image via – shutterstock.com
Silica gel packets come in many of the packages, boxes, and things that we order online or buy from the store. Shoes and purses often have a packet tossed in them and even some bagged foods, like jerky, come with a pack of the little beads. They serve a very important purpose and are there to adsorb excess moisture from their surroundings, thus keeping the goods they’re packaged with dry and damage free. If you thought you read part of the previous sentence incorrectly, you didn’t, because adsorbs is the proper word for what silica gel does.
It’s a desiccant, which means that it adsorbs and collects moisture on it’s surface, rather than absorbing it into itself as a towel or sponge would do. Silica’s porous surface works to pull in moisture because water molecules have a lot of places to grab onto and just one of the beads can hold almost half its weight in water, that’s a lot!
We often toss silica packets out after we receive them with whatever they came with, but you should start saving them instead because they have a lot of great alternative uses. This video covers a bunch of the ways silica packets can make life easier and below are some of the best uses for them.
1) Keep car windows fog free- fog and moisture build up on car windows is dangerous and annoying, to diminish and prevent it simply place a few silica gel packets around your car and near the front and rear windows to keep fog from building up.
2) Prolong the life of expensive razors- leaving razors near or in the bathroom and shower can greatly diminish how long they last by dulling the blades. Make them last longer by wiping off the razor and storing it in a container with 4-5 silica packets.
3) Save a water damaged phone- if you ever drop your cell phone in water or it somehow manages to get wet, try this; remove the battery and memory card from the phone then place it overnight in a container filled with silica packets.
4) Safe keep old photos- preserve your memories and keep them dry by tossing a few packets of silica gel in the box they’re stored in.
5) Keep pet food fresh- pet food seems to always get kind of mushy and soggy when its kept in the bag it came in. To avoid this, store food in a separate container and tape silica packets to the underside of the lid, your pets will thank you!
6) Prevent rust- tools often take a beating and many end up covered in rust. If you toss a few silica gel packs in your tool box it helps keep them in good, rust-free condition and makes them last longer.
Have you ever tried any of these life hacks? Let us know in the comments
Please SHARE This With Family and Friends
