Vaseline: 17 Life-Changing Hacks That Will Save You Money

7. Remove Chewing Gum From Hair

Getting gum in your hair is the absolute worst. Luckily, humble Vaseline can help remove even the stickiest chewing gum.

Isolate the section of hair that has the gum stuck in it, then work a large gob of Vaseline into the gum to break up the gum elasticity. Take breaks by wiping the gum and Vaseline mix from your hair with a paper towel, then reapply Vaseline to the gum in hair again and continue working until all the gum has been broken down and removed.

To remove the amount of gum shown in the picture took about 7 minutes.

8. Put It on Small Cuts

If you ever watch boxing, there’s a reason why trainers apply Vaseline to the cuts on the fighters faces. Aside from being all slippery, the Vaseline also forms a barrier that can stop small cuts.

After cleaning your cut you can apply a gob of Vaseline to the area directly over the cut, this will seal the wound which should prevent further bleeding and also provide a barrier to prevent infection.

9. Hairball Remedy

Since petroleum jelly is a lubricant it can be used to help pets with hairballs. Some animals don’t mind eating Vaseline straight, but for more finicky pets you can apply the petroleum jelly directly to the paws and they’ll lick it off.

Petroleum jelly is non-toxic, and in small quantities should be fine for pets. Be mindful that although a moderate amount of jelly is fine, too much can prevent the intestines from absorbing vitamins and may give your pet diarrhea.

10. Easy Open Jar Lids

Keeping jar lids easy to open is simple with a little petroleum jelly. Smear a thin layer of Vaseline around the threaded side of a jar lid before screwing on the lid, the slippery jelly will prevent any stuck food from seizing the lid to the jar and should allow you to easily open those suborn jars.

This works great for sticky foods with high sugar content, like honey, jam, or barbecue sauce.

11. Silences Squeaky Hinges

Does the squeaky bedroom door drive you bonkers? Put some Vaseline on the hinges and enjoy the silence. It works great on doors, windows, cabinets and other noisy mechanisms, functioning as a lubricant.

12. Loosens Light Bulbs

If you have a light socket that has proven to be problematic in the past, coat the insides with petroleum jelly before you insert the next light bulb. It will help make removing that bulb much easier the next time.