We all seem to be aware of Vaporub. It is the smell of our medicine cabinets, reminiscent of the days when you were staying at home sick with the flu with your mom or grandparents. This was our mom’s go-to remedy for coughs and colds, and we still use it today.
Vapor rub is a mentholated topical cream that affects the receptors of the chest and nose. It has been a household staple for centuries and can treat various ailments. Vapor rub has been used for centuries to treat headaches, sore throats, and chest congestion, but did you know there are other uses for it?
Here are some surprising uses of vapor rub:
1. Natural Insect Repellant:
Planning to go camping or hiking? Bring a tub of vapor rub for a natural insect repellant. Apply it all over your inner knees, elbows, legs, behind the ear, or anywhere you are prone to insect bites. Most insects detest the smell of vapor rub. Remove insects from your table by opening a tub of vapor rub in the middle.
2. Apply On The Feet:
Prevent wheezing and coughing throughout the night by applying vapor rub on your feet. Rub a generous amount all over your feet and cover with a sock or cloth. Sleep with them on and you’ll notice relief from painful coughs in the morning.
This technique has been widely successful in treating coughs in children, but there has been no scientific proof of its effectiveness. The theory around this technique is that the vapor rub helps circulate the blood through the body and removes external irritation thus curing the cough.
3. Prevent Cats From Clawing Furniture:
For cat owners out there Vaporub can help you stop your feline friends from ruining your furniture. It’s an inevitable stage in a kitten’s life when they need to scratch whatever surface their paws can get on. This can be a nightmare for homeowners with new furniture.
The worst thing about this is that they don’t stop with one piece of furniture, they will scratch every piece of furniture, especially the wooden kinds. Save yourself the trouble of fixing ruined furniture by applying a coat of vapor rub on them.
Apply it on tables, chairs, windows, and any surface they can get their tiny little paws on. Cats hate the smell of menthol, they will stray away from anything with this smell, but don’t apply too much or apply it all over the house. Kittens can get immune to the smell and will continue scratching.
4. Fake Tears or Stage Tears:
This has been a trick that actors have been using for years. Dabbing on a small amount under your eyes can cause them to get irritated and watery. Wait for a few seconds and see the fireworks happen.
This is a great trick when you need to cry on cue, but have no bad memories to pull from. Don’t apply it too close to your eyes or eyelid, this will cause pain and redness in the eyes. If you want to look like you’ve been doing drugs or look like your eyes have been burning you can try that.
5. Splinter and Paper Cuts:
Accelerate healing time by applying a thin layer of vapor rub to your wounds, this will prevent infection and improve healing. It can also be used to improve the appearance of bruises.
6. Remove Cracked Heels:
We get cracked heels from callouses in our feet and the pressure we put on them. Remove this by applying a thick layer of vapor rub and cover with a cotton sock or saran wrap. Sleep with it on and rinse off with warm water in the morning.
The skin on your feet will be soft and can be easily removed with a pumice stone. Exfoliate the feet and apply vapor rub every day until the cracked heels go away.
7. Potty Training For Pets:
For pet owners potty training your kittens and puppies can be a nightmare. Using vapor rub in areas you do not want them to pee in can help condition them to pee in a certain area. If your pets start to pee in a certain area place a tub of vapor rub there to stop them from using it.
Vapor rub is not only great for congestion and headaches, but it is also a very versatile topical cream. Keeping a tub of it at home can be very handy for different situations. There are a lot more surprising ways to use vapor rub like curing earaches, toe fungus, and removing ticks.