10 household hacks using butter

Butter is a common household item that is very nutritious and can be incorporated in numerous recipes in the kitchen. While most of us may relegate it to a cooking and baking ingredient, butter can also be used in other ways around the house to help solve some of our daily problems. So much so, that it will make you wonder why you never thought of it in the first place.

Here's a list of different ways you can use butter in the house for an easier, less stressful time.

1. Cut Sticky Foods Butter comes in handy if you are cutting food that is likely to stick to the blade of the knife such as marshmallows, dates or chocolate cake. Simply apply butter on the blade and it will act as a lubricant, preventing the food from sticking to the knife. This will in turn give you nice, neat slices. 2. Preserve Cheese Whether the temperature is cold or hot, cheese remains vulnerable to mold. You can avoid wasting cheese by applying a light coat of butter on the cut and exposed edges before going ahead to rewrap and store it. The butter will act as a protective sealant effectively keeping the mold away. 3. Prevent Boiling Over Adding a tablespoon or two of butter to the pot when cooking pasta will keep the water from boiling over onto the cooker.  4. Get Rid of Fishy Smell After a hearty meal of fish, you can get rid of the fish smell on your hands by simply applying butter then washing your hands with warm water and soap. The result will be clean, odorless hands.  5. Treat skin irritation Butter is very effective in treating skin irritations. Simply apply a generous amount to your rash, let it air out for about an hour, add another coat of butter then cover the rash with a bandage. Your rash should be fixed in a few days. Butter also helps soften cuticles and makes nails less brittle.  6. Keep Left Over Onion Fresh If you only use half the onion when cooking, you can use butter to keep the leftover half fresh for as long as possible. Rub a coat of butter on the cut surface before wrapping it in aluminum foil and putting it in the fridge. 7. Help Swallow Pills

If your prescription consists of large pills that are hard to swallow, cover the pills with a light layer of butter to help the medicine go down.  8. Nourish Your Hair Butter can also be used as a great substitute for hair conditioners due to its essential amino acids. After shampooing, you can apply a little butter in the hair and comb through. Rinse it out with warm water and it will leave you with shiny, healthy hair.  9. Ring Removal Don't panic if a ring happens to be too small and gets stuck on your finger. Gently run a little butter around your finger joint and ease off the ring. Do this repeatedly till the ring is completely off your finger.  10. Remove Water Marks from Wood

If your wooden furniture is stained with condensation rings, apply a tablespoon of butter to the watermarks, rub it into the wood and leave it overnight. Wipe it off in the morning and the butter will have restored the wood's lost moisture hence removing the marks.