13 Brilliant Uses for Eggshells — From Your Garden to Your Coffee, Plants and More
From keeping pests out of your garden to easing pain, this throwaway can solve a lot of problems!
Many of us only consider eggshells when we’re dyeing Easter eggs or peeling them to make egg salad or enjoy a hard-boiled egg. But it turns out eggshells can be pretty helpful. They’re not only great for keeping plants healthy, they can also help heal your cuticles, pest-proof your garden, soothe achy joints and more. Keep reading to learn our favorite 13 uses for eggshells.
1. Perk up fading houseplants
When your houseplants are starting to droop, try this: Crush an eggshell and sprinkle onto the soil. The potassium and calcium from the shell will seep into the soil to nourish your plant and encourage healthy growth. Repeat once a week to help plants flourish.
“They’re high in calcium and great for soil,” says gardening expert Shawna Coronado, author of 101 Organic Gardening Hacks. “Before adding them to my compost pile, I crush them so they break down easier and deliver nutrients faster.”
Related: Plant Pros: 7 Genius Ways to Water Plants While You’re Away + One Hack Never To Try
2. Uses for eggshells: quickly sharpen dull shears
The last time you reached for your trusty kitchen shears to chop up fresh herbs for pasta sauce, you found that the blades did more crushing than slicing. No need to replace them! Instead, simply use the scissors to cut up a few eggshells. The hard, rough shells will sharpen the blades as they cut, leaving your kitchen shears as good as new again.
3. Mellow out bitter coffee
You nabbed a new brand of coffee on sale at the grocery store, but it’s a bit too acidic. To make it more palatable, add 1 teaspoon of clean, crushed eggshells to the coffee grounds before brewing. The alkaline shells will neutralize the acidity in the java, without compromising flavor.
Related: Homemade Coffee Creamer Is Healthier, Tastier + So Easy to Make With 3 Ingredients
4. Improve a pup’s bone health
Here’s a vet-approved way to ensure your dog gets all the calcium he needs. Simply bake 12 clean eggshells for 5 minutes at 300°F. Then let cool and grind into a powder. Every day, sprinkle ¼ teaspoon per 15 pounds of body weight atop your dog’s meal. Shell remnants are loaded with calcium and plenty of other nutrients to keep your pup healthy and happy.
Related: Can Dogs Have Blueberries? Vets Weigh In On What ‘People Food’ Is Safe For Dogs
5. Uses for eggshells: avoid a clogged kitchen sink
Whenever you handwash dishes, chunks of food end up clogging the drain. To prevent this, leave a few larger eggshell pieces inside the sink strainer before you start. The shells will trap food solids, and you can toss them when you’re done.
“As you can imagine, renovating and operating multiple short-term rental properties requires me to wear many fix-it hats,” says Sara McDaniel, an interior designer, home renovation expert and owner of Simply Southern Cottage. “And I love this idea. It’s simple, easy and traps food before it clogs your drains.”
Related: The Best Way To Clean a Stainless Steel Sink? Plain Old Flour, Says Cleaning Pro
6. Heal dry, cracked cuticles
The all-natural secret to revitalizing cuticles: Break an eggshell into several pieces and tape them over cuticles (membrane side down). Leave in place for a few minutes until the pieces start to feel dry. Membranes on the shells contain nutrients that help soften cuticles, leaving your nails beautiful.
Related: Polygel Nails: The Trending Manicure Technique That Makes Nails Look Longer, Stronger and Youthful
7. Uses for eggshells: Ensure a recipe is shell-free
Oops! While cracking eggs for your brownies, you accidentally drop a piece of the shell inside the bowl. To remove it, use the other half of the shell (ensuring it has no cracks in it) to scoop out the floating piece. The broken bit will slide right into the larger piece of shell to toss, saving you time and frustration.
8. Uses for eggshells: eliminate stubborn stains
To eliminate stains on coffee cups, simply place a few broken eggshells in the mug, fill with hot water and let sit until morning. The porous eggshells will help absorb the coffee’s remaining pigments, so you can get the mug squeaky clean without scrubbing.
“I love coffee but hate how it can stain my mugs,” says McDaniel,“This is a much better alternative than harsh cleaners and time spent scrubbing.”
Related: Expert Cleaners Reveal How To Get Coffee Stains Out of Any Surface (Really!)
9. Naturally soothe painful joints
Your daily walks have really been lifting your spirits — if only you weren’t feeling so sore and achy! To get relief, try this: Add the pieces of a broken eggshell to a glass jar, then cover with apple cider vinegar and seal. Let sit for two days. As the vinegar dissolves the shells, their joint-healing nutrients like collagen, glucosamine and chondroitin will become infused in the liquid. Once the shells have dissolved, rub the solution onto sore spots for quick relief. Aah!
“Eggshell membranes are rich in hyaluronic acid, glycosaminoglycans and other compounds that reduce inflammation and pain, plus encourage the healing of joint cartilage,” explains nutritionist Josh Axe, author of The Gut Repair Cookbook.
Related: Foot Pain is the Menopause Symptom No One Warned You About: How to Relieve It
10. Uses for eggshells: Get a jump-start on your seedlings
Next time you’re ready to start seeds indoors, try this the next time you cook eggs: Crack the egg open by tapping a spoon on one end and removing the top portion of the shell. Empty out the shell then boil for 5 minutes to sanitize. Poke a hole in the bottom of the shell, then add your soil and seeds. Once the seedlings are ready to plant, just place the shell right into your garden. So easy!
11. Revive tired, puffy eyes
A natural way to look bright-eyed after a long night: Rub your finger along the inside of a broken eggshell, then gently smooth the egg-white film onto your eyelids and under your eyes. Let sit for 15 minutes, then rinse off. Egg membranes contain collagen, which reduces puffiness and increases skin elasticity for gorgeous eyes in a blink.
Related: Can a $3 Beauty Hack Going Viral on TikTok Stop Watery Eyes? MDs Say Yes!
12. Uses for eggshells: Keep little ones entertained
You were all set to color Easter eggs with your granddaughter, but the dye spilled and you don’t have any extra! The save: Have her paint a few hard-boiled eggs using craft-store paint. When the eggs dry, she can crush a few additional eggshells into small pieces and use glue to secure them to the eggs, creating a mosaic design.
13. Pest-proof a garden
If you worry about deer, slugs and snails helping themselves to your seedlings and plants, this can deter them: Scatter crushed eggshells on the leaves of the nibbled-on plants and around the garden’s perimeter. Snails and slugs can’t safely cross the shells’ jagged corners, and deer hate the smell of egg. Genius!
For more brilliant life hacks, keep reading!
17 Brilliant Uses for Ice Cubes (Besides Keeping Your Drinks Cold)
What to Do With Leftover Juicer Pulp: 10 Genius Ideas Sure to Surprise You
