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Multiple Uses of Vaseline
When you think of products that could be used for multiple purposes around your home, you might not first think of Vaseline. However, this most famous brand of petroleum jelly does have multiple uses that can save you time and money.
Robert A. Chesebrough was a chemist born in London and raised in New York. While he was visiting a large oil well one day, he saw workers smearing their cuts with residue wiped from their drills. Chesebrough experimented with the substance and extracted petroleum jelly! He patented the invention in 1872 and named it Vaseline.
He would then travel from town to town showing off his great invention. He would injure himself in front of large audiences and cover his wounds with Vaseline. He would horrify his audiences by burning his arms and legs over open fires. Chesebrough lived to be 98 years old and swore that he lived so long because he ate a spoonful of Vaseline every day.
Now, Vaseline has been found to be helpful in many areas including pet care, painting, preventing corrosion, starting fires and more. In order to stay prepared for any situation, check out these uses of petroleum jelly below.
Paint without Worry
Painting your door but don’t want to get splatters on the hinges or the frame? Simply apply petroleum jelly to the areas that you want to protect from paint. Paint away, and then after the paint dries, wipe away the petroleum jelly.
Open Glue Bottles
Don’t you hate it when you can’t open the glue bottle because it has essentially sealed itself shut? Next time you open your glue bottle, dap a bit of petroleum jelly on the inside of the lid and it will be very easy to undo next time!
Tighter Seal in the Bathroom
Petroleum jelly is also a great sealant. If you fear that your plunger isn’t working in the bathroom and you need to get a better seal – use Vaseline! Cover the plunger’s rim with jelly and you’ll be able to get a better seal and better suction.
Horse Care
In order to help flies stay out of your horse’s eyes, simply dab a little petroleum jelly around each eye. This should keep flies away.
Prevent Battery Corrosion
Hopefully, your car battery isn’t so corroded that the rods can’t get a proper connection. However, if you want to avoid having corrosion issues with your car battery, occasionally coat the rods with a bit of petroleum jelly to keep them from corroding. You can also tape a copper penny to the top of the rod. That will attract the corrosion to the penny and not the battery posts.
Prevent Rusting
Along with corrosion, petroleum jelly is also good at keeping rust off your tools and other metal goods. Lightly coat your tools after you clean them with a bit of Vaseline and you’ll be set to go. For tools that you only use on an occasional basis, wipe some petroleum jelly on them and then wrap them in a cloth to keep them for a longer time.
Starting Fires
Besides it’s protective qualities, Vaseline is also very good at helping you start fires. Pack a dozen cotton balls soaked in petroleum jelly in a plastic bag inside your 72-hour kit. When you’re having trouble starting a fire, place the cotton balls around the base. Light the cotton balls and they will help you sustain a blazing fire.
How do you use Vaseline?
Comment below to share your experiences. See what others have used petroleum jelly for and see how you can use it in an emergency.
Great tips! I have heard it suggested to keep the dozen cotton balls separate from the Vaseline, not soaked, in your 72-hour kit. This leaves you the option of using the petroleum jelly for other purposes.
October 28th, 2012 at 11:55 amThe Cotton Ball trick works great. I store mine in an old prescription bottle and when ready to use I stab one with a stick – light it and I’ve got a torch to ignite even the toughest batch of kindling.
October 28th, 2012 at 3:26 pmNew workboots-generous layer rubbed in on boots. Repels moisture, softens leather, even gives a little shine tho it won’t last long in work enviroment.
October 29th, 2012 at 5:13 amGuns-for storage, small amount on rag and go over the exterior metal areas. Helps maintain good wood appearance as well
moisturize lips.
October 29th, 2012 at 5:38 amI use it to take my makeup off and also have used it to clean the leather on shoes. Great Product!!
October 29th, 2012 at 6:51 amI am glad you mention a lot of uses for Vaseline that are not for your body specifically, because it is poison to the human body. It is similar to rubbing engine oil onto our skin! YUCK! Who would do that??!
But the other uses are good to know about, thank you for sharing. I just won’t use it on my skin or my body.
