Think Twice Before You Dispose Of Those Little Silica Bags

Whenever you buy a product that needs to stay moist-free, whether it is a small electrical appliance or box of natural supplements, it will usually come complete with a small silica bag. Once you start to use the product, you probably just throw the silica bag away as it will have done its job.

But you need to think twice before you add it to the trash…

You might think that this is because they are harmful to the environment in some way. But this is not so. They are filled with a substance known as silicon dioxide which is a non toxic desiccant that will help to dry out anything it comes into contact with and, according to realfarmacy.com, these silica bags have multiple uses around the home. In fact, they have so many practical uses that you might want to start saving them right away!

Here are 15 ways to use silica bags

1. Putting them in your gym bag to keep it fresh and protect from any bacteria or mold growth. We all know how much bacteria loves to live in damp and moist places. 2. Adding them to all the different pairs of shoes stored in your closet. Shoes can be the perfect hiding place for several conditions that affect our feet including athlete's foot, plantar warts and nail fungus. All three of these conditions will thrive in warm, dark and damp hiding places. 3. Placing some silica bags among the towels and other linen in your linen closet to keep your sheets and towels dry and pleasant smelling. 4. Storing your razor. Put the razor with several silica bags in a plastic container in the bathroom for a longer razor blade life. 5. Using as an emergency treatment for a wet cell phone. We all know about the "jar of rice" remedy but instead fill a jar with silica bags and place the cell phone in for a more effective result. 6. Avoiding foggy car windows. When the weather is wet and wintery, put several silica bags under and inside the wind shield and, from the next day onwards, you will notice a huge difference. 7. Keeping and saving archival photographs by putting a couple of silica bags in with your old photos wherever you store them – an album, a shoe box or even a drawer. It will help to prevent their deterioration due to any dampness in the air or container. 8. Keeping a couple in your make up bag for longer lasting make up and to prevent any build up of bacteria. 9. Silica bags are also useful to place in your jewelry box - especially to prevent any silver components in the jewelry from tarnishing. 10. In the same way, and if you have vintage silver flatware in a box, adding some silica bags to stop the knives, forks and spoons from becoming tarnished too quickly. 11. If you have a safe or special filing cabinet for important papers, using some silica bags will help to stop those papers from deteriorating. 12. Keen gardeners will often have a supply of seeds or even ones they have harvested themselves for the next growing season. I do this myself. The enemy of seed storage is definitely moisture as the seeds could start sprouting before they should. So keep a special container for your seeds and once again, add a few silica bags to prevent that unwanted moisture. 13. Uses in the kitchen include adding to your salt and spice shakers or in boxes of crackers or cookies. 14. Expensive camera equipment needs to be well taken care of and, as moisture is not a good idea for these items, putting some of those moisture preventives in your camera bag will be very helpful. 15. If you care about your metal working tools, keeping them in a special tool box with some silica bags will ensure they stay safe and free from rust.

A final tip to remember

When you feel that your silica bags are no longer doing their job properly, pop them in your microwave for a few seconds to revitalize them. Start saving those silica bags – you can obviously never have too many!   Sources: http://www.realfarmacy.com/silica-bags/ http://www. mrhealthylife.com