20 Ingenious Ways To Use Silica Gel That You Never Knew

20 Ingenious Ways To Use Silica Gel That You Never Knew 

20 Ingenious Ways To Use Silica Gel That You Never Knew

Often found in the bottom of shoe boxes and in dry food packets, silica gel packets are commonly looked at as small nuisances that provide no additional purpose other than to get themselves thrown into the nearest waste bin upon opening up the new shoes you bought today. However, contrary to popular belief, silica gel packets actually do have several other uses, as these tiny bags of gel have water resisting properties.

The following bullet points list 20 ingenious Ways To Use Silica Gel That You Never Knew , that you’ve probably never heard of before, but can now take advantage of instead of tossing them the moment you find them stuck to the inside of your beef jerky bag.

Old Books – There are a few people that just love the smell of a dusty old book, but not everyone does. Put one of the offending books in a bag with a few packets of silica gel and the smell will disappear.

Old Books

Razor Blades – Razor blades do not often last very long, and are replaced frequently as the blades get dull, but also due to the amount of moisture that they are exposed to. In order to extend their overall lifetime, locking away your razor blades after usage and dabbing them dry with a few silica gel packets can reduce the risk of moisture-inflicted razor blade loss, and thereby lengthen how long you have them.

Prevent Water from Ruining a Cell Phone – Similar to the way that rice works to absorb the water your phone may have been subjected to, silica gel packets work in the same way. Cover your phone in them after a nasty encounter with water, seal it away, and wait at least twenty-four hours before powering your phone back on.

Cameras – Cameras are used to document memories in picture form. As such, should you go from a cold climate to a warmer one, your camera might be exposed to condensation that could leave marks across the lens, or affect the camera’s internal mechanisms. By taking out the memory card, battery, and even the lens if possible, place the remaining parts of your camera with silica gel packets, and the condensation will be dried away.

Waterproof Cameras – Although underwater cameras are pretty nifty, and are acclaimed for being able to actually work under any type of water, condensation can ruin the lens with marks. By keeping silica gel packets close by, you are able to suck out all of the additional moisture before it can cause damage.

Waterproof Cameras

Wet Clothes – Typically after a vacation or day at a friend’s pool, we get to pack away a bag full of soaked clothes, and it’s never fun dealing with them when you get home. By throwing some silica gel packets mixed in with your wet items, they can absorb some of the moisture and make the job a lot less difficult.

Priceless Pictures – Don’t take the chance of cherished images getting wet – store a few gel packets wherever you keep your photos so that they aren’t at the risk of water damage.

Fabric – Do you sew or knit, or just have a lot of clothes lying around? Keep them from becoming moist, and possibly damaged, by putting a few silica gel packets mixed into your drawers, or wherever you contain your fabrics.

clothes lying around
via flickr

Flowers – It is a common hobby to dry and press flowers, but the process of doing so can be a bit time-consuming. Storing them with silica gel packets will make it go by much more quickly.

Vitamins and Medicine Tablets – Silica gel packets are often stored with this initially, as it helps retain freshness and to prevent mold and deterioration. Make sure to keep them together, as the removal of these helpful packets could keep them from living as long as they should.

Vitamins and Medicine Tablets

Important Documents and Papers – Just like everything else on the list, in order to refrain from unfortunate water damage, keep your silica gel packets and your important documents and papers in the same drawer.

Makeup – With the ability to fight off moisture, silica gel packets can be sealed in with your makeup bag to maintain dryness and no messy makeup disasters.

Makeup bag

Jewelry – Keeping jewelry dry will keep it from tarnishing or deteriorating. Slip a few packets into the bottom of your jewelry box and keep them from retaining any additional moisture.

Glass – It’s not uncommon for glass, especially windows and windshields, to have condensation, especially in the colder months of the year. To keep this from damaging them, keep a few packets stored in your windowsills or on the dashboard of your vehicle.

Pet Food – Whenever you’ve had your pet food for a long time, or you have large amounts of it, it can gain moisture faster. By storing it in a plastic bin, you can preserve the parts that have begun to get soggy by sliding a few silica gel packets in with them. Just make sure not to accidentally feed them to your animals (though they are nontoxic for them)!

