10 brilliant uses for EGGSHELLS

1 Quickly sharpen dull shears

The last time you used your trusty kitchen shears to chop up herbs for your dinner party, the blades ended up crushing instead of cutting. Before you replace the scissors, try using them to chop up a few eggshells.

The hard, rough shells will sharpen the blades as they cut, leaving them as good as new.

2 Lift stubborn tea stains

Nothing beats relaxing with a hot cup of tea—if only the drink didn’t leave behind a dark tint in your mugs. To eliminate the stains, place a few broken eggshells in the mug, fill with hot water and let sit overnight. The porous shells will absorb the dark pigments so your mug will be clean by morning—no scrubbing required!

3 Revive tired, puffy eyes

A natural way to look bright-eyed after a long night: Rub your finger along the inside of a broken eggshell, then gently smooth the egg-white film onto your eyelids and under your eyes. Let sit for 15 minutes, then rinse off. Egg membranes contain collagen, which reduces puffiness and increases skin elasticity for gorgeous eyes in a blink.

4 Keep little ones entertained

You were all set to color Easter eggs with your granddaughter, but the dye spilled and you don’t have any extra! The save: Have her paint a few hard-boiled eggs using craftstore paint. When the eggs dry, she can crush a few additional eggshells into small pieces and use glue to secure them to the eggs, creating a mosaic design.

5 Improve Buster’s bone health

To give your pup the calcium he needs, try this vet-recommended trick: Bake 12 clean eggshells for 5 minutes at 300°F; let cool, then blend into a powder. Each day, add 1⁄4 tsp. per 15 pounds of body weight to your dog’s food.

6 Get a jump-start on your garden

For healthier seedlings, fill clean eggshells with potting soil, add seeds and pop in egg cartons. Place near a window. Once the seeds sprout, plant the shells in your garden. The protein in the shells will nourish the seedlings.

7 Outsmart sink clogs

If food particles end up making their way down your kitchen sink and clogging the drain, leave a few larger eggshell pieces in the sink strainer before washing the dishes. The shells will trap any solids before they fall into the drain and get stuck. When the dishes are clean, simply toss the shells with the food remnants they collect.

8 Mellow out bitter coffee

You picked up a new brand of coffee that was on sale at the supermarket, but it’s too acidic for your taste. To make the drink more palatable, add 1 tsp. of clean, crushed eggshells to the coffee grounds before you start brewing your daily pot of joe. The alkaline shells will neutralize some of the acidity in the coffee—without compromising its flavor.

9 Heal damaged, dry cuticles

Give your nails a little TLC with an at-home cuticle revitalizer. To do: Break an eggshell into several pieces and tape the shells over your cuticles, membrane side facing down. Leave the shells in place for a few minutes until they begin to feel dry. The membranes contain nutrients that will soften your cuticles. The result? Healthy, beautiful nails.

10 Soothe aching joints naturally

With the weather warming up, you’ve been getting more exercise. The only problem? All that outdoor activity has left you sore. To ease your aches, break up an eggshell in a glass jar, cover with apple cider vinegar and close the jar; let sit for two days. As the eggshells dissolve, their joint-healing nutrients like collagen, chondroitin and glucosamine will be infused into the vinegar. Once the shells have fully dissolved, rub the solution onto sore spots for fast relief.