Thanks
October 29th, 2012 at 6:54 amRebecca
Yeah! for Rebecca! Saved me the trouble! No! Don’t put this on your skin! Your skin is an organ…anything you put on it gets absorbed into it, gets absorbed into your blood stream, and gets filtered through your vital organs. Petroleum can not be properly “filtered”; your organs are made for that. Think, “coronary artery blockage”, if that helps bring it home. There are safe, natural ways to treat anything that does not involve a petroleum product. For that matter, I would not use this on horses, either; there are also safe, natural products for animals. Everything else? Maybe.
October 29th, 2012 at 7:03 amI obviously meant to say, “your organs are NOT meant for that”….
October 29th, 2012 at 7:04 amIf you have ever used an airless paint sprayer outside on a fence/deck,etc., you know the wind can cause the paint spray to end up on you. Simply put Vaseline on your face/arms/any exposed skin. When you shower, the paint comes off your body easily + it softens your skin as a bonus. It doesn’t matter if it is latex, oil, stain. It won’t stick!
October 29th, 2012 at 7:07 amYour NEVER supposed to put vaseline on a burn. Sealing in a burn will force the heat to go deeper causing the burn to be worse. And you don’t want to apply vaseline to cuts because it can create an infection. Please use common sense and proper first aid skills.
October 29th, 2012 at 7:14 amI just bought a jar this week. I use it to coat the rubber seals on my car doors. I have issues with the door freezing shut after a rain/wet snow and freezing temperatures. I’ve had to use a pry bar..gently of course..to open them in the morning. The coating eliminates that.
October 29th, 2012 at 7:20 amIf the inventor ate a teaspoon a day and lived to 98, I would hazard a guess that this petroleum product is less harmful than HomeINsteader has imagined – or didn’t you read that part??
October 29th, 2012 at 7:33 amI use vasaline when dying my hair. I put it around my hairline so that the dye doesn’t dye my skin! And it works!
October 29th, 2012 at 7:45 amActually, one of the most important jobs of the skin is to act as a barrier, to keep offenders OUT. Our skin does not absorb everything that’s applied, and even when it does absorb something, it doesn’t necessarily make it to the blood stream. The molecule has to be small enough to penetrate (that’s why drug patches use nano technology). Mineral oil, petroleum jelly, etc. does not absorb into the body.
October 29th, 2012 at 8:15 amHad the inventor not eaten a teaspoon of Valoline a day he might have lived to be 138…or didn’t you think of that?
October 29th, 2012 at 8:34 amWhat do you girls think is in lip gloss,Vic’s vaporub and dozens of other cosmetic products and has been for years….
October 29th, 2012 at 8:39 amRight petroleum jelly or some similar product.
We recently went camping and found that ants were climbing our water hose to enter our camper. I coated the top of the hose near the camper connection with a heavy layer of Vaseline. The ants will not cross it. Rubbing alcohol removed the residue nicely when we packed up for home.
October 29th, 2012 at 8:48 amI have used Vaseline as a skin moisturizer for years when my regular lotion needed an extra boost. No ill affects.
i wouldn’t use as a skin moisturizer – clogs pores; as does mineral oil, which is found in many high-end (read:pricey) moisturizers.
October 29th, 2012 at 9:26 amAlso use it for bearings on your bicicle, and mixing it with oils until dissolved makes a great bike chain protector! Just use an old brush to smear the chain.
October 29th, 2012 at 10:06 amIt is great for keeping squirrels out of the bird feeder. If you have a bird feeder hangong from a pole and the little buggers manage to shimmy up the pole to get at the tray or destroy the baffle simly coat the pole generously with vaseline.
The squirrel gets about 2/3rds up and slides back down then spends a few minutes freaking out over the vaseline on his paws. Very funny to watch.
October 29th, 2012 at 10:16 amI have used it all my life on my face, bottom of feet, elbows on neck area and I am 67 years old and I have few wrinkles baby soft feet on my eyes keep them from drying. Also keep your scalp from drying and more manageable.
October 29th, 2012 at 10:18 amThey now sell the small “sample” size. It is great to add to your 72 hr kit or camping gear. We bought ours to add to our Girl Scout troop fire starting kit.
October 29th, 2012 at 10:30 amBats!
October 29th, 2012 at 11:57 amPut some Vaseline on the frequent hang spots and those bats will have to find a new spot. Fortunately it takes them usually weeks to figure that out. So it’s effective for keeping bats out of your breezeway etc too.
