9 Amazing Uses for Aspirin

We all know that aspirin treats pain, fever, arthritis, and inflammation. That is old news, but did you know that it can remove stains, charge a car battery, or repair drywall?! We are blown away! Check out this list of 9 amazing uses for aspirin that MSN health and fitness put together. Let us know what you think of these methods!

 

1. Remove stains

Are your workout shirts dirtied with sweat stains? Marina Gafanovich, M.D., says that aspirin can effectively remove stains, especially the yellowish underarm ones. “Allowing clothing to soak in water with aspirin can help to release stains before they’re washed the conventional way,” she says. Just mix crushed, uncoated aspirin with warm water, let the mixture sit on the stain for a few hours and then throw the clothing in the washing machine as usual

2. Control dandruff

There is nothing attractive about dandruff on your shirt, but luckily aspirin can take care of the pesky flakes. The salicylic acid in aspirin is actually what is used in medicated shampoos that are specifically created to control dandruff. Gafanovich recommends simply adding aspirin to your shampoo. “It exfoliates the scalp, removing the dead skin layers that are responsible for dandruff,” she says. Crush two uncoated aspirins into a powder and combine them with a tablespoon of shampoo

3. Treat ingrown hairs or acne

Aspirin can zap the inflamed areas within a few minutes. Simply crush aspirin and water into a paste and spread it over the ingrown hair or pimple. Leave it on for a few minutes and then wash the paste off with warm water. The salicylic acid in aspirin helps clear out anything that’s trapped in the hair follicle or pore.

4. Clean the bathroom

You may not need to spend extra money on cleaning supplies if you’ve got some aspirin in the medicine cabinet. “It works on any surface with the same exfoliating properties, removing soap scum or other contaminants from your bathroom or counter surfaces,” says Gafanovich. Dissolve two uncoated aspirin pills in warm water and use the paste to cut down on counter grime.

5. Repair drywall

You don’t have to make a separate trip to the store for home repair supplies when you’ve got aspirin on hand. It can be used to patch up holes in drywall because when aspirin is wetted and then dried, it becomes like an adhesive. Mix crushed aspirin with water and use the paste as needed.

6. Hide a hickey

If you had a little too much fun the night before and notice some redness on your neck the next day, aspirin can calm the irritation before your co-workers take note. Let one or two uncoated aspirin pills dissolve in a half-cup of water and apply the paste to the area. “Adding some aspirin as a mask to your skin will increase the blood flow on the skin’s surface, which can help to quickly hide a hickey,” says Gafanovich.

7. Soothe a bug bite

The constant itching of an insect bite can go from irritating to unbearable within a few minutes. To relieve the irritation, you can use aspirin to decrease the pain. Just grab one plain aspirin pill, wet it and rub it on the bite for instant relief.

8. Charge a car battery

Don’t worry—aspirin pills have got some manly uses, like starting up a car with a dead battery. That being said, it might be a good idea to stash a bottle of aspirin in your car, just in case it runs out of juice. If you’re stranded without power, you can drop two aspirin pills into the battery cells to jump-start the charging. The sulfuric acid in the battery mixes with acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) to create one charge. It will be enough to rev up your engine and get you to the nearest service station.

9. Protect your heart

If you have any of the major risk factors for heart disease, taking aspirin on a regular basis might help keep your ticker in good health, but it’s still not a pill to take lightly. Major risk factors that could potentially warrant aspirin use would include increasing age (65 or older), heart disease in the family or a personal history of heart problems such as a heart attack or stroke. “A heart attack is an acute blockage of a blood vessel that usually comes about due to a platelet plug,” says Ric Saguil, M.D., FAAFP. “Aspirin helps prevent these types of inflammatory responses (platelet plugs), and thins the blood.”

Consult with your doctor to make sure that aspirin would be the right choice for you as there can be serious side effects such as gut bleeding. The risks can potentially outweigh the benefits, so it’s important to have a full evaluation before popping the pill. If you have an ulcer, kidney disease history, bleeding problems, aspirin sensitivity, asthma or a past of hemorrhagic strokes, you definitely should not take aspirin.