The joys of mineral oil

[LiberalEsto]

I found an old bottle of mineral oil in the back of a storage closet. It was left over from a craft project for a Brownie troop more than a decade ago. You mix mineral oil and blue-dyed water in a clear empty plastic water bottle, leaving about 1/3 of the bottle empty as air space. Add sparkles and cap the bottle, and shake. It's called an ocean-in-a-bottle.

Since I couldn't figure out what to use it for, I thought about tossing it. Then wondered if it could be recycled. Then looked on the internet and learned that it's used for enemas on constipated horses. People sometimes swallow a spoonful or so as a laxative, but it reportedly depletes the body of minerals. Others use it as baby oil. When I was a teen in the 60s, we slathered ourselves with baby oil at the beach as a tanning oil.

Since I didn't have any un-oiled babies or constipated horses hanging around, I kept researching and found it can be used as a furniture polish with lemon juice, paraffin or beeswax added to it. As if I had beeswax or paraffin handy and felt like messing up a cooking pot to heat the stuff and combine it.

Some also use it to season butcher block countertops, but I don't have one.

This morning I dabbed some on a paper towel and tried cleaning the stainless steel trash can in the kitchen. The thing is almost impossible to clean, but the mineral oil did the trick and left it shiny.

Then I wiped oil on the stainless steel kitchen sink, and it too began looking nicer. Finally I used it to clean the wood cabinets and found the mineral oil was excellent for removing sticky fingerprints and giving the wood a nice shine. It's a lot cheaper than expensive stainless steel and wood cabinet cleaners.

Do any of my fellow frugal DUers have other uses for mineral oil?

LibE

[politicat]

1. Plumbing and hinges.

we keep a little bottle around for when we have to oil hinges or change washers on the sink and stuff. It is a good lubricant that hangs around for a while and helps resist the buildup that comes from our hard water on the threads

It doesn't go bad and a little goes a long way.

[ima_sinnic]

2. anything Goo Gone can be used for, like removing label residue

and for cleaning hard plastic.
a bit on a Q-tip for cleaning cats ears.
-- a tiny bit goes a long way.

[FloridaPat]

3. You can use it to make gel candles. They are beautiful.

http://www.gelcandlemaking.com/

"Candle gel is made of 95% mineral oil, and 5% polymer resin. This resin is a powder that, when mixed with the mineral oil, transforms it to a more solid state. Very similar to Jello!
Penreco is the company that manufactures the gel and holds the patent on this technology. This is the only brand of gel I recommend using because of it's quality and consistency. Versagel™ comes in 3 types: CLP (low density), CMP (medium density) and CHP (high density).
The thicker or more dense the gel is, the more fragrance oil it can hold. "

[NJCher]

4. an organic weed killer uses it as an ingredient

I'm writing an article on organic weedkillers and this one, BurnOut, uses mineral oil as an ingredient:

http://www.milkyspore.com/burnout.htm

Clove oil and acetic acid (vinegar) are some of the other ingredients.

Can't tell you how effective it is as I am in the middle of my test. Might post back if I can remember.




Cher

[kittykitty]

5. I coat wooden handled knives and other utensils with it

Stuff get left in the sink, and the wood gets dry looking. I just slater some on with my finger and leave them sit on a piece of newspaper overnight. It mostly all is absorbed. Then I wipe them off well with a paper towel.

I also do some small wooden cutting boards. Oh, and a large one, and I did a butcher block top. I should have done it a couple of times becasue it has kind of worn through.