In addition to this, I brushed on some wood preservative nearby and haven’t seen a bat in months. I guess they hate the smell.
I had an African American friend, She rubbed small amount on her face, neck, arms and legs. Not enough to be greasy. She had beautiful skin.
October 29th, 2012 at 4:31 pmMy Grandmother used it on her toes for years, and though she had soft feet, she had the worst fungus under her toenails I had ever seen. I took her to a podiatrist and they would not touch her feet. I thought she just had thick toenails, but that was not the case. I tried to tell her what she was doing to herself, but it was highly recommended it “Her Day” and stuck with it. God rest her soul
October 29th, 2012 at 4:44 pmI agree my family has been using vaseline for many years on our skin..we have bad winters up here and have used it for chapped lips forever and dried skin…people have become so parnoid about everything that touches them..jeezz if your that worried never do in the kitchen of a restaurant…you will never eat out again…
Tom
October 29th, 2012 at 5:26 pmThis is also great in the summer for relieving skin rash around your arm pits if you’ve been working in the yard or woods.
October 29th, 2012 at 5:33 pmActually, Jamie — burns need to be covered to close off the heat. Though there are other options out there for burns that are better than vaseline. The exposure to air is what keep the pain in the burn. ( EMTS taught us to cover burns).
Thanks for the fire starter tip though. Thats a quicker project than melting down old candles.
October 29th, 2012 at 5:45 pmUseas coating on socket end of lightbulbs to prevent corrosion in outdoor or aquariumn lights or anywhere there is moisture .
October 29th, 2012 at 6:08 pmYou can use it on your stuck zipper.
October 29th, 2012 at 6:21 pmI use it as a base to make ointments, stop cuts from bleeding, keep cuts clean when a bandaid isn’t feasible, in locks during the winter time, as a food grade lube on my slicer, and fun on door knobs and toilet seats in college. It also prevented scarring on my face from a deep cut (before triple antibiotic oinment).
October 29th, 2012 at 7:54 pmYou will always find more uses out of necessity
Vaseline and wounds:
I treat my patients’ surgical wounds and smallish burn wounds with gauze that is impregnated (smeared) with vaseline. These are sterile, of course, like closed band-aid. I also put on various over-the-counter antibiotic ointments that contain vaseline. In 99% of home wound care treatments complete sterility is not possible. Vaseline, applied with a clean and cotton ball, preferably sterile, will coat the wound to prevent bandages from adhering. It also acts as a barrier to keep bacteria OUT of the wound. Yes, some will be under the vaseline as they would be present in most moist wounds.
October 29th, 2012 at 8:03 pmActually for burns you are both right. You want to lightly cover a burn not seal off the burn. The Vaseline will seal off the burn and make it worse due to the heat not being able to escape
October 29th, 2012 at 8:09 pmVaseline as a skin balm:
There is no lotion, cream, or ointment that will put moisture back into dry skin. Daily use of the same can help to keep it from drying so quickly however, improve the quality and beauty of the skin, and even make one stronger in grasp. Yes, that’s right, I said stronger. Research has shown older people who work vaseline into the hands after their daily showers or bathing will improve their grip strength. How?
Dry skin slides over other objects more easily than moist skin. In physics it is called the “coefficient of friction”, that is, moist skin grabs and holds better than dry skin.
Beauty tip: I have been practicing for 30 years. Back in my early years, the older women taught me the trick of working a dab of vaseline into their hands and feet before bed and donning socks and cotton cosmetic gloves (still around but harder to find) to protect the bed linen. The result is gorgeous skin and nails.
Diaper rash: Regularly smearing on vaseline over your baby’s bum will help to prevent the rash reaction that occurs in a moist environment and greatly ease the discomforting scratch of diapers.
Ants destroying your backyard peach (other other fruits) crop? Smear a bad of thick vaseline around the trunk to keep bugs from climbing to the fruit.
As has already been said, vaseline cannot penetrate the skin any better than iodine or most other topical applications. Yes, the skin is an organ, the largest organ in the human body. Its main purpose is to keep moisture in and bad things out. Many other purposed, but protection from the loss of H20 and against the environment are key. Anything that can help to keep your skin healthy will help to keep you healthy.
