Carefully slipped into shoe boxes, handbags, electronics, and other goods are silica gel packets. In bold letters we’re instructed to “THROW AWAY” and “Do Not Eat” the tiny envelopes. But keeping them around may not be such a bad idea.
Processed until it forms the little gel beads we’re familiar with, silica gel acts as a dehumidifier and moisture sticks to the surface of the beads. The process is called adsorption. Yup a-d-s-o-r-p-t-i-o-n. As you wrap your mind around that word, we’ll break down why it’s so helpful and how you can use it around the house.
Its adsorption powers suck the moisture and water vapors from sealed spaces. That’s why you find them dropped into electronic device packages to prevent condensation buildup, or leather products where they aid in preventing mold. You’ve probably noticed them in tons of other places too.
Wochit’s video below highlights eight reasons not to chuck your silica gel packets, but we’re going to give you four of those here.
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Preservative
When you purchase large bags of pet food, store some in an airtight container with a gel packet taped to the lid to keep it fresh. Your wallet and your pet will thank you.
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Photo Protector
Drop a packet into a photo box to keep your pictures safe from moisture and humidity damage. Bonus: they can also be stored with cameras (especially underwater versions) to stave off fungi growth on the lenses.
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Laundry Deodorizer
Beat sweat, mildew, and funk on your laundry by tossing a few sachets of silica gel into your hamper or gym duffel. They’ll help to keep odor-producing bacteria from getting out of control. Go the extra mile and place one or two in your gym locker too.
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Luggage
Vacations are awesome but not when you have to lug around dirty or damp laundry. For general prevention, just throw a packet or two into your bags. If you have a bathing suit or other wet piece of clothing, place it in a separate bag along with silica gel. Seal it up. They’ll work to fight off stink and mold.
Keep watching the clip to see other ways to use these packets around the home. You can even use them for arts and crafts!
If it’s too late and you heeded the capitalized warnings to throw these out, you’ll be pleased to know that you can order some online. This is great news for the people in your life who habitually drop their phones into water and have to give them a rice soak.
No, this tip’s not on the list, but you can use these packs as a drying agent for wet phones. Take the battery and SD card out, and just lay your phone in a bowl filled with silica packets in an attempt to save its life – and your money.
Since they are toxic to people, do follow the instruction to NOT eat it. We mean it. Store them in a safe place out the way of little (or big) human fingers.
Did you know about all these uses for silica gel? Will you start keeping some on deck in your home now?
