Coffee filters are a household essential for many of us who need a jolt to get going in the morning. But their simple shape and lint-free design makes them helpful in lots of other ways, too.
1. Place them between stacked plates.
Our home care expert Heloise loves this tip:Protect your favorite dishes from chipping and scratching by slipping coffee filters between them.
2. Use one as a snack bowl.
If you're not keen on dirtying yet another dish, sub in a coffee filter for eating popcorn, crackers, or other small bites. The filter's bowl-like shape is the perfect size and shape for a snack.
3. Clean windows and mirrors.
Since coffee filters are lint-free, you can swap them out for paper towels to give windows a no-streak shine.
4. Place one in the bottom of a flower pot.
Before you pour potting soil into your container, place a filter in the bottom hole, like Holly at A Baker's House. This way, excess water can escape, but the dirt stays in its place.
5. Corral small pieces in one place.
Putting together an IKEA dresser? Keep all screws, nails, and other bits from rolling across the floor with a filter.
6. Dust your TV.
A coffee filter is great for grabbing debris from screens both big (your television) and small (your iPhone).
7. Line a colander or sieve.
If the perforations in your strainer are too large to catch small bits of food, line it with a coffee filter first.
8. Catch popsicle drips.
Snip a hole in the center of a coffee filter, and push the stick of an ice pop through it to prevent sticky fingers (and stained clothing and floors) in the summertime.
9. Grease a baking dish.
Use a coffee filter to coat a cake pan with shortening instead of a paper towel, which could leave lint behind.
10. Dry glassware.
If you spy that your glasses are still a bit damp coming out of the dishwasher, Heloise suggestsreaching for a coffee filter. It will leave your stemware spotless and sparkling.
11. Prevent microwave messes.
Pop a filter over your leftovers to avoid annoying splatter when you heat them up.
12. Absorb excess oil.
Drain French fries or bacon on a filter to help pull away excess fat, or cut one into smaller pieces to use as a face blotter in a pinch.
13. Clean and polish stainless steel.
Just like coffeefilters can leave your windows gleaming (no lint left behind!), they also work magic on your appliances and faucets.
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Senior Web Editor
Overseeing all things home for GoodHousekeeping.com and HouseBeautiful.com, Lauren swoons over midcentury design and employs tough-love approach to decluttering (just throw it away, ladies). She loves anything neon coral, puts bacon on her veggie burgers, and would follow Tina Fey and Amy Poehler to the end of the earth.