We live in an increasingly toxic world. Healthy skin is paramount. Vaseline helps the skin to keep moisture in skin cells a bit longer as they gradually die and dry, moving towards the surface. It also prevents other damaging substances from irritating the skin. Going to work on a greasy machine and won’t always have gloves on? Work a bit of vaseline into your hands before and you will find that they clean much easier afterwards, avoiding the needs to scrub vigorously and damage your skin.
October 29th, 2012 at 8:16 pmMy wife learned this trick as a gymnast in college. Mix the Vaseline with however much cayenne pepper you cant take to make your own rub for sore joints. Its like the old Tiger Balm you used to be able to get. Be careful with how much cayenne you use though, it can get real hot real fast!
October 29th, 2012 at 8:53 pmI would not recommend Vaseline, or any other petroleum jelly product, as a lubricant for rubber gaskets. The petroleum will break down the rubber faster than exposure to the weather. Yes, there are some new gaskets that have a different composition that is unaffected by Vaseline, but be sure you are using the right one.
October 29th, 2012 at 9:16 pmafter having surgery the doctor had me put vaseline where the cut with stiches were and it heal quite well with very little scarring
October 29th, 2012 at 9:25 pmI have several US military first aid aid kits that have variuos Vaseline impregnated gauze packs in them. I’ve also noticed store brand petroleum grease seperate over time while “Vaseline” doesn’t. Do not use vaseline on rubber o-rings or your cars rubber parts will over time cause it to soften and deteriorate-use silicone grease only lasts much longer too with no oil slick rainbows.
October 29th, 2012 at 9:42 pmI can’t imagine how you would eat Vaseline-would probably make a #2 real smooth at some point-lol
I dip screws in it and they won’t rust plus my cordless battery lasts much longer.
October 29th, 2012 at 10:06 pmI always store mine together in my camping gear but I like Harold’s method. I am going to start keeping them separate
October 29th, 2012 at 10:17 pmCat
I have had vaseline applied to my leg under a bandage, by a doctor in a hospital. It keeps skin from being dry and itchy and I am told it is one of the best moisturizers one can use.
October 30th, 2012 at 12:21 amIn New Orleans, they use vaseline to coat the poles holding up the second floor balconies in the French Quarter during Mardi Gras so that the drunks don’t climb the poles.
October 30th, 2012 at 12:32 amA thin coat on the refrigerator door gaskets on the hinge side will keep the gasket from tearing and will let the door close easy.
October 30th, 2012 at 8:51 amI really love these tips that you post, but ever since you’ve added the share buttons at the top of the page, I cannot pin any of them to Pinterest anymore. Hitting the Pin button on your page doesn’t work, and when I go to pin the web address, it tells me that it cannot pin because of a header problem. Any ideas on how to fix it? I really enjoyed pinning all of your “tip” pages like this one before the problems started. Thanks for any help you can give. Have a super day!
October 30th, 2012 at 6:36 pmMy mother uses a dab in each nostril when allergy season hits. It seems to trap the pollen before it can be breathed in. She doesn’t use allergy meds anymore.
October 30th, 2012 at 6:52 pmVaseline is a natural product, great for kick-starting fires, keeping skin baby smooth AND maintaing regularity (I said it). If you’re having troubles going, eating a little (1 tbs) vaseline works great. Most often recomended for dogs, but hey, I’m an animal too.
October 30th, 2012 at 8:50 pmIf when painting your house using a airless sprayer you take a rag and put vaseline on it. Coat the hose of your sprayer with a thin amount and the paint will not stick to it making it ugly as well as messy
October 30th, 2012 at 9:48 pmIf you get lice, smother your hair with the vaseline and it will suffocate the buggers. It is cheaper then the chemicals and “non-toxic” as well. It does take a while to eventually get it washed out of your hair (especially long hair), but it will be nice and soft and bug free when your are done.
October 30th, 2012 at 11:35 pmI had a terrible problem of the hose nozzle rusting and unable to unscrew the hose.
October 31st, 2012 at 8:01 amNow before you connect a hose, rub the connector with petroleum jelly before screwing in the hose. Prevents rusting and makes it easy to twist off when needed.
