15 Unexpected Household Uses for Baby Powder

Baby powder has a misleading name. Not all of us have babies, but most of us have a container of baby powder sitting around, probably because it’s great for making you smell better and dealing with chafing.

But baby powder (also called talcum powder) has many other uses beyond even those. Here are 15 other ways you could be using it.

Degrease your hair

You don’t need to spend a bunch of money on fancy dry shampoos when you have cheap old baby powder around. As we’ve suggested before, for a quick degreasing, put some on your roots and brush it through your hair until you don’t see it anymore. Keep a little in your gym bag for this reason (plus, again, to avoid chafing).

Hush squeaky shoes

If your new shoes are squeaking when you walk, lift the insoles and sprinkle some baby powder to stop the parts in there from rubbing together loudly. We’ve stood by this trick for years.

Remove sand from your body

This old trick is one we’ve also mentioned in the past: Before you get back in the car after a day on the beach, sprinkle baby powder wherever sand is stuck to you. It saps up the moisture on your skin, allowing the sand to be easily brushed away.

Prevent sweat stains

To keep sweat stains off your clothes, sprinkle baby powder where they normally appear (like on the collar and in the armpits) and then iron it in. This will create a moisture-wicking barrier that stops yellow stains from forming.

Banish ants

We’ve suggested baby powder for ant deterrent in the past, though lots of scents will work. Your goal is to disrupt their ability to smell their way around, so they get lost following their trails and don’t come in your house. Baby powder is an easy, accessible way to get this done. Sprinkle it wherever you see them marching in.

Work with fibreglass without the itch

Rub baby powder into any parts of your skin that might not stay covered up when you’re working with fibreglass. This includes your wrists, your neck, or any place your pants, gloves, and shirt aren’t covering. It’ll prevent the fibres from getting into your skin and causing major itchiness.

Stop a squeaky floor

If your floorboards creak or squeak when you step on them, they’re just rubbing together, so sprinkle some baby powder over the offending area and rub it in well so you can tread silently.

Stay cool

Baby powder is good for reducing moisture and stopping things from sticking to you — so when it’s hot out, sprinkle some on your shirt or even your sheets to ensure that any fabrics you touch stay cool and don’t become a sweaty, clingy mess, as Reader’s Digest suggests.

Keep cards organised

Whether using playing cards (as Reader’s Digest suggests) or dealing with stacks of coupons, business cards, or any other heavy papers, give them all a little dusting with baby powder to prevent the individual pieces from sticking together.

Put on rubber gloves

If you’re cleaning and about to don rubber gloves, dust some baby powder on your hands first to prevent the rubber from bunching up and sticking, per Readers Digest.

Dust flower bulbs

Before planting bulbs in your garden, dust them with baby powder to prevent root rot and repel animals that might otherwise munch on them before they’re grown, recommends Balcony Garden Web.

Keep shoes comfy

If tight shoes hurt your feet on a night out, try baby powdering the insides. I do this all the time — it stops your feet from rubbing on the edges of the opening, keeps them from sticking to the inside, and can help prevent your feet from sweating.

Untangle jewellery

We’ve suggested this before and I watched my mum do it all the time as a kid: If you have a necklace that is tangled up, rub baby powder into the knot before trying to undo it. It helps the chains slide past each other much more easily.

Remove grease stains

If you spill lip gloss or salad dressing on your shirt or couch, don’t panic. Cover the spot with baby powder and let it sit for 30 minutes. This will help pull the grease out and prevent a permanent stain, according to She Knows; you can then proceed to wash the item as normal.

Destink your stuff

Shoes or gym bag stinking up the place? Put some baby powder in there and shake it around to deodorise it. Let it sit in there overnight, then dump it all out. Repeat as necessary.