Expired milk? Don't throw it away! Useful ways to use expired milk around the home
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Among the products we have in our refrigerators, milk - and especially if fresh - has a very short expiration period and it not unusual for us to find an expired bottle of milk in our refrigerators.
Although you probably throw out expired milk, you can actually use it around the home: expired milk is useful in the garden, for household cleaning chores and even as a eco-friendly beauty remedy.
Let's check out the details of using expired milk for these purposes below:
1. Cleaning leather
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Sofas, bags, shoes and leather accessories tend to be challenging to clean, but expired milk is a great, delicate "detergent" to do this, cleaning the leather and nourishing it at the same time:
- Rub the leather item to be cleaned with a soft cloth which has been wet with expired milk;
- Leave on to act for a few minutes;
- Remove any excess milk with a clean, soft cloth.
Cleaning your leather items like this will ensure they remain clean and shiny!
2. Fertilizer
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Even after it's expired, milk retains a lot of its nutrients, which, in turn, can be of great benefit to the plants in your apartment and/or for your vegetable patch and garden.
Make a solution of water and milk in equal parts and use it once a month to water your plants; this mixture will be a perfect all-natural, eco-friendly fertilizer that has an antifungal action.
3. To clean silverware
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Cleaning silverware is one of the most tedious of chores - simplify this task by using expired milk:
- Mix expired milk in a 3:1 ratio with vinegar or lemon juice to curdle it in a large bowl;
- Immerse the silverware to be cleaned in this mixture for 30 minutes;
- Scrub the sliverware, then rinse off with plenty of water;
- Dry with a clean, woolen cloth.
4. Stain remover
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Expired milk can also be an effective stain remover for your laundry:
- Heat the expired milk in a saucepan;
- Rub the stain on the fabric with the heated milk;
- Wash the item as you do regularly.
To remove ink stains, immerse your garment in warm milk overnight, then rinse out with cold water in the morning and wash the garment as you do regularly.
5. Skin cleanser
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Expired milk can also be used for your beauty routine, becoming a delicate skin cleanser:
- Soak a cotton pad in expired milk and use it to cleanse your face. Once done, rinse off and apply your regular face cream;
- To refresh and nourish your eyes, apply two cotton pads to them which have been soaked in expired milk;
- Milk baths are known to have been the "beauty elixir" for noblewomen of the past: you too can take advantage of the virtues of milk by adding it to your hot bath water.
6. Hand cleanser
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Some stains are particularly difficult to remove from hands: car oil and grease, ink, paint and even some foods are just a few examples.
Make an all-natural, eco-friendly hand-washing paste by mixing milk with oat flour or chickpea flour: this paste will be perfect for removing even the most stubborn stains from your hands!
