5 Surprising uses for onions

The humble onion has been known to bring grown men to tears. A staple in pretty much any kitchen, it's used to add flavor to a multitude of dishes. Truly, I cannot imagine cooking without onions, I use them in almost every savory dish I make, but what else are onions good for? Turns out onions have many uses in the home.

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Here are 5 surprising uses for onions in the home.

  • Cleaning the grill. My brother showed me this trick a long time ago and it really works. So you scrub your grill with the wire brush, but it still has gunk on it? Heat it up, cut an onion in half, and rub it on the hot grill to clean. My brother uses his bare hands I recommend spearing the onion on a fork to prevent getting burns. 
  • Absorb stinky paint smell overnight. You painted, it looks great, and smells terrible. Cut up onions slices, put them in a bowl of water, and leave then in the newly painted room overnight to absorb the smell.
  • Repel mosquitoes. Okay, I am one of those people that attract mosquitoes like crazy It sucks to get eaten alive. If you are like me, you can rub raw onion on your skin to keep the biters away, the only problem is you may keep potential suitors away too if they aren't into onion smell.
  • Keep the ants away. Ants don't like the smell of raw onions, if you don't like ants in your kitchen and they insist on coming in anyway, leave out a bowl of raw onion slices to let them know they are not welcome.
  • Protect your garden. Are caterpillars eating your garden alive? Peel two onions, grate them into a bowl and add a gallon of water. Let it sit overnight, then strain liquid into a spray bottle and spray whatever garden plants you want to save from hungry caterpillars.

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