15 unusual uses for nail polish

We are used to using it to paint our nails for a night on the town but what other uses are there for nail polish?

It does have some strong chemicals in it that often give off a potent smell so you do have to be careful how often you’re using it. These chemicals, the tackiness or the colour are all part of why nail polish can be very versatile.

Take a look at some of the ways you can use it and tell us, what other tips do you have?

1. Smudgeproof your labels

Niko pen can be a godsend but sometimes, despite being permanent, it can come off or smudge. To avoid this happening in wet or dry environments, simply coat the label in clear nail polish.

2. Seal an envelope

As we get older, our saliva count goes down significantly, which means sometimes sealing an envelope can be a bit difficult. If you want to seal a letter without licking it, or if a side rips, put on a layer of clear polish and stick down.

3. Thread a needle

We’ve all been there: threading a needle and it just won’t go through the eye. To stop a thread fraying, dip into your clear nail polish bottle and let dry. Try again and it’ll go through with ease.

4. Mark levels inside a bucket

The lines on a bucket can be hard to see so to make it easier, use a different coloured nail polish to mark the ridges.

5. Coat inexpensive costume jewellery and prevent green rings

Those awful green residue rings are sometimes enough to steer us away from cheap jewellery. But if you’re on a budget or don’t want to spend too much money, there is a way to make sure your new jewellery doesn’t tarnish. Simply coat your ring or bracelet with clear nail polish and let dry for a few hours before wearing.

6. Tighten loose screws

If you have screws that have lost their thread but don’t have any to replace them, then this is where nail polish can come in handy. Dab some on the screw and slowly screw in while still tacky.

7. Keep ribbons from fraying

Ribbons looks beautiful on boxes or in our granddaughter’s hair but they can look worn even if you’ve just cut them. To stop fraying, apply clear nail polish to the ends and let dry.

8. Stop a run in your stockings

Pantyhose are known for the fragility but they don’t have to be thrown out if they get a small hole or run. Take them off and apply clear polish to the run and let dry before putting back on. Voila!

9. Mend a fingernail

If your fingernail chips or broke in one spot and you don’t want to cut it, a coat of nail polish will hold it together.

10. Keep chipped car paint from rusting

If you’ve had a small accident or someone dinged your car door, it’s best to get it fixed ASAP. In the mean time, you can prevent rust by applying clear polish to the spot.

11. Glow-In-The-Dark effect for your remote control

You reach for your remote control and press the channel button, only to accidentally increase the volume! To stop those blind button presses, buy some cheap glow-in-the-dark polish and apply to the buttons on your remote.

12. Label keys

If you have two different keys but always get them mixed up, you can easily solve this by taking each key and painting the top a different colour. Let it dry and pop it back on your keyring!

13. Waterproof matches

If you often go camping, you’ll know the disappointment of opening up your matchbox only to find the matches have gone soggy. Prevent this by coating the tops of the matches with nail polish. Polish is very flammable so it will light even if the rest of the match is water damaged.

14. Keep an eyeglass screw in place

We don’t always have time to go to the optometrist and get our glasses fixed or replaced, but we do have time to apply a lick of nail polish to an eyeglass screw.

15. Secure buttons

If you’ve just sewn a button and don’t want it to unravel, dab on some nail polish to the button top to keep it from loosening.