It’s an unwritten rule that people must never finish a bottle of clear nail polish—why else are there so many almost unused bottles lying in random drawers around the house? If you’re feeling bad about throwing them away, then you’d be happy to know that there are so any other uses for clear nail polish aside from just sealing manicures.
Here are 13 clear nail polish hacks you probably didn’t know about:
1. Make labels waterproof.
One way to make labels on bottles and jars waterproof is to add a clear coat of nail polish to create a protective seal on top. Just stick some paper on a jar or bottle, write your label with a marker, then brush on a coat of clear polish. Voila! Smudge-proof labels made easy.
2. Prevent costume jewelry stains.
If you’re a fan of wearing fake jewelry, you might have experienced getting green stains on your skin after wearing them all day. One way of preventing this is by painting 2 coats of clear nail polish on your jewelry and letting them air dry before wearing them. The nail polish will act as a protective seal and will stop your skin from turning green.
3. Customize nail polish colors.
For those times when you just can’t find the right shade of polish, you can customize your own color by using eyeshadow. Just break apart a small amount of shadow with a toothpick. Make a paper cone with one end small enough to insert inside the mouth of the clear nail polish bottle. You’ll be using this as a sort of funnel.
Then add the eyeshadow in through the cone, close the bottle up, and shake until all the powder dissolves. Voila! Easy custom nail polish!
4. Keep matches waterproof.
Painting a coat of clear polish on a match head will keep it waterproof especially when you go on a camping or hiking trip. If your bag accidentally gets wet, the nail polish will keep your matchsticks dry.
5. Seal envelopes.
If you’ve got a ton of letters to send out but have no glue around, clear nail polish is the next best thing. Instead of glue, just apply a coat of clear polish on the inside edge of the envelope. Signed, sealed, delivered!
6. Easy needle threading.
Here’s one lifehack you probably didn’t know you could do with clear polish. If you dip the end of your thread into clear polish, it makes needle threading almost too easy. Don’t believe us? Try it on your next sewing project!
7. Keep glitter in place.
If you’ve got knick knacks decorated with glitter, add a layer of clear nail polish. This locks in all that sparkle so your item stays in tip-top shine for a longer time.
8. Tighten screws.
Applying a coat of clear nail polish on your screws before using them will give them added durability. This will make the screws hold tighter. Painting a layer of nail polish on top of tiny screws in your glasses will also keep them from getting loose.
9. Stop windshield cracks from spreading.
If you can’t go to a repair shop right away, this will temporarily stop the crack from spreading. Just paint over the crack with nail polish and let it dry.
10. Use as a liquid Band-Aid.
If you’ve accidentally cut yourself — paper cut, hangnail, or other minute scratch — and have no band-aids at home, don’t fret. This trick works on small wounds or cuts to keep them from bleeding. You’ll have to clean the area first though, and then apply a clear coat of polish on top of your wound. Certain brands of nail polish are nontoxic, and they work nearly the same as more expensive liquid adhesives.
After some time, the buttons on your blouses or jackets might come loose. To prevent this from happening, just paint clear nail polish over the thread and you’ve got an easy fix to keep them on for a while. Just make sure to do this every now and then.
12. Fix splinters.
They may look pretty, but the downside of wooden furniture is that they can splinter. To fix the problem area right up, slice off the splinter and then coat the area with nail polish. You won’t even notice the difference!
13. Make metal rustproof.
Shaving cream cans and other metal bottles that you put in areas where water can get to them may rust up with time. To prevent this, just paint a coat of clear nail polish on the exposed metal and let it dry.
Now you have a reason to raid your mother’s closet for wayward nail polish bottles. What’s another clear nail polish hack you swear by?