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20 Plastic Wrap Uses You Probably Didn’t Know About

You can use it for more than just covering up leftovers.

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plastic wrap phone
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Protect your phone

Screen protectors can run anywhere from $15 to $40, but one box of cling wrap is roughly $4 or so, making a DIY plastic wrap protector a no-brainer. First, make sure to clean your phone screen. Then cut the plastic wrap, so it’s about three inches bigger than your screen. Stretch and smooth it over your screen and wrap any excess in the back of your phone before cutting it off. Then put your regular phone case in place.

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plastic wrap flowers
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Keep flowers fresh

Extend the life of your fresh bouquet with plastic wrap. Cut a rectangle of plastic wrap and place a damp paper towel on top. Then put the ends of your flowers in the middle of the moist paper towel and fold them both up to keep the flowers fresh. You can use a bow or tissue paper to cover up this plastic wrap hack. Check out these other extraordinary uses for household staples.

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plastic wrap fly
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Trap fruit flies

Pesky fruit flies are no match for cling wrap. Here’s what to do: grab a small cup and a few pieces of fruit. Then use plastic wrap to cover the top and poke a hole in the middle with a pen or pencil. The flies find their way inside the cup but have trouble escaping the plastic wrap effectively trapping them. This is what really happens to recycled plastic. 

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plastic wrap bananas
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Keep bananas fresh

Bananas, much like avocados, are notorious for quickly moving from fresh to over-ripe. To slow down the process and keep your bananas fresh, try wrapping the stems of the fruit with plastic wrap.

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plastic wrap makeup
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Fix shattered makeup

You don’t have to toss out every broken makeup compact. Instead, try using plastic wrap to firm-up the powder. First, cover the powder compact with plastic wrap. Then crush the powder with your fingers or a spoon, so it’s loose. Add a drop or two of rubbing alcohol to make a paste. Use the same spoon to smooth this out and wait 24 hours for it to dry before using.

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plastic wrap toilet
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Unclog your toilet

If the plunger fails, it might be time to try this technique for unclogging your toilet. Use plastic wrap to cover the toilet bowl and flush. Once the plastic swells, you should push down on creating enough pressure to unblock the pipeline.

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plastic wrap heater
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Lower your heating bill

So you can’t put plastic wrap on a beating bill and make it go away, but you can use it on your windows to inadvertently save some cash. To help cut heating costs, try using plastic shrink film on your windows. Just apply double-sided tape to the perimeter of the window, cut and apply a slightly oversized piece of plastic to the tape, and seal the deal by using heat from a hairdryer to the film. Here’s everything else you need to know about winterizing your windows.

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plastic wrap shampoo
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Stop bottle leakage

Travel-lovers often learn the hard way that some bottle caps are bad at their job. Avoiding shampoo, conditioner, and body wash spills is easy with a piece of plastic wrap. Remove the lids or caps and place a piece of plastic wrap on top ensuring everything that’s in the bottle stays in the bottle.

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plastic wrap poached
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Poach a perfect egg

This plastic wrap hack could be the key to finally perfecting egg poaching. Start by covering a bowl in plastic wrap. (Be sure to use good quality plastic wrap that has a melting point between 250 to 290 Fahrenheit, so the plastic doesn’t melt during the poaching process.) Spritz the wrap with cooking spray, so the egg doesn’t stick. Crack your egg into the lined bowl. Tie and knot the corners of the plastic to keep the egg in place. Then simmer your water and cook the eggs for six minutes to poach them perfectly.

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plastic wrap shelves
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Line your shelves

Cover your shelves with plastic wrap to make them easier to clean. The plastic is easy to peel off, catches leaks, and means there’s one less thing to scrub down in your kitchen.

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plastic wrap freezer
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Prevent freezer burn

Never let good ice cream go to waste because of freezer burn again. Cover the top of your ice cream container—or anything else you freeze—and put the lid back on top. This double-duty system keeps frozen food fresh.

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plastic wrap wine
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De-cork wine

Some wines are “corky,” meaning they have a musty chemical smell that makes the wine unpleasant to drink thanks to TCA—a natural compound found in wine. You can ball up some PVC-based plastic wrap and place it in a pitcher or jar of wine to lessen this stink.

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plastic wrap paint brushes cans
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Keep paint from drying out

If you’re saving the last of some paint use plastic wrap to keep it fresh. Seal the cans with the wrap and then cover with the lid. This not only preserves the paint, but also keeps the harsh smell at bay, too.

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plastic wrap stickers
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Take off stickers easily

So you want to keep that glass jar, but not the ugly sticker label on the front. Start by soaking the decal with warm water and dish soap. Then completely wrap the wet container with plastic wrap and wait five minutes. The label should remove easily after taking off the wrap. The glue on stickers isn’t nearly as tough to get off as strong glue. Here’s how to remove strong glue and 46 other amazing uses for WD-40.

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plastic wrap mug
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Make any glass to-go

Finding the top of a to-go mug is the bane of existence for many plastic-hoarders. Skip the hassle and use plastic wrap to make any cup a to-go cup. Simply cover the top of your cup and poke in a reusable straw.

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plastic wrap jewelry
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Keep jewelry from tangling

If you’ve ever spent too much time trying to untangle your jewelry you need to try this plastic wrap hack. Cut out a piece of plastic wrap and lay your jewelry on top. Then cut a second piece of plastic to smooth over your necklaces and bracelets and voila!

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plastic wrap t shirt
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Protect clothes

Kitchen aprons are great and all, but they’re just another thing to clean post-cooking. Try using a piece of plastic wrap instead to cover your chest and clothes while cooking. You can peel it off and contain the mess after you’re done and save time, too.

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plastic wrap lettuce
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Keep lettuce fresh

Keeping lettuce fresh with plastic wrap is similar to keeping flowers fresh with plastic wrap. Take your bowl of lettuce and cover it with a damp paper towel before covering the whole bowl in plastic wrap. It should keep for seven days or so.

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plastic wrap silverware
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Make moving easier

Make moving smarter, not harder. Use plastic wrap to cover draws that still have clothes in them. This makes moving them easier and takes out the step of emptying the drawers. You can also wrap the furniture in plastic wrap, protecting your clothes and making sure the draws don’t move at all. This tip also works for sealing utensils, so they stay in place during the move.

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plastic wrap paint brushes
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Keep your paintbrush or roller from drying out

Don’t let your paint rollers or brushes dry out with the help of plastic wrap. Take your brush or roller and merely cover them entirely with plastic.

Emily DiNuzzo
Emily DiNuzzo is a former staff writer at Reader’s Digest. There’s a 90% chance Emily is drinking tea right now, but when she’s not writing about food and health with a cuppa by her side, you can find her lifting at the gym, listening to murder mystery podcasts and liking one too many astrology memes.