Multi-use household items: toothpaste, biodegradable edible straws, tea and more!

Our biodegradable edible straws have two uses – they can be used as a straw, and as noodles. This is one of the things that makes them stand out from practically all other straws, because generally, straws can just be used as straws and stirrers, unless we’re talking about sugar straws, which isn’t a particularly popular option.

We are very proud of our product and of the fact that it offers two uses, because that means it’s likelier to actually be used – in one way or the other, although preferably both. We were thinking about the fact that multi-use products are really convenient, and that got us thinking about other common items that may have more uses than just one.

We quickly realized that that is true for numerous items, such as toothpaste, aluminum foil, and even beer! So in this article, we want to go over some common household items that have more uses than one.

Biodegradable edible straws, and other multi-use household items

Here are some common household items that you should be able to find around the house, that you can use in surprising ways:

1. Aluminum foil

You might not enjoy the sound if you have sensitive ears, but a balled up piece of foil works great as a pot scrubber. You can also put a ball or two in the dryer to reduce static cling. If you’re trying to train your cat to not get on a countertop, put down some aluminum foil – it’s a great deterrent. Finally, slice through a sheet of foil to sharpen scissors, pruners or garden shears.

2. Vinegar

Apart from being great in salads and meals, you can use vinegar as an eco-friendly, affordable cleaner for just about anything! Just dab some onto a rag, and scrub away. You’ll need a bit of elbow grease, and it’s not the perfect solution for everything – soap may be better for removing oily grime, for instance – but it’s certainly good. You can also use scented vinegar (which you can make at home) to get rid of bad smells like cigarette smoke from clothes, rooms and cars. Just leave some vinegar out in a bowl overnight next to the item you want deodorized, and by the next morning the stink will be gone!

3. Toothpaste

Burned your hand while cooking? Ouch! Run it under cold water, and grab some toothpaste from the bathroom if you’re out of burn cream. Toothpaste works as a soothing salve, and will get the job done. It won’t heal the burn, but it’ll help you get by. You can also use it to polish chrome, fix minor scratches on your car, remove scuffs from leather shoes, and keep your bathroom mirror from fogging up – just rub a thin layer onto the mirror. If rubbing toothpaste on your mirror sounds like a weird idea, you can also try shaving foam!

4. Biodegradable edible straws

You can use it as a straw, a stirrer, and as noodles! Rice straws are extremely popular because after you’re done using them for your drink, you can just put them in your next meal and eat them. This means you get two uses out of them, and get more bang for your buck. Instead of getting a little plastic stirrer and a separate straw, just use one of our edible rice straws for both purposes – and you can eat it, feed it to the birds, or just toss it into the trash afterwards!

5. Beer

Beer has a range of uses. You’ll find some inventive beer shampoo that promises gorgeous hair. However, we won’t go that far. If you’ve somehow ended up with beer you don’t particularly like, you can use it to soothe your skin, to clean copper and jewelry, and as plant fertilizer. We’d still recommend good old compost, but the sugar in beer stimulates growth, and the acid kills harmful bacteria. You may end up attracting a lot of ants to your yard, however!

6. Olive Oil

You probably know this one already, but olive oil is great for getting things that are hard to remove out of places they shouldn’t be. Like tar on a cat’s fur, plant sap on your child’s clothes, a tight ring on the wrong finger, chewing gum in hair, grease, stickers and labels, and much more. While most oils can be used for these purposes, olive oil is one that we know is safe and relatively easy to wash off.

7. Tea

Tea doesn’t have an awful lot of extra effects, but teabags can be used in many different ways to soothe and calm your skin. A water-soaked tea bag applied to insect bites and rashes will help reduce itchiness, and it also helps with sunburns and razor burns. This happens because the tannins present in tea constrict blood vessels, thus reducing inflammation. You can also use them to stop gum bleeding, and to reduce dark circles and puffiness around the eyes.

8. Cat litter

For cat owners, foster parents and rescuers, this should be great news – cat litter can be used for a lot of things! It’s an excellent desiccant, so you can use it to keep damp places like basements dry, you can use it to dry out a cellphone, and you can use cat litter for traction if you’re stuck in an icy spot. Just keep a bag with you in the car. Get an oil spill in the garage? Cat litter will help you get it cleaned a lot quicker!

9. Hairspray

If you like having hair that looks great all the time, you’ll probably have a can of hairspray lying around somewhere. You can use it to mist leaves and petals of cut flowers (to make them last longer in arrangements), to add shine to your shoes after polishing, to remove ink marks from fabric, and to prevent holes and runs in stockings. Just make sure you don’t overdo the spraying!

10. Dryer sheets

If you regularly use dryer sheets, don’t throw them out after using them – you may be able to use them a second time! You can put them in between books to keep mildew away, stuff them into the corner in drawers to keep your clothes smelling fresh, and wipe the tub or shower with them.

11. Baking soda

We saved the best for the last. Baking soda has a variety of uses, from treatment for sunburns, bee stings and an upset stomach, to deodorant, mouthwash, and even fire extinguisher. And of course, as you probably already know, baking soda can be used to get rid of malodors in the fridge and in other closed spaces.

So, these were some of our top picks. However, there are many other items apart from vinegar and biodegradable edible straws that you can use for multiple purposes. You just need to think outside the box a little, and look out for ideas. We don’t recommend crappy fixes or ramshackle jobs, but if it works, it works!

Buy our biodegradable edible straws

Each package contains 30 edible and disposable drinking straws. They are made with rice flour and cassava flour, and serve as a great alternative to regular plastic, metal, paper or glass straws. Plastic straws are the worst, but generally, other reusable and disposable straws have downsides too. Paper straws, for instance, tend to get soggy and disintegrate too quickly. Metal and glass straws need to be cleaned after each use, and metal doesn’t feel good under your teeth, especially if your teeth are sensitive.

The edible straws are 10-inches long, making them perfect for drinking hot or cold drinks with. Use our drinking straws in juices, soft drinks, iced coffees and teas, and even in thick milkshakes and smoothies. There are 30 pasta straws per package. These edible straws are very portable. Place them in your children’s lunch boxes, take them to restaurants, and keep a package in the car.

Flewid Friendly’s edible straws are long-lasting, staying usable for over an hour without getting soggy and waterlogged. There’s never a need to rush to finish your favorite beverage. All Flewid Friendly products are 100% biodegradable, all-natural, and manufactured without GMOs, BPAs, or micro-plastics. Just drink, and then eat or compost.

Make the Earth greener when you buy our edible straws

When you buy a pack of straws from us, part of the proceeds goes towards planting a tree. We have partnered with Seed The Change to make this possible. All of this happens at no extra cost or hassle to you. We donate a small part of the proceeds to Seed The Change, and they make the wheels turn so our Earth can be a greener place.

So, when you buy our eco-friendly rice straws, not only do you help reduce the plastic problem, but you also contribute towards making the Earth a little bit greener. And if you enjoy the taste of our straws – hey, that’s a wonderful little bonus!