Also use on shower heads. Rub in connector before screwing in your shower head, makes it easier to unscrew when needed.
I find vaseline extremely help full in preventing and soothing nostril bleed and stuffiness when acclimating to an arid or dry climate change while traveling from the sub tropics to the desert. Yes the nose hairs do not get to perform their intended job 100% but the result is a much more comfortable adjustment to very dry weather. Don’t pack, just coat lightly. (Put on lips first then nostril cavity.)
October 31st, 2012 at 1:51 pmTake a big glob of Vaseline and pack it in around your toes. Then put on your sox and running shoes. You can then run a marathon without any irritation or blister problems. Runners do it all the time and it’s worked well for me in 6 marathons.
October 31st, 2012 at 2:52 pmHey KH,
October 31st, 2012 at 5:23 pmYou’re right, thanks for bringing that to our attention. We hadn’t realized the link wasn’t working. We’ll look into that. In the meantime, Pinterest offers a button that you can keep on your browser. Here’s a link to get it: http://pinterest.com/about/goodies/
Why not use UNvaseline? It is non-toxic, not derived from a toxic petro chemical, AND it will not hurt gaskets. Vaseline on skin will dry the skin. It breaks down leather over time. And using all natural ingrediants is far better for the body-skin than something toxic. Plus is works GREAT and is in my emergency kit. And yes, it burns nicely on a cotton ball. Even olive oil does too.
October 31st, 2012 at 11:24 pmAnyone that is negating the use of Vasoline for Skincare or Medical use is ignorant. Doctors, Hospitals, Woundcare, etc. all utilize Vasoline for various applications. The main reason is after a wound is cleaned the use of Vasoline is a great infection blocker. Vasoline is Non-Toxic and anyone on here promoting fear should be ashamed.
November 1st, 2012 at 3:39 pmI had an exposed tendon and thankGod for vaseline, like the Diagnosis wrote, it prevented infection and kept the wound supple and was worth its weight in gold. the wound healed in a few weeks.
November 1st, 2012 at 8:14 pm1.) Never use vasoline on anything rubber, such as an “O-ring” or gasket…it will slowly degrade it.
November 6th, 2012 at 3:53 am2.) Never, ever use vasoline on any gas connection…it’s possible your life could get real exciting if you do…vasoline can and will support combustion, spontaneous or otherwise.(use a silicone based ‘goo’ or “gas tape” if you need to put something on a gas connection…anything but a petroleum based lube.
hi…Ive used Vaseline for as long as i can remember…. this is on my face and hands. and on babies…….. i haven’t had a a problem .
November 11th, 2012 at 12:27 pmI use Vaseline for a light “grease” for many mechanical things, particularly in my laboratory. I fashioned a “grease gun” from a large syringe: just warm up the Vaseline until melted and pour into the barrel of the (capped) syringe. Makes a great tool to get into tight spots. I have used it on my bicycle chain, on door pins before replacing them and to coat anything metal for long term storage.
November 12th, 2012 at 7:22 pmForgot my favorite use: hand cleaner. When you have dirty greasy hands and no professional cleaner rub in a big gob of Vaseline, wipe on a rag or paper towel and wash with soap and water. Works pretty well in a pinch.
November 12th, 2012 at 7:27 pmVaseline: prevents hair balls in cats. Just about a quarter to half teaspoon once a week. Look at the stuff in the pet store, it is petroleum jelly and flavorings.
It is just amazing that one product can cause so much controversy! I read plenty of info on natural and all the scare of DONT USE VASELINE! I have spent thousands of dollars on natural, high end, and cheap products. And I am so tired of it…I use a cocoa butter/petrolatum lip balm that costs $1.39 and my lips have never felt better. I use Vaseline with Cocoa butter dabbed on my wrinkles for night cream…works great and super cheap and I rub the extra into my cuticles and my hands and facial skin are super soft when I wake up!!! I have tried natural products and my skin and hair get super dry and itchy so…what does that tell you? I don’t know why or how all this paranoia started to stop using this or that. It is all marketing…I mean the beauty industry is a billion dollar industry but yet there are starving children in America. How does that make any sense????
March 12th, 2013 at 11:35 am