13 Ways Vaseline Can Be Used In And Around Your Home

Kathleen Kamphusen/Cosmopolitan

If you thought Vaseline was just great to use on those chapped lips— think again. There are so many ways you never knew you could be using petroleum jelly. So, stock up on some the next time you’re at the store because you’re going to want to keep a jar in each room of your home.

You can easily remove water stains from wood, take a scuff out of your shoe and keep your pets’ paws protected, all with a little Vaseline. Get ready to meet your new favorite product, especially once you find out 13 ways you could be using Vaseline make life a little easier.

1. Remove Water Marks From Wood

A little bit of Vaseline on a rag will remove those water rings from your wood surfaces and leave your tables looking good as new.

table
mikeshkaos/Unsplash

2. Stop A Door From Squeaking

If you’ve got a pesky creaky door, just rub a little bit of the jelly on its hinges to quiet it once and for all.

hinge
jasonpero/Flickr

3. Make A Drawer Slide Easily

We’ve all got that one drawer in the kitchen that just doesn’t seem to slide smoothly. Place some Vaseline along the tracking to make it open and close effortlessly.

drawer
wendypiersall/Flickr

4. Lift Lipstick Stains

Vaseline will help remove lipstick stains from cloth napkins, towels, etc. so that they come out clean after a good spin cycle.

lipstick on shirt
Adobe

5. Protect Doorknobs While Painting

If you’re painting a door, be sure to cover the doorknob with Vaseline before you begin. Then, any paint that lands on the doorknob will easily wipe away when you’re through.

doorknob
ericafletcher/Flickr

6. Help Prevent Diaper Rash

Vaseline adds a protective layer to skin so that your baby won’t continue to irritate an area that is all itchy from diaper rash.

baby
mindyop/Unsplash

7. Loosen A Stiff Bike Chain

Applying a little Vaseline to a bike chain will get it working without any stiffness again.

bike
chrisbecker/Unsplash

8. Get The Perfect At Home Manicure

Rubbing a little jelly around the skin next to your nails will keep any paint from getting past your nail bed, giving you a flawless manicure without the clean up.

The best nail enamel ever, IMHO
nstawski/Flickr

9. Moisturize Pets’ Paws

Since this is great for moisturizing our own skin, why not use it on our pets, too? It’ll help keep their paws from getting dry and cracked.

paws
jesseschoff/Unsplash

10. Keep Shower Curtains Sliding Easily

If you’ve got a shower curtain that you have to tug on, apply a little Vaseline to the top of the shower rod to get it sliding easily.

bathroom
wicker-furniture/Flickr

11. Revive Dried Leather

Vaseline will make leather jackets, furniture and shoes looking good as new with just a little elbow grease.

leather
adziu/Unsplash

12. Distress Paint

Use a thin layer of Vaseline wherever you want a distressed look, paint and then allow to dry and wipe easily wipe away the paint from the areas that had the jelly application. Distressing furniture can be as easy as 1, 2, 3.

Distress-Paint-with-Vaseline-1
Love Grows Wild

13. Get Scuffs Off Of Shoes

Vaseline and a Q-Tip can help get those annoying scuffs off of patent leather shoes. Hallelujah!

vaseline
Kathleen Kamphusen/Cosmopolitan

Meet your new miracle worker. Who ever thought it’d come in the form of a tiny jar of Vaseline?

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About the Author
Augusta Statz
I have a B.F.A. in Writing from the Savannah College of Art and Design. I’m an avid writer with a genuine sense of curiosity. I feel the best way to absorb the world around you is through fashion, art and food, so that’s what I spend most of my time writing about.

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