10 sustainable ways to use banana peel at home

You love putting bananas in everything, from baked items to your daily porridge. But the peel? Not really. The problem is that you only believe banana peels should be thrown out. They offer many extra applications to make your skin sparkle, update your wardrobe (for real), and more.

Check out these 10 creative uses for banana peels right away.

1. Polish Your Shoes

Leave the sticky shoe polish behind. Use banana peels to keep your leather or faux-leather shoes glossy and shining. Rub the inside of the peel on your shoes, and watch in awe as the scuffs vanish into thin air.

Your shoes will seem brand new if you buff them and remove any remaining material with a soft cloth. The most excellent banana is one that is just a little underripe.

2. Moisturize Your Feet

Amino acids and the vitamins A, B, C, and E found in banana peels are particularly beneficial for dry, itchy skin.

• Rub the inside of the peel on your soles and any other dry places to boost your cracked heels and achy toes.
• Rinse off any residue with water, then repeat for a few days.

In no time at all, they'll be velvety smooth. You may now remove that pricey foot cream from your shopping basket on Amazon.

3. Reduce Undereye Puffiness

There is a reason banana or banana peel extract is used in many cosmetic and skin care products. Bananas are full of moisturizing vitamin E. It is believed to help lighten scars and dark spots, making them excellent for brightening and softening skin.

Additionally, it is a potent antioxidant that helps guard against oxidative damage, a significant factor in aging. Cut the peel into little pieces that fit beneath your eyes. Leave them for 15 to 30 minutes, then rinse your face with your regular cleanser. Oh, save that banana; we have many banana face mask suggestions for you.

4. Soothe Bug Bites

It's a tried-and-true home remedy. Given that banana peels are naturally rich in polysaccharides, which are renowned for lowering swelling and inflammation, it is also essentially infallible.

Apply slight pressure while rubbing the inside of the peel over the mosquito bite. Every time you feel an itch, repeat it throughout the day. You are welcome to use it on your child's poison ivy rash.

5. Treat Acne

Why does it work? According to Cosmopolitan, the lectin and zinc found in banana peels naturally have antibacterial properties that can speed up the healing of problem spots and even stop new ones from developing.

• After a mild washing, apply the interior of a somewhat overripe banana peel to the afflicted regions.
• Leave the peel on your skin for five to ten minutes before rinsing after rubbing until it turns dark and slimy.
• Within seven days, apply the peel a few times each day to start seeing effects.
• Be careful not to do it too much or complex because that will aggravate your skin even more.
• Rub the scar with the inside of the banana peel to attempt and make it less noticeable, then let the area air dry.
• Use a moist towel to wipe away the residue, then continue each day until you notice results.

6. Remove Warts

Banana peels can help reduce soreness and swelling (that includes psoriasis, bruises and cuts too). And some claim that it has helped them get rid of warts because the enzymes in the peel can penetrate the bump to the wart's root, while the moisture-rich bananas can help soften the wart.

Over the wart, tape a little piece of the banana peel with the inside facing up. Ensure that the peel and wart are in contact. Every morning remove the peel, then do it again at night with a new piece. The wart should be gone in three weeks. Warts respond best to green or slightly yellow bananas; as a banana age, the enzymes in the skin degrade.

7. Shine And Fertilize Plants

We have the perfect remedy if your indoor plants start to look drab. Dust can hinder photosynthesis, but a simple brush of the leaves with the inside surface of a banana peel will revive it.

Banana peels are also frequently used as fertilizer. The peel can be buried whole, chopped up, or used to create "tea." It can even be buried with your plant. Place as many banana peels as you can in a pitcher or glass of water, and leave them there for two to three days away from direct sunlight.

Then, add a surprise dose of nutrients to your plants' water anytime they show signs of thirst. In addition to strengthening the plant's roots and development, potassium and phosphorus will help keep pests and illnesses at bay.

8. Remove Splinters

A few splinters are simple to remove. But it can be difficult if the child is crying and has a nearly tiny piece of wood lodged deep in his hand. Enter banana peels, rich in enzymes that will encourage the splinter to emerge near the skin's surface for quick and painless removal. Place a piece of banana peel inside-down over the fragment for up to 30 minutes, then remove and tweeze away.

9. Whiten Teeth

The dentist's practice may charge you hundreds of dollars for expert teeth whitening. But did you know minerals like potassium, magnesium, and manganese, naturally present in banana peels, are perfect for eliminating stains from dental enamel? (Yes, our thoughts are blown as well.)

Here's how to do it at home, along with a video for those of you that learn best visually:

1: Grab a banana peel, a toothbrush, and your favorite toothpaste.

2: Rub the inside of the peel directly on your teeth until it forms a thin paste. As much as you can, try to keep your gums and lips away from your teeth for about ten minutes. After ten minutes, grab a dry toothbrush and rub the paste into your teeth.

3: Now, brush your teeth like usual with toothpaste and water to remove the banana paste.

4: Repeat this same process once a day for up to two weeks

5: Marvel at your new pearly whites!

Whiter teeth without the use of harmful chemicals or pricey expert procedures? That sounds ap-peel-ing, doesn't it? (sorry, had to).

10. Cook With Them

The key to moist meat is banana peels.

• Just place one or two ripe banana peels in the bottom of the roasting pan before cooking if you're making anything as juicy and tender as pot roast.
• Cover the meat with banana peels as it cooks if you're preparing something like chicken breast or turkey that is more prone to drying out in the oven.
• As the peels will steam, the meat will retain more moisture.

Read also: 5 common herbs you can grow in Your kitchen without soil