40 Ingenious Uses For Flour That Prove It’s So Much More Than A Baking Ingredient

Got green fingers? Then we’ve got the flour hack for you! Add torn-up waste paper to a blender, cover with water and allow it to soften before blending into a paste. Then strain off the mix and mash together the paper until it feels like wet clay. After that, sprinkle over two tablespoons of flour, blend it in, then mold the paper-flour combo into pot shapes in a muffin pan. You’re going to need to bake these at 400 ºF for an hour. Once your new containers are dry, simply add soil and get planting!

Young or old, we all love playdough! To make this enduring boredom-buster, just mix two tablespoons of warm water, one tablespoon of vegetable oil, and some food coloring in a bowl. Then grab another deep dish and combine two tablespoons of flour with a tablespoon of salt. Finally, add the dry mix to the wet one and stir together until you get that famously doughy consistency. Why not get creative and add glitter stars, too, for a galactic twist?

Glue sticks, right? Never there when you need them. But don’t worry. Combine half a cup of flour with some water and a pinch of salt, and you’ll have a natural glue in no time! Spread your sticky mix with a paintbrush, or add more water and put the liquid into a bottle to make a spray adhesive. Even better, this alternative is non-toxic – making it perfect for craft sessions with your little ones.

Zits getting you down? Well, there’s no need to rush out for some Proactiv! Simply mix up two teaspoons of gram flour with a third of a teaspoon of turmeric powder and one and a half teaspoons of water. Then slather the paste on your face with a brush or your fingers, being careful not to get any in your mouth or eyes. Leave to dry before washing off, and your acne will have met its match.

If your kids are bored of playdough, then why not try this easy cloud dough recipe? It’s simple as well. Just combine 2 cups of flour, a quarter cup of baby oil, and some grated chalk. It’s fluffier than playdough and molds like wet sand. And while making this mixture can get messy, the hours of fun your little ones will have makes it worthwhile.

Didn’t think flour could be scary? Well, trust us, it can – by adding the perfect finishing touch to your Halloween costume. Mix a couple of spoonfuls of flour with a little bit of water until you reach a putty-like consistency. Then apply the mixture to your skin and mold it into the shape of a scar. To dry your terrifying creation, dust some flour on top. Finally, add makeup to your fake wound to give your friends a 3D fright this Halloween!

You ever have a sudden burst of inspiration but nothing to paint with? Fear not, as we have a quick and easy solution. Add two cups of hot water to two cups of salt, then wait for the salt to dissolve. After that, put in two cups of flour and mix the whole concoction until smooth. Use a few drops of food coloring, too, if you want a particular shade. And for an extra creative twist, add different amounts of flour to produce varying textures.

So, you’ve got a grease stain on your new silk shirt, and you’re worried it will never be the same again. Well, save on a hefty dry-cleaning bill by simply grabbing some cornstarch and piling it on top of the stain. Yes, that’s it! Then, after a few hours – or until you can’t wait anymore – sweep the cornstarch off and hand wash the item using soap. Now nobody will ever have to know about that sneaky burger you had for lunch.

Make fake fossils with the young explorers in your life! First, grab some small items – spare change or tiny toys should do the trick. Then combine one and a half cups of flour, one cup of the grounds you’ve collected from your coffee, a cup of water, a quarter cup of sand, and half a cup of salt. Roll pieces of the mix into balls, then press your “artifacts” in and slowly remove them to leave nifty impressions – just like real fossils do. And after baking the balls for 20 minutes at 150 ºF, you should be ready to show off your discoveries to all your friends.

Want a sunkissed glow without even having to step outside the house? All you need to do is mix two tablespoons of cinnamon powder, three teaspoons of cornstarch, and a couple of drops of essential oil for a natural bronzer. Just change the amount of cornstarch to get your desired shade. And the best bit? You’ll know exactly what you’re putting on your face – which isn’t the case with drugstore powders.

Pesky insects just love gnawing at plants. And while you don’t want to harm them, you’d rather your greenery didn’t have holes in it, right? Well, try this natural method to save your yard. Shake the plants to dislodge the insects before lightly sprinkling flour – all-purpose, not self-rising – from a salt shaker onto the leaves. Then, after two days, use a spray of water to remove the powdery layer. It’s not poisonous to the critters, but it gets the job done!

