Do you have any spare chalk laying around your house? Maybe it’s in the garage, for times when your kids decorate the sidewalk with their art. Or maybe it’s in their play area, for the times they play “school” at home.
But you should have chalk for yourself, too, and not for the same reasons your kids do. Here are 11 things you can do with chalk around the house, because it’s full of surprises.
1. Prevent Silver (& Jewelry) From Tarnishing
We all can appreciate a nice set of silverware that’s actually silver, but how do we keep it from tarnishing so it’s always guest-ready? When storing it, add some pieces of chalk that are wrapped in a cheesecloth. It’ll absorb moisture from the drawer and keep your silver looking more new than old. Try the same trick in your jewelry box!
2. Clean Pewter
While we’re on the topic of metal and keeping it looking nice, why not clean some pewter? Use some chalk dust, mix it with vodka, and rub the solution onto the pewter. Rinse it off, polish, and make a martini as your reward (optional).
3. Deter Ants
With Spring here, it’s picnic weather, which means ants. But they like to sneak into our houses, too. With chalk, they won’t. Draw a line they should not cross and they’ll listen! The chalk will prevent them from being able to detect the scent of other ants. Interesting, huh? I’ve tried this… and it works!
4. Wall Touch-Ups
If you need to touch up your walls with paint, but just a dab here and there, you can use colored chalk the same color of the paint. Easy, huh?
5. Move Over, WD-40—Fix A Key & Lock With Chalk Instead
We love WD-40, as you know, but chalk works just as well when it comes time to fix a key that’s sticking in the lock. Put some chalk powder along the ridges of the key and practice putting it in and out of the lock. It’ll stop sticking and you’ll be able to get into your house once again. This happened to me a few days ago, in fact, and the chalk worked!
6. Keep Screws Secure
Isn’t it frustrating when you’re trying to screw in a screw, but it keeps slipping? All you have to do is scrape each side of the flat screwdriver with chalk and the screw will stop slipping and sliding.
7. Keep Your Toolbox Looking Like New
Speaking of screws and screwdrivers, we might as well talk about your toolbox, too. If you keep some chalk inside of it, it’ll help your tools from getting rusty. Try it… you’ll see!
8. Add It To Your Hamper
Yep, just put some pieces of chalk into a plastic—open—bag and place it at the bottom of your hamper. It’ll help ward off mildew and odors by absorbing moisture. You can add some chalk to your closets, too, for the same effect.
9. Get Rid Of Grease Stains On Clothing
Just rub chalk into the stained area of your clothing and leave it be for at least 10-15 minutes. Then, throw it in the wash, but dust off the remaining chalk first.
10. Instant Paper Art
The One Good Thing By Jillee blog gave us this idea, and it’s FUN. Just add some colored chalk shavings into a bowl of water. Then, dip a piece of paper into it for a second. After it air-dries, spray with hairspray and there you have it!
11. Create Your Own Chalk
Just like in our story about melting bits of old crayons in a Crock-Pot and creating even more crayons for your kids, it’s a similar situation when it comes to broken, small pieces of chalk. Once again, the One Good Thing By Jillee blog gave us this gem of an idea. It states to crush the chalk and mix it with water. Then, pour it into a mold, like animal shapes, hearts, stars, you name it. And if you use tempura paint, you can get even more creative and make colored chalk. Sounds cool to us!
Photo by jacqui.brown33 