyone should know.
Treat a hangnail
Get rid of a hangnail overnight while you sleep. Before going to bed, apply hand cream to the affected area, wrap the fingertip with plastic wrap and secure it in place with transparent tape. The plastic wrap will confine the moisture and soften the cuticle.
Don’t miss these nifty and thrifty new uses for nail polish remover.
Enhance ointment treatment
For pain in your knee or other sore spots, rub in some ointment and wrap the area with plastic wrap. The wrap will increase the heating effect of the ointment. Make sure to test on a small area first to make sure your skin does not burn.
Check out these other pain management tips from Canadian physiotherapists.
Protect your phone
Screen protectors can run anywhere from $15 to $40, but one box of plastic wrap is roughly $4 or so, making a DIY plastic wrap protector a no-brainer. First, make sure to clean your phone screen. Then cut the plastic wrap, so it’s about three inches bigger than your screen. Stretch and smooth it over your screen and wrap any excess in the back of your phone before cutting it off. Then put your regular phone case back in place.
Speaking of phones, here’s everything you need to know about smartphone security.
Keep flowers fresh
Extend the life of your fresh bouquet with plastic wrap. Cut a rectangle of plastic wrap and place a damp paper towel on top. Then put the ends of your flowers in the middle of the moist paper towel and fold them both up to keep the flowers fresh. You can use a bow or tissue paper to cover up this plastic wrap hack.
Check out these gardening tips that will save you time and money.
Trap fruit flies
Pesky fruit flies are no match for cling wrap. Here’s what to do: grab a small cup and a few pieces of fruit. Then use plastic wrap to cover the top and poke a hole in the middle with a pen or pencil. The flies find their way inside the cup but have trouble escaping the plastic wrap, effectively trapping them.
Here are the 10 most disgusting house bugs—and pro tips on how to get rid of them.
Use plastic wrap to keep bananas fresh
Bananas, much like avocados, are notorious for quickly moving from fresh to over-ripe. To slow down the process and keep your bananas fresh, try wrapping the stems of the fruit with plastic wrap.
If you’re not eating an avocado everyday, this might convince you to start.
Fix shattered makeup
You don’t have to toss out every broken makeup compact. Instead, try using plastic wrap to firm-up the powder. First, cover the powder compact with plastic wrap. Then crush the powder with your fingers or a spoon, so it’s loose. Add a drop or two of rubbing alcohol to make a paste. Use the same spoon to smooth this out and wait 24 hours for it to dry before using.
Find out more smart uses for rubbing alcohol all around the house.
Unclog your toilet
If the plunger fails, it might be time to try this technique for unclogging your toilet. Use plastic wrap to cover the toilet bowl and flush. Once the plastic swells, you should push down on creating enough pressure to unblock the pipeline.
Lower your heating bill
To help cut heating costs, try using plastic shrink film on your windows. Just apply double-sided tape to the perimeter of the window, cut and apply a slightly oversized piece of plastic to the tape, and seal the deal by using heat from a hairdryer to the film.
This energy-saving guide will save you money all year long.
Stop bottle leakage
Frequent flyers often learn the hard way that some bottle caps are bad at their job. Avoiding shampoo, conditioner and body wash spills is easy with a piece of plastic wrap. Remove the lids or caps, place a piece of plastic wrap over the top of the bottle, then secure the lids back into place. It’s an easy packing hack that ensures everything that’s in the bottle stays in the bottle.
Hair thinning? Check out these hair loss hacks you can try at home.
Poach a perfect egg
This plastic wrap hack could be the key to finally perfecting poached eggs. Start by covering a bowl in plastic wrap. (Be sure to use good quality plastic wrap that has a melting point between 250 to 290 Fahrenheit, so the plastic doesn’t melt during the poaching process.) Spritz the wrap with cooking spray, so the egg doesn’t stick. Crack your egg into the lined bowl. Tie and knot the corners of the plastic to keep the egg in place. Then simmer your water and cook the eggs for six minutes.
Check out these other egg hacks that’ll take your scramble from dry to fluffy in no time.
Line your shelves
Cover your shelves with plastic wrap to make them easier to clean. The plastic is easy to peel off, catches leaks, and means there’s one less thing to scrub down in your kitchen.
Prevent freezer burn
Never let good ice cream go to waste because of freezer burn again. Cover the top of your ice cream container—or anything else you freeze—and put the lid back on top. This double-duty system keeps frozen food fresh.
This is exactly how long you can freeze every type of food.
De-cork wine
Some wines are “corky,” meaning they have a musty chemical smell that makes the wine unpleasant to drink thanks to TCA—a natural compound found in wine. You can ball up some PVC-based plastic wrap and place it in a pitcher or jar of wine to lessen this stink.
Find out 11 clever uses for corks you’ll wish you knew sooner.
Keep paint from drying out
If you’re saving the remnants of an opened can of paint, use plastic wrap to keep it fresh. Seal the cans with the wrap and then cover with the lid. This not only preserves the paint, but also keeps the harsh smell at bay, too.
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Take off stickers and labels easily
You’d love to keep that big glass pickle jar for storage, but it’s got an ugly label stuck on the front… Don’t give up on it just yet. Start by soaking the sticker with warm water and dish soap. Then completely wrap the wet container with plastic wrap and wait five minutes. The label should remove easily after taking off the wrap.
These other cleaning hacks for hard-to-remove-stuff are genius.
Make any cup a to-go cup
Ever notice how you can never find the right lid for the to-go cup you’ve just poured your morning coffee into? Skip the hassle and use plastic wrap to make any cup a to-go cup. Simply cover the top of your cup and poke in a reusable straw.
Find out 40 more kitchen hacks that’ll change the way you cook.
Keep jewelry from tangling
If you’ve ever lost a half hour trying to untangle a fine gold chain, you need to try this plastic wrap hack. Cut out a piece of plastic wrap and lay your jewelry on top. Then cut a second piece of plastic to smooth over your necklaces and bracelets and voila!
Discover the secrets professional organizers would never tell you for free.
Protect clothes
Kitchen aprons are great and all, but they’re just another thing to clean after cooking. Try using a piece of plastic wrap instead to cover your chest and clothes when you’re stirring that simmering pot of tomato sauce. Simply peel it off after dinner is served.
If you prefer using fabric aprons, these brilliant laundry hacks will make light work of stains.
Keep lettuce fresh
Keeping lettuce fresh with plastic wrap is similar to keeping flowers fresh with plastic wrap. Take your bowl of lettuce and cover it with a damp paper towel before covering the whole bowl in plastic wrap. It should keep for seven days or so.
This is the only way you should be organizing your fridge if you want your food to last.
Give your psoriasis treatment a boost
Here’s a method often recommended by dermatologists to treat individual psoriasis lesions: After you apply a topical steroid cream, cover the area with a small piece of plastic wrap and use adhesive tape to affix the wrap to your skin. The wrap will enhance the effect of the steroid, seal in moisture and inhibit the proliferation of the rash.
Check out these science-backed home remedies for just about any ailment.
Make moving easier
Move smarter, not harder. Use plastic wrap to cover drawers that still have clothes in them. This makes moving them easier and takes out the step of emptying the drawers. You can also wrap the furniture in plastic wrap, protecting your clothes and making sure the drawers don’t move at all. This tip also works for sealing utensils in utensil trays so they stay in place during the move.
If you loved these plastic wrap uses, you’ll definitely want to check out our best-ever aluminum foil hacks.