Need to relieve some of that frustration? Give this hack a whirl. Use a funnel to pour around three tablespoons of flour into a balloon, tamping the powder down into the opening if necessary. Then take the funnel out of the neck of the balloon, tie a knot in the end, and cut off any excess. Use markers or stickers to decorate your creation, and there you have it: a stress-free anti-stress ball!

We bet you have a grubby pack of playing cards at the back of your junk drawer. Well, before your next poker night, freshen up your kings and queens by dropping them into a bag with a few tablespoons of flour. Give the whole thing a little shake, then remove any excess residue from the cards with a cloth. This little tip will be your ace in the hole from now on.

Help! You want guacamole, but your stubborn avocados are rock hard. Want to speed up the ripening? Put your fruit in a paper bag along with enough flour to bury it. This pushes the maturing process along. And the end result is pretty impressive, too. In fact, YouTuber Honest Hotel Reviews says that this is her favorite way of ripening an avocado, as “not only does this method make the best texture, but it also [makes the fruit] taste better.”

If you want to smell good but find body lotion just too sticky, we’ve got you covered! Try this lighter alternative that’s perfect for summer. Mix together ten drops of essential oil with an ounce of cornstarch, keeping to that ratio if you want to make more. The result is more gentle than any store-bought lotion, and – best of all – it won’t cost you as much, either.

Want to up your window game? Simple! Just add a tablespoon of cornstarch to your regular cleaner and shake the bottle. Then wipe down your windows as normal – but this time with the magic of the secret ingredient. The cornstarch will keep the glass streak-free and sparkly without the need for any extra chemicals.

Want your lipstick to look a little less slick and shiny? Don’t despair. Apply your favorite shade as normal, then lightly pat cornstarch onto your lips. The powder will soon vanish, leaving you with a gorgeously matte pout that’ll make you wish you discovered this tip sooner.

If you need a quick fix for soft skin, then listen up: YouTuber Cute Flora says you’ll see the effects of this trick in just seven days! Combine one spoon of cornstarch with a couple of spoons of water, then add two spoons of aloe vera gel and mix again. After that, apply this blend to your face for a couple of minutes, scrubbing slowly to remove dead skin. Wash off with cold water for a glowing, velvety visage.

Who wouldn’t want two different nail polishes for the price of one? Well, you don’t have to wait for the sales, as you can switch up your old shades with ease. Drip a little bit of your regular topcoat onto wax paper and mix with a little bit of cornstarch. Then apply the topcoat onto your nails as normal, and you’ll have yourself a matte finish! Nice.

Avoid harsh chemicals and drying formulas by keeping fresh with cornstarch deodorant instead. Mix a quarter cup of the wonder powder with the same amount of baking soda and a third of a cup of warm, liquid coconut oil. This blend will already smell tropical, but you can put in essential oils, too, for a stronger scent.

You don’t need to be a glass-blowing whiz to create your own ornaments! Start by blending four cups of flour with one cup of salt. Then slowly add one and a half cups of warm water and knead until the dough becomes pliable. Then simply roll the dough flat and cut it into whatever shapes you wish before baking these at 300 °F for about an hour. And when your ornaments are at room temperature again, you can decorate them to your heart’s content.

No need to buy one of those pricey setting powders, as cornstarch can do the job! Using a makeup brush, just spread the floury stuff onto your face – lightly, of course, as you don’t want to look too pale. This is an especially great tip if you have problematic skin, as cornstarch absorbs any surface oils.

For homemade slime, just mix up flour, a tablespoon of water and a few squeezes of dish soap. Add more of the dish soap until your dough has a stretchy consistency and knead until everything is combined. Then add food coloring in whatever shade you like and knead that in, too, before covering your proto-slime with plastic wrap for two hours. And voilà!

Streaky hands and patchy legs? Uh-oh, you’ve had a faux tan faux pas! But don’t panic. Just add four teaspoons of gram flour to a touch of lemon juice, a teaspoon of yogurt, and some turmeric, and stir until all the ingredients are combined. Rubbing this concoction over your skin should remove any patches and even out your glow.

Spills happen – especially if you’ve got kids or pets around! There’s no need to fret, though, when there’s oil on the floor. Simply pour some flour onto the stain. This will not only absorb the oil and stop it from spreading, but it’s also easy to scoop up. No more scrubbing away in vain, which has to be a bonus.

Paper mâché may be a pretty old-school method, but there’s a reason it’s still a classic. For starters, anyone can do it! To start, rip up pieces of used paper then mix one mug of flour and the same amount of warm water. Then cover the paper bits in the paste and stick onto the object you would like to paper mâché. And once the whole thing is dried, you can decorate it however you like for a homemade creation to be proud of.

