5 genius ways to use aluminum foil

Aluminum foil is something everyone has in their kitchen, and it has a very long list of uses around the house, garden, and even a campfire.

• Make cleanup easier

If you are about to cook something you know is going to make a huge mess, be it in the oven, toaster, or grill, line the bottom of the cooker with aluminum foil. When the job is done, remove the foil with all the mess.

• Clean a grill, oven, or pots and pans

If you're dealing with something that's particularly difficult to clean and you don't have any scouring sponges or steel wool, crumple up some aluminum foil and use that instead. It probably won't work as well as something that's specifically meant to scrub and clean, but it will certainly work in a pinch.

• Catch cooking grease

If you're frying anything that is particularly greasy, such as bacon, don't pour the grease into a bowl or cup-like you normally would. Either line the bowl with aluminum foil first or form a makeshift bowl out of foil and pour it into that. This prevents you from having to deal with the cleanup of the grease, that you would otherwise put off for as long as possible. 

• Improve ironing

Ironing clothes can be a pretty time-consuming process. One way to speed things up is to line your ironing board with aluminum foil. Rather than absorbing the heat and moisture, like your ironing board cover normally does, the foil will trap the heat and moisture around your garment.

•  Remove static from the dryer

A great alternative to dryer sheets (their static-fighting qualities, at least) is aluminum foil. Make two or three balls of aluminum foil, about two to three inches (5 to 7.6 centimeters) in diameter, and toss them in with the load of wet clothes. The aluminum foil will help discharge any static buildup and help keep the clothes separated to speed up the drying process.