6 Unexpected Uses For Peanut Butter 

Although peanuts have been a staple of the American diet for as long as the country has existed due to their affordability and high protein content, peanut butter didn’t really become a thing until the 1890s. But even then, it wasn’t until the Great Depression that this creamy spread gained widespread popularity due to meat shortages. 

Although most people think of peanut butter as something to spread on bread or to blend into a smoothie, there are plenty of “outside the box” applications for this product. We don’t just mean as an agent for removing chewed gum from your hair either. With that in mind, here are some household uses for peanut butter that you probably weren’t aware of, as well as helpful alternatives if the idea of spreading a sweet, gooey candy-like substance onto items sounds too weird for you. Our legal team wants you to know that while this article reads like an endorsement for DW40’s fine line of cleaning products, they aren’t paying us a cent…although we would certainly be open to it! Our utility bills don’t just pay themselves, you know. 

Lubricating tools

When you need your home or landscaping to look its best, open-and-close tools such as pliers, shears and wrenches are a must. But they require lubrication in order to work properly, and peanut butter gets the job done. This condiment is also effective for keeping lawn mower blades well-greased.

Alternative to peanut butter: Golly, we don’t know. A reputable silicon-based lubricant known as DW40, perhaps? 

Keeping your tools in tip top shape during the winter

As winter approaches, you’ll need to put those lawn and garden tools away. Spreading peanut butter on them — including on wooden handles — helps preserve them during the blustery arctic temperatures so that when the grass starts to grow and the flowers begin to bloom, they will be in good working order. 

Alternatives to peanut butter: Linseed oil and…WD40! Imagine that!

As furniture polish

If you’re looking to polish those leather sofas, vinyl tables and wood chairs, look no further than peanut butter! The peanut oil is what really does the trick. Apply some peanut butter to a clean cotton cloth and rub away, using a circular motion to bring out the glow.

Alternative to peanut butter: if you aren’t a big fan of your furniture wreaking of a peanut-smelling paste, give Pledge Lemon enhancing polish spray a try. You might even find that lemony scent far more appealing!

For fixing squeaky hinges

Are the hinges on your doors and cabinets making creaky noises that fill your imagination with thoughts of ghost hauntings? Take a spoonful of peanut butter and you’ll have normal, squeakless hinges in no time!

Alternative to peanut butter: Petroleum jelly. Or WD40. We hear that’s pretty good stuff. 

Removing sticky residue

Do your doors and shelves have unseemly residue from stickers and/or label adhesives? Wipe them into oblivion by dabbing some peanut butter onto a cotton cloth! 

Alternative to peanut butter: Goo Gone spray gee…or your old friend WD40! 

Shaving preparation

Got a hot date coming up but discovered through her social media posts that she’s not a fan of caveman-like stubble? Reach for the kitchen pantry and bust out some peanut butter to use for shaving! The oils even work as an effective conditioner!

Alternative to peanut butter: We reckon shaving cream would be a pretty nifty idea for shaving-related activities. But DW40? Not so much.