Try a greener alternative for shampoo. You need two tablespoons of rye flour to begin with, and you should sift this to make sure it’s lump-free. Then add half a cup of water and combine. This should last you one wash. And although you apply the mix like a normal shampoo, you can feel smug in the knowledge that you’re not wasting any plastic – with the added bonus of it being a darn good hair and scalp mask!

Oh no, things got out of hand and you dropped something greasy on your carpet. Quick! Add cornstarch to a touch of baking powder and put this blend on top of the accident spot. Then wait as long as you can for the mixture to work its magic before vacuuming up the mess. This dream combination of ingredients should have sucked up the grease and removed any bad smells to boot.

Deterring ants doesn’t have to be a job for harmful pesticides when you have this natural home remedy instead. Just scatter a border of flour around any problem areas. Ants hate the stuff, meaning they won’t go near it. It’s definitely a safer solution for your pets, too. 

Dry shampoo: the hero of bad hair days. But why not save some money – and the environment – with this natural alternative? All you need to do is combine two tablespoons of rye flour with one tablespoon of cocoa until you have a fine powder. Perfect if you’re camping or just a frazzled mom with no time to wash her locks.

Tired of dull skin? Well, YouTuber More SugarSpiceNice has the perfect solution – and it only requires two ingredients! Just mix rose water with a heaped tablespoon of rice flour and apply to your face. Let the mixture sit for about five minutes, then wash it away with water. And the result? SugarSpiceNice has said that her skin is left “instantly smoother, brighter, and polished.” Can’t say better than that.

There’s nothing quite like a crisp white shirt. But just how do you get rid of those pesky wrinkles? You’ve guessed it: flour! Combine two cups of water and one tablespoon of cornstarch before adding the smooth liquid to a spray bottle. Remember to shake up the bottle prior to use, though. That way, you’ll dislodge any cornstarch that’s collected at the bottom. Why not try the spray on bedsheets for an extra treat?

When was the last time you cleaned your precious brass and copper? Let us make it easy for you! Combine identical quantities of salt and flour with a few tablespoons of white vinegar. Then, with a cloth in tow, spread the magic mixture onto your favorite metals and give it some elbow grease. All you need to do after that is give the objects a rinse with water. Told you it was easy.

What happens when you add flour to a stainless steel sink? A total mess, right? Don’t be tempted to just turn the faucet on, though, as you can use this counterintuitive trick to your advantage. Start by making sure that your sink is dirt-free and dry. Then fight your instincts and pour a generous coating of flour onto your kitchen essential. Finally, rub the flour into the sink until a sparkling surface is revealed.

Your little one is screaming the house down because of their diaper rash, but you can’t just head out to the store for some talc. What do you do? Switch to gently fried cornstarch! It’s just as good at keeping baby butts dry. If you suspect there’s a yeast infection down there, though, best to seek medical advice first.

Here’s something fun to do with the kids over the summer vacay! To make frozen chalk, mix together one part cornstarch and one part water before dropping in a little bit of food coloring to create your chosen shade. Add a little dish soap, too, to help keep future mess to a minimum. Then freeze this combo in popsicle molds – and just try and complete your masterpiece before it melts.

Want to give your Tupperware a freshen-up? Well, if those plastic containers are getting hard to open, sprinkle their lids with flour. Anything that’s causing an obstruction should now be easier to deal with. The only thing left to decide is what to put in your tubs. We recommend ice cream.

DIY stores will hate us for this tip, but there’s no need to purchase wallpaper paste. Especially when it’s so simple to make your own! Gradually add one gallon of hot tap water to one cup of cornstarch. Then stove-warm your flour-water combination on medium-high heat and stir until the paste becomes gloopy and translucent. Once it has cooled, all that’s required is to start hanging.

Ever wondered how show cats look so fluffy and healthy? Here’s the secret. Brushing cornstarch through your feline’s coat will absorb grease, leaving them looking even more groomed and sleek than usual. Watch out, there’s a new contender for the crown in town!

Is it messy playtime? Let’s make oobleck! Just mix one and a half parts cornstarch to one cup of water, keeping with those ratios if you want more. Then separate out into different containers and add your chosen shades of food coloring. Now you have an ooey-gooey substance made out of stuff you probably already have lying around at home.