Olive oil is a staple of Mediterranean dishes and is often considered a must-have cooking item.
Olive oil can be used to fry food, added to a pasta dish or drizzled over tasty bread. Olive oil can also be used in homemade salad dressings.
Not only is it great for drizzling and cooking — it's also loaded with health benefits.
Olive oil contains lots of healthy monounsaturated fats, antioxidants and has anti-inflammatory properties. The oil has been shown through many studies to potentially reduce the risk of stroke, heart disease, cardiovascular disease and certain cancers.
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Olive oil is not just for cooking — it can also serve many other purposes.
Below are other ways olive oil can be used aside from in the kitchen.
Olive oil has many health benefits. (Enrico Spanu/REDA&CO/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
You can use olive oil to…
- Sooth an ear infection
- Loosen a zipper
- Remove stickers from products
- Quiet a squeaky door
- Clean wood furniture
- Loosen a stuck ring
- Remove eye makeup
- Promote healthy hair
1. Sooth an ear infection
If you ever find yourself with an ear ache, a little bit of warmed olive oil may help soothe the pain.
Place a little bit of olive oil in a small microwaveable container and heat until warmed. This will take about 30 seconds to a minute. Feel the warmed oil with your finger first before placing in your ear to make sure it is not too hot.
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Then, take a cotton ball and place it in your warmed oil, letting the oil soak in. Gently place the cotton ball just inside your ear and allow it to sit for five to 10 minutes. This hack will have you feeling better in no time.
Olive oil can be used to sooth an ear ache when it is warmed and put on a cotton ball. (iStock)
2. Loosen a zipper
Olive oil can unstick a zipper with just a few drops. If you have a zipper that is jammed, put a small amount of oil around where the zipper is stuck and then wipe it off.
When you try to unzip your jammed zipper, it should slide just like normal.
3. Remove stickers from products
Product labels can be difficult to remove and the remnants of a sticker can be an eyesore, especially on home decor products.
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Luckily, a little olive oil can help you out. Put olive oil onto the sticker residue and allow it to sit for a minute. Then, take a cloth or paper towel and clean off the oil. If successful, the sticker residue should come off too.
4. Quiet a squeaky door
Do you have a squeaky door in your house and no WD-40 around? No problem, because olive oil should do the trick.
A squeaky door can be fixed with a few drops of olive oil. (iStock)
Put a few drops of oil on the door hinges until the squeaking stops.
5. Clean wood furniture
Olive oil can be used to clean both wood furniture and leather. For cleaning wood furniture, you can make a cleaning mixture using olive oil, or you can put it straight onto a rag to give your furniture a little extra shine.
If you opt for a cleaning mixture, you can combine olive oil with either lemon juice or vinegar. Whether you make the cleaning solution or use straight olive oil, add a couple drops of your favorite essential oil to either option if you want to add a fresh smell.
6. Loosen a stuck ring
Sometimes, rings that always fit suddenly do not fit anymore. If a ring gets stuck on your finger, don't panic — you just need the help of a slippery substance to get it off.
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Cover your finger with olive oil and then start to twist the ring in either direction to loosen it up. The olive oil should provide a slippery surface and help the ring come off.
If you don't have any makeup remover at your disposal, you can put a couple drops of olive oil on a cotton pad to break down makeup. (Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
7. Remove eye makeup
If you ever find yourself without a makeup wipe but with olive oil, you have yourself a makeup remover.
Olive oil can help break down the makeup, and is especially good for sensitive skin. Take a cotton pad and add two to three drops of olive oil to it. Then, rub the pad all over your face, to delicately remove makeup.
Olive oil is even able to take off mascara and eyeliner.
When you're done, wash your face with warm water to get all the extra residue off your skin.
8. Promote healthy hair
Olive oil is a great moisturizer fo your hair, and can help prevent dryness and split ends. It provides the most benefit to those with thicker hair. If you have thinner hair, using olive oil as a treatment is not reccommended.
Work olive oil into the ends of hair on a weekly basis. Leave it in for about 15 to 20 minutes and then rinse it out.
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