Remember when we used blackboard and chalks in school? Gone are the days of mini clouds formed by chalk dust when cleaning the blackboard, peering in vain to read the vague writing on the blackboard and of course the dreaded task of cleaning out the duster!
Schools now use whiteboard with markers instead. It provides greater clarity and of course it is much better for our health. Still, the humble chalk did not disappear. There are many other practical uses for it apart from being a mere writing instrument!
Here are 5 practical uses.
1. Remove grease stains. Dropped a greasy oily chicken wing onto your favourite shirt? Fear not! Rub some chalk onto the stain, let it sit for at least 10mins, dust off the excess chalk and put it into the wash. The chalk will absorb the grease.
2. Remove laundry odour: No time for a laundry wash but hate the stench? Just put a few pieces of chalk into a bag. Leave the bag open at the bottom of your laundry basket. The chalk will absorb any moisture from the clothes and prevent any odour from developing. Replace the chalks once a month.
3. Rust free tools: Leave a few pieces of chalk in your toolbox and your tools will be rust-free! Chalk absorbs moisture and thus prevents rust from developing.
4. No more sticky keys! Are your keys sticky? Do you find difficulty in pulling them out after locking/unlocking your doors? Rub a piece of chalk along the teeth and tip of the key. Insert and pull out from the lock several times and voila! your keys are now sliding as smooth as butter. You guessed it!
Chalk absorbs moisture and coats the dirt particles inside the locks, making it smooth.
5. Scare the ants away: Do you get ants in your house? I bet you do and they are such a hassle! With the small but mighty chalk, draw some lines on your doorways, windowsills and wherever the ants may be coming in from. You will be amazed at the result!
Ants do not like to cross chalk lines. This will stop them from coming into your house!
Try these tips and get a newfound respect for the small but mighty chalk! It definitely beats being just a school shoe whitener!
(All images - credit: Wikimedia Commons under Creative Commons licence)