Luggage – Anything could happen on a vacation, and the last thing you want is for your luggage to get damp and gross. This could lead to mildewing, but can be prevented by sticking a few gel packets in with your clothes to retain their freshness throughout the trip.

Gardening – You might be an expert at gardening, and as such but storing seeds for the upcoming harvest. In order to keep them fresh, store them in a sealed container with silica gel packets. Thankfully, not many of the packets are necessary to keep out moisture, so even one or two can go a long way.

storing seeds

Pumpkins and Squash – Commonly known for molding and rotting fast, this can be prevented by breaking open a silica gel packet and using the beads inside. Push them into the outer layer of the pumpkin or squash and help them to thrive through the winter months.

Hearing aids – when visiting or living in a damp climate  store your hear AIDS at night in a container with silica packages.

Ammo Box – Toss a few into ammo cans to keep ammunition viable basically forever when stored correctly.

Ammo Box

Now, instead of tossing your silica gel packets every time you receive them, you can take the knowledge from the above list, and use them for more than keeping the bottom of your trash can fresh. If you can think of any more Ingenious Ways To Use Silica Gel then let me know below in the comments and I will add them to the list…

28 comments

  1. My grandmother used it first on difficult splinters, draw all moisture out so thst liner shrinks. Have no idea if it’s safe but done it many times. And i think o her every time I see it.

  2. I love to camp. I take a baggie of these packets with me. I throw a few in with my tent when it is packed. Same for the canopy, the stove, the sleeping bag and my duffel of clothes!

  3. My son is a Master Automobile Technician and Instructor. He places silicon gel packets in his tool boxes to prevent his tools from collecting moisture and rusting.

  4. Toss a few into ammo cans to keep ammunition viable basically forever whe stored correctly.

  5. I also have them in my gun cases.

  6. I put the stuff in a film canister (somehow I still have one) and dry flies in the stuff after catching a fish.

  7. I use them in my child’s flute case. Moisture will ruin pads on woodwinds and help pit the metal of instruments.

  8. when visiting or living in a damp climate —– store your hear AIDS at night in a container with silica packages.

  9. PLEASE, do not leave these where pets can get them. Tho non toxic , they swell and have been known to cause choking.

  10. Howard Cranmore

    Crush into power put on fire ant nest. Kills the whole nest,including the queen.

  11. I put them in new bottles of spices when I open them to keep the spices from caking. I also keep one in my salt shaker…

  12. Just wondering if they can be used in food storage. I get these from my medicine bottles and from clothing.

    • As long as they do not come into contact with your food you will be fine. So store them in your cupboards or were your food is stored.

  13. Have a Mouse problem. Crush silica gel granules, mix with peanut butter, put it on a small plate or saucer, leave on the floor. They love to eat the peanut butter but the silica gel dries them out from the inside. They die and desiccate quickly without any odor. WARNING: DO NOT let your pets eat it though.

  14. I like all these comments, but need a question answered. Do you let the ” beads ” in the packets or take them out? Some of these tips seemed to be when they were out of the packet.

    • keep them in there bag as for safety. only take them out the bag if your are 100% sure no one will touch/eat them including pets

  15. I was just wondering, I use them in my salt shakers, is there any danger with that? I figured that if they were in my pills that it wouldn’t hurt to keep my salt from clumping in humid weather.

  16. I put them in the box with dishwasher detergent packets. They tend to stick together when it’s humid just from opening the box to get out the next one.

  17. Are the little round ones that come on pill bottles the same thing and would it be safe to put a couple in my sugar container? I am having an issue with my sugar getting wet and clumping. Someone else told me to put saltine cracker in with the sugar buy my kids keep breaking the crackers and then I end up with crackers in my coffee. So just wondering if it would work in sugar.

  18. I use them as a rust preventer in my tool boxes.

  19. I use them in my spice bottles, salt shaker, and my jar of freeze dried decaf coffee. My question is: once they are saturated (some of the beads are formulated to change color as they absorb more moisture), how can I restore them? CAN I restore them??

  20. Crushed silica gel(powder or dost) is used by exterminators to kill BED BUGS.

  21. put one in your guitar case and drop one in the sound hole of your hollow body guitars to help prevent damage from humidity

  22. I have always enjoyed shoving a few packets in my man hole. Keeps things fresh and absorbs the semen