From removing odors to preserving old photos: five reasons not to throw away those bean bags | My guide: living

You’ve undoubtedly noticed it when opening a shoebox or packing an electronic device: small, granular sachets are regularly hidden inside. In most cases, these are bags filled with silica gel. These are moisture wicking crystals that are used to protect products from moisture. You can also use this feature easily in your home.

After a hard workout, many people throw their sweaty clothes into a gym bag. Something that can start to smell bad. Therefore, the golden advice is to put some sachets containing silica gel. The bags absorb the moisture and therefore the bad smell as well. This way your gym bag smells good and fresh. You can also use the same tactic for sneakers: Put a few sachets of silica gel in them, and that pair will smell fresher again.

Drop your mobile phone in the pool or in the toilet? Then place the device between the silica gel beads as quickly as possible. If you are lucky, you can reduce the water damage a lot. According to some sources, it will be more effective than burying your wet smartphone under grains of rice.

If you keep old family photos in a box, you will notice that the photos start to yellow or stick together after a while. This is due to moisture. So put some sachets of silica gel between the pictures. This way moisture doesn’t get a chance to ruin it.

Frozen windshields in the winter can be very annoying. Especially if you have to be somewhere urgently. So try putting a few sachets of silica gel on your dashboard. A strange sight, but condensation will therefore remain limited. Please note: Spread the bags along the entire length of the dashboard. Otherwise, you will not see the effect quickly.

Moisture can cause silver jewelry to become dull. Something you obviously want to avoid as much as possible. So put some silica gel sachets in the jewelry box. This way your pieces of art will continue to shine.

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