Milk: we drink it, some of us are intolerant (or believe ourselves to be intolerant), but we ignore the other ways in which this simple ingredient can be very useful in our daily lives. It can be used in your beauty routine, to take care of your little booboos, and help with the housework. If you keep it only for drinking or to promote strong bones (or even if you detest it), you’re missing out!!
1) To soothe dry skin or minor burns
Soak a face cloth in milk and apply it to the area for around fifteen minutes. You can also submerge the burned part of your body in milk if this is possible. Repeat every few hours to treat the burn and relieve pain. Its high fat and protein content is beneficial for your skin.
2) Repair worn porcelain
Yes, unfortunately, even good quality materials can suffer from wear and tear. If there are small cracks here and there in your china, fill a pot with fresh milk or with a liquid made from condensed milk. Bring to the boil and reduce the temperature, and let it simmer for about 45 minutes.
3) To polished tarnished silver
Here, milk becomes your best friend. You can prepare a mix by pouring one dessertspoon of vinegar into a glass container and adding enough milk to make up 240 mls. Submerge your silver in the mix for 30 minutes and rinse afterwards with warm soapy water. Wipe with a soft cloth to polish gently and restore it to as good as new.
4) Soften your skin
Cleopatra and Elizabeth 1 of England were big fans of taking milk baths. You can add condensed milk to your bath to reap its softening benefits. For your face, you can mix milk powder with a little water (or apple cider vinegar) to make a paste that you use like a mask, and allow it to dry before rinsing with warm water.
5) On scuffed shoes
We can give a lease of new life to leather shoes with a cloth soaked in milk. After applying the milk, leave it to dry and polish very gently with a face cloth.
6) Remove ink stains from clothes
Soak the item of clothing in a basin of milk overnight and put it in the washing machine. You can add lemon juice for further efficacy. Don’t forget to scrub the material a little while it is soaking. If the stain is on a carpet, mix milk with cornflour to make a paste to apply to the stain. Allow it to dry and afterwards vacuum up the residue.
You can also try this out on different types of stains using hot milk, leaving it to work for a minimum of 1 or 2 hours.