Banana peels typically conjure images of someone slipping, but curiously, the thing that lends them their slippery reputation—naturally occurring wax—makes banana peels perfect for polishing metal items and removing scuffs from leather.
In addition to their natural waxiness, banana peels contain potassium, which is commonly used in the tanning industry to treat leather and other hides. Potassium helps make leather supple and durable by stabilizing its collagen, leaving the hide stronger and sturdier.
Read on to learn how to use banana peels to shine and polish silver and leather, as well as several other unusual household uses for banana peels.
1. Polish Silver
To clean just a few pieces of silver, rub the inside of a banana peel directly onto the silver. If you’re cleaning a collection of silver, make a banana peel paste by pulverizing several peels in a blender or food processor. Use a soft cloth to apply the paste to the silver, and a clean cloth to buff the paste and tarnish away. After polishing, wash the silver with warm soapy water to remove the banana residue.
2. Dust Houseplants
Dusting houseplants is an important (and oft-overlooked!) element of caring for an indoor garden. Using a banana peel to wipe leaves not only removes dust, but the oils in the peel also lend a bit of polish to leaves, giving them a bit of extra shine. After cleaning a houseplant with a banana peel, use a microfiber cloth to wipe the residue off the leaves, which can leave them looking dull and can attract fruit flies and other pests.
3. Remove Scuffs from Leather
Leather goods, from belts and handbags to shoes and even furniture, are prone to scuffs and scratches that occur during the course of regular use. Don’t have leather conditioner on hand? Use a banana peel to remove scuffs in leather by rubbing the inside of the peel on the damaged sections. After using the banana peel to remove scuffs, wipe away any residue with a soft cloth, then use a clean section of the cloth to buff and shine the leather by rubbing vigorously in a circular motion.
4. Polish Wood Furniture
Spruce up wood furniture that has seen better days by using a banana peel to polish and buff away scratches, water rings, and other surface damage. Work the peel into the wood using a circular motion, then buff the fruit residue away and bring the wood to a shine using a soft cloth.
5. Take Scratches Out of CDs and DVDs
Compact discs (CDs) and digital video discs (DVDs) have fallen largely out of use, but they are in no way totally obsolete. If you have a collection of CDs or DVDs, chances are that one or two of them have sustained scratches over the years that cause them to skip, or otherwise compromise sound quality. Rubbing a banana peel over scratches on the surface of a CD or DVD will repair it.
