There’s a good chance you have at least one bottle of nail polish sitting in a bathroom drawer that hasn’t been touched in years. Before tossing it, you may want to move it to the junk drawer instead.
Clear and colored nail polish can work surprisingly well for small household fixes because it dries quickly and leaves behind a hard coating. Here are some clever ways to put an old bottle to work.
Color-Code Keys That All Look the Same
If your key ring is filled with nearly identical keys, paint the tops in different nail polish colors. You can tell your house, garage, mailbox, or storage keys apart at a glance instead of trying every key until one finally works.
Mark Matching Hardware Before Taking Something Apart
Taking apart furniture or a DIY project is easy; remembering which screw went where weeks later is another story. Put matching dots of colored nail polish on corresponding pieces before disassembly so you can quickly match everything back up.
Keep Loose Screws From Working Their Way Out
A cabinet knob or drawer pull that constantly comes loose can get annoying fast. Brush a little clear nail polish onto the screw threads before tightening it back into place to give the screw a little extra grip.
Cover Small Chips in Tile
A tiny chip in otherwise good tile can be surprisingly noticeable, especially when the darker material underneath shows through. Find a nail polish that closely matches the tile and apply it in thin layers until the damaged spot blends in better.
Keep Metal Cans From Leaving Rust Rings
Shaving cream, hairspray and other metal-bottomed containers can leave rusty circles on bathroom counters when they repeatedly get wet. Paint a thin layer of clear polish around the bottom rim of the can to create a barrier between the metal and moisture.
Stop a Small Window Screen Tear From Getting Bigger
A tiny hole in a window screen doesn’t necessarily mean the entire screen needs replacing. Line up the loose edges and dab clear nail polish around the tear to help hold the mesh together and keep the damage from spreading.
Protect Mailing Labels From Moisture
Handwritten labels can smear when packages get caught in rain or damp conditions. Once the ink is completely dry, a thin layer of clear nail polish over the writing can provide some extra protection from moisture.
Keep Important Labels From Smudging
Labels on frequently handled containers can eventually wear down or become hard to read. Clear nail polish can act as a protective coating over certain paper labels, though it’s smart to test a tiny area first since some inks can react to the polish.
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Stop a Fabric Snag From Unraveling
One loose thread on a curtain or decorative fabric can turn into a much larger problem if it keeps getting pulled. A tiny amount of clear nail polish applied at the snag can help secure the fibers and prevent additional fraying.
Stop a Run in Pantyhose
This old trick is still worth remembering. Dab a tiny amount of clear nail polish at both ends of a developing run to help keep it from traveling farther up or down the fabric.
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Protect Toilet Seat Screws From Rust
Toilet seat hardware is regularly exposed to moisture, which can eventually leave screws looking rusty and dingy. Once clean and dry, coating exposed metal with clear nail polish can add a simple moisture barrier.
Touch Up Tiny Scratches on Painted Items
Colored nail polish essentially becomes a miniature bottle of touch-up paint when you find the right match. It can be useful for hiding small chips on painted furniture, decorative objects and other nonporous surfaces where pulling out a full can of paint would be overkill.
