Most of us don’t usually think of beer as an earth-friendly alternative to improving our landscaping or dealing with a host of pests.
However, if you can bring yourself to part ways with your favorite brew, or at least invest in some of the cheap stuff, you’ll be surprised by beer’s many uses:
1
. Trap fruit flies. If you keep a compost pail in your kitchen, you will also likely have fruit flies. Just place a jar or can of beer on the kitchen counter. Cover the top with plastic wrap or paper, leaving a small opening for the flies to get into. The fruit flies won’t be able to get back out.
2
. Get rid of mice. If you don’t have a cat, a small amount of beer placed in a pail will help take care of a mouse problem, especially if you prefer to capture mice in a humane fashion. Just put an inch or so of beer in the pail, place some type of ramp, such as a piece of wood for the mice to crawl up. The mice fall into the pail and then you can remove your inebriated mice to some place outside.
3. Cockroach trap. Put a piece of bread soaked in beer in a jar. Put Vaseline around the lip of the jar. Roaches are attracted, get in and can’t get out.
4. Fertilize gardens. The sugars in beer are also enjoyed by your garden vegetables and flowers.
5. Fertilize your indoor plants. Yep, they like beer too. You don’t want to over-do it with indoor plants because they are contained and not subject to the cleansing distribution of rain. Use flat beer, just a small amount at the base of the plant.
6. Get rid of brown spots in your lawn. The acids in beer kill off fungi and pests, and the fermented sugars feed the grass.
7. Stain removal.Instead of pulling out a chemical cleaner when you’ve dribbled tea or coffee on your clothing or rug, soak the stain in beer. Let the beer sit for awhile then dab with a clean cloth. Wash well with soap and water once the spot has soaked. Always spot-test the fabric first.
8. Spruce up wooden furniture. Rub flat beer gently onto furniture using a soft cloth. The beer will help restore some of the polish and color.
9. Clean gold jewelry.Similar to how you would use commercial gold-cleaning chemicals, place your gold jewelry in a dish of beer. Let it soak, then remove, rinse, and gently polish with a dry cloth.
10. Polishing brass pots. Using a soft cloth, gently rub beer onto the pot. Let the pot sit for a while, rinse, and dry with another soft cloth. The acids in beer work wonders on most metals.
11. Loosen rusty bolts.Using beer to loosen bolts is a bit “Macgiver-ish,” but the acids in the beer may dissolve enough rust to allow you to get them loose.
12. Insulation.Lastly, for the truly adventurous and creative, if you use full, unopened cans of beer in construction of walls, the beer absorbs the cold.
Cris Carl is a writer. Read more articles , or get help with your home project at Hometalk.com.
