Not just for delicious meals: 6 alternative uses for rice that you may not know about

Rice is one of the cereals at the foundation of our diets: one of the most popular foods in the world, it is prepared daily in thousands of sweet and savory recipes thanks to its tasty flavour, ease of preparation and also for its nutritional properties. But did you know that the properties of rice aren't limited to cooking? Its grains can be used in many ways - both as a beauty treatment for our skin and for chores around the home.

Let's discover together 6 alternative uses for this precious grain; we are sure that you will be pleasantly surprised!

1. With fruit

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If you have fruit that is unripe and you need to speed up its ripening, you can put the fruit in a container together with rice: the presence of the rice will help to make the fruit ripen more quickly.

2. Heated pillow

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Rice grains can also be used to make heating pads, just like cherry pits. Take a sock or a cloth bag and fill it with rice; heat it in the oven at low temperature or in the microwave for about 2 minutes. The rice will slowly release the heat and you can use it as a hot water bottle to warm up your hands and feet - or as a remedy for neck and cervical pain.

3. Anti-humidity

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Due to its high absorbency properties, rice is also an excellent remedy against humidity; for this reason, it is often used in salt cellars to keep the salt from clumping. But with rice you can also make anti-humidity bags to be placed in wardrobes or drawers or used as a natural dehumidifer to be placed in rooms where this is a problem.

4. Cleaning bottles and containers

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Cleaning bottles and containers with narrow necks is always very difficult. You can get around this problem by placing rice inside the container together with hot water and letting it soak for 10 minutes. Thereafter, shake and rinse the bottle: you bottle will now be as clean as a whistle.

5. Glue

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Rice can also be used to create a natural, non-toxic glue suitable for all types of paper and which can easily replace vinyl glue. To make it, boil some rice in water for at least 40 minutes, until the grains are completely mushy. Once drained (you can keep the cooking water for watering the plants or for a relaxing footbath!), blend and store the mixture in an airtight jar for 2/3 days in the refrigerator. If you want to lengthen the life of this glue, you can add a drop of an antibacterial (mouthwash, for example). It is used by spreading it quickly with a brush. It does not adhere immediately, but after drying, the grip is equal to that of vinyl glue. You can also make this glue using rice flour.

6. Anti odors

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As well as moisture, rice is also able to absorb odors. Are you familiar with the smell that can develop inside empty, closed jars? You can remove this smell completely by leaving rice inside in the jar for 2 or 3 days.

Do you know of other uses of this wonderful cereal?