7 Clever Uses for Peanut Butter

Americans and peanut butter…it’s a true love story.  Whether it’s in cookies, sandwiches, dips, or smoothies, cooking and baking and peanut butter all equal bliss.  However, not many people know that peanut butter has other helpful uses.  Not only can it help satisfy a hunger craving, but it can moisturize your skin, help you clean the house, and even fix those old rusty tools!

1.  Use peanut butter to help give medicine to your pets:  Anyone with a dog will tell you that dogs LOVE peanut butter…maybe more so than the human race.  So if you have a dog that needs to take medication, but is stubborn when it comes to swallowing the pill, mix it in with a little peanut butter.  Works like a charm.
2. Use peanut butter as a butter replacement:  I know my Julia says, “Everything is better with butter!”, but when it comes right down to it, peanut butter works just as well, if not better (dare I say!).  It’s great in cakes, cookies, brownies, sauces, soups, and tons of other recipes that require butter.  Keep in mind that peanut butter will add a nutty taste to your recipe…so if that’s complimentary, give it a try.  It’s also great in salad dressings, too.
3. Remove price tags:  Peanut butter will help you remove those stubborn price tags from books and other materials.  Just rub some smooth peanut butter on the tag and wipe off with a light damp rag.  My next experiment is to try this on glass bottles.  Maybe it will help remove some of that nasty glue residue!
4. Use peanut butter to clean house:  We were all in kindergarten once…so we all know how much it sucks to get gum in our hair.  Thankfully, it’s peanut butter to the rescue!  Moms all over the nation know this trick…but it’s also great for getting gum out of carpet, too.
5. Use peanut butter as a shaving cream:  In a pinch, like when you’re camping or traveling, peanut butter can be used as a substitute for shaving cream.  Added bonus, the butter in the mix helps moisturize and soften your skin…so you’ll have smooth and great smelling legs, arms, and cheeks!
6. Make bird feeders with the kids:  This is a great craft for winter break or snow days…rub some peanut butter on pine cones and dip the pine cones in bird seed.  Hang them outside to feed the winter birds.  This is a messy craft, so make sure you have lots of newspaper covering your work surface!
7. In a pinch, use as a lubricant:  If you’re out mowing the lawn and find that a gear is sticking, you can use peanut butter as a grease to help things move along.  While I’m not 100% sure that this is safe for the machine, it’s good to know that—in a pinch—this little trick will work.

So, as you can see, peanut butter isn’t as simple as PB&J.  Have some other uses for the sticky stuff?  Please do share!

Knowledge is power!  Learn fun facts, hints and tips, and creative ways to use every day items with “The Buzz” posts on Thursday.