13 Surprising Uses for Rice That Don’t Involve Cooking

Sharpen dull blender blades.

The blades in your blender can become dull over time, meaning your machine doesn’t slice and dice as effectively. Instead of splurging on a new blender or shelling out on new blades, try this trick first: Pour ½ cup of rice into your blender, snap on the lid, and let the appliance run for a minute or so. Now your blades should be nice and sharp. 

Prevent salt from clumping.

Have you ever been to a diner and noticed the salt shakers are filled with rice. There’s a reason for that! Rice prevents the salt from clumping by absorbing any extra moisture in the container. This way, you can shake, shake, shake and the clump-free salt will pour easily.

Soothe pain with a DIY rice bag.

Rice bags are similar to wheat bags in that they provide instant, warming pain relief. But while you might not have wheat just lying around the house, you most certainly have some rice in the pantry. 

To make your own DIY rice bag, fill an old tube sock with rice and then tie the open end shut. Then, microwave your sock in 30-second intervals until it reaches your desired temperature. Two minutes is good for most people, but this will depend on the your microwave’s wattage.

Be careful when removing your bag as it may be hot. Rice is dense, which is why it’s so efficient at retaining heat. Your rice bag will provide roughly 45 minutes of soothing warmth until you need to microwave it again.

Put together heating pads for your pets.

Pets can get cold during the winter, especially if they’re teeny-tiny. But turning your rice bags into itty-bitty heating pads will easily solve this problem. You may need to make multiple heating pads if you have larger pets (or you could let them curl up under the covers with you!). 

Turn your rice into a luxurious DIY brightening face mask.

Rice water is full of antioxidants and anti-inflammatories, which makes it an ideal ingredient for a soothing face mask. To make your DIY mask, blend two teaspoons of rice for five seconds. Then, add water until it forms a paste. Smear the mixture on your face, and let it sit for half an hour. You’ll notice you skin is softer and tighter when you wash it off. 

Make rice milk.

Rice milk is a tasty cow’s milk alternative for those with dairy allergies. Making rice milk is simple and you can do it at home, however, rice milk isn’t as healthy as other non-dairy alternatives when you stack up their nutritional benefits. 

Ripen fruit faster with rice.

Everyone wants to know how to ripen avocados quickly, and the secret is to use rice. All you do is cover your fruit with rice, which effectively traps ethylene gas the fruits release when they ripen. The more ethylene gas, the faster food matures.

Clean coffee grinders.

Your coffee and spices will taste a little bit off if you’re not cleaning your grinder on a regular basis. The good news is cleaning a coffee grinder with rice totally works. Just fll the grinder about halfway with rice and grind your grains until they’re fine. This removes any leftover residue and neutralizes any funky odors.

Remove stubborn coffee stains.

You know those annoying coffee stains you get on your mug and in the pot if you don’t wash them fast enough. Instead of spending your precious time scrubbing, add two tablespoons of rice to your stained coffee pot plus a handful of ice cubes. Then, swirl the container and let the rice do the scrubbing. You may need to add a dash of dish soap if the stain is caked on.

Check the temperature of your oil.

How do you check if the oil in your deep fryer is hot enough without a thermometer? Drop in a piece of rice and see if it rises to the surface. This is a sign that your oil is hot and ready to be used for cooking. 

Get crafty with colored rice.

Working with colored rice is a great craft for kids, especially if you’re planning ahead for all the time your kids will be home over a school break. To add a bright hue to your rice, pour it in a plastic bag with a few drops of rubbing alcohol and food coloring. Shake the bag for a few minutes until all the color is distributed evenly. Then, have fun pouring it into different molds and bottles to create art. You can even “draw” with your colored rice by putting down a layer of glue and then artfully arranging your grains. 

Store stray knives without a knife block.

If you have any extra knives that won’t fit in a knife block, make them another home using rice. Simply fill a tall container about halfway with rice, and then stick your knives blade down into the rice. Add more rice if the knives fall over. 

Weigh down your paper lanterns.

Paper luminaries are popular in the summertime, but they’re often at the mercy of the wind. One easy way to weigh down your luminaries is to fill them with rice. If you chose to use a real candle instead of one that’s battery-operated, you may want to avoid lighting your luminary when it’s very windy outside. Rice is flammable, so it will only spread the fire quicker.