Uses for Clear Nail Polish: 18 Brilliant Ideas

Have a bottle of clear nail polish sitting in your medicine cabinet? You’d be surprised at the brilliant uses for clear nail polish that can help make your life easier. From reattaching a button to stopping your tights from ripping, the manicure staple can do more than coat your nails. Keep scrolling for all of the must-try ways your clear nail polishcan save you time and money around the house.

1. Ensure envelopes stay sealed

While preparing to mail a birthday card to your sister, you notice that no matter how many times you wet it, the envelope’s flap won’t stay sealed. The save: clear nail polish. Simply brush it along the underside of the flap and press down to fasten together. The polish acts as a glue, ensuring your envelope stays closed and secure.

2. Uses for clear nail polish: Fill in chips on wooden furniture

While getting your home spiffed up for out of town guests you spot a ding in your dining table. To fix it, apply clear nail polish to the chip. Let dry, then gently smooth the polish with sandpaper (600 or 800 “super fine” grit). The polish fills in the hole and acts as a sealant, protecting exposed wood from damage.

“Nail polish has been my go-to sealant for years.”exclaims Sara McDaniel, an interior designer, home renovation expert and owner of Simply Southern Cottage, “And using it to patch a nick on furniture works great and won’t ruin the wood.”

3. Make a wart disappear

The pain-free way to remove an unsightly wart: Apply a thick coat of clear nail polish to the area two to three times a day; repeat until the wart disappears. (This usually takes about two or three weeks.) The nail polish creates an airtight seal around the wart, suffocating and eventually wiping out the growth.

4. Uses for clear nail polish: Ward off rust on dog tags

Uses for clear nail polish: A yellow Labrador Retriever dog smiles as it lays on a wooden bench outdoors on a sunny day. — Purple Collar Pet Photography/Getty

Instead of splurging on pricey rust-proof dog tags, try coating both sides of your pet’s ID with clear nail polish, then let dry before placing on your dog’s collar.

“Clear nail polish works to prevent rust on metal surfaces because it forms a protective barrier that seals out moisture, preventing oxidation and corrosion.,” explains Noell Jett, mom of 5, author of Create Your Dream Home on a Budge, and the force behind behind @jettsetfarmhouse. “By coating the pet’s ID tag with clear nail polish, you’re essentially creating a waterproof seal that inhibits the formation of rust, extending the lifespan of the tag.”

5. Prevent ribbon from fraying

You just wrapped a gift for your best friend, but the pretty ribbon you tied on top is starting to fray. To keep it intact, coat the ends with clear nail polish. The polish acts as a protective coating to stop the fabric from unraveling.

6. Uses for clear nail polish: Extend the life of a keyboard

If the black letters and numbers on your computer keys are starting to fade from years of use, carefully paint a thin layer of clear nail polish on each key and let dry. The polish seals the markings on the keys to prevent fading.

7. Secure a loose button in a pinch

This morning’s chill has you pulling your extra-snuggly cardigan out of the closet, but one of the buttons is about to fall off. To secure it until you have time to sew it on, dab clear nail polish on the center of the button. This will keep the thread from fraying, which stops the button from getting looser.

“Nail polish acts as a temporary adhesive and seals the thread in place, preventing it from fraying further,” says Jett. “By dabbing clear nail polish on the center of the button, you’re essentially creating a barrier that helps maintain the integrity of the thread and prevents it from unraveling, thus keeping the button securely in place until you can properly sew it back on.”

8. Uses for clear nail polish: Fix a credit card that won’t swipe

The last few times you used your credit card, you had trouble swiping it at the cash register. While you wait for a replacement card to arrive, try this: Paint a thin layer of clear nail polish on the card’s magnetic strip and let dry before using. The polish seals the strip to mend the cracks that damage the card so it can work again!

9. Thread a needle with ease

Uses for clear nail polish: A young seamstress works with a needle and thread. Selective focus in needle — IRYNA KAZLOVA/Getty

Argh! No matter how many times you try, you simply can’t seem to get the thread through the tiny eye of your sewing needle. The no-stress solution? Dip the end of your thread into a bottle of clear nail polish to coat it. When the polish dries, the end of the thread will be stiff, making it easy to insert into the eye of the needle, so you can get on with your crafting project. Genius!

10. Uses for clear nail polish: Keep eyeglasses intact

If the screw is always popping out of your glasses, but you don’t have time to get a new pair right now, try this: Tighten the screw as usual, then dab clear nail polish over it. The polish acts as an adhesive to keep the screw in place.

11. Nix irritation from costume jewelry

You’ve got a jewelry box filled with inexpensive treasures, but when you wear your costume earrings, the metal posts irritate your ears, leaving your earlobes discolored, itchy or inflamed. What can help: Coat the posts and the backs of the earrings with clear nail polish. The polish forms a nonirritating barrier between your skin and the metal to prevent a reaction.

12. Uses for clear nail polish: Soothe itchy mosquito bites

After a fun afternoon hike, you’re covered in itchy red welts. To get speedy relief, simply dab clear nail polish over the bites. The urge to itch comes from the bite reacting to air, but the polish creates an airtight seal, blocking oxygen to the area so you won’t feel the need to scratch.

13. Fix a loose drawer pull

Uses for clear nail polish: chest of drawers with hand clothes — Kseniya Ovchinnikova/Getty

Argh! Every time you open your dresser drawer, the knob comes loose. The easy fix: Remove the knob, coat its screw with clear nail polish and immediately reinsert it. When the polish dries, it will act as an adhesive, “glueing” the screw into the hole so it stays put.

“If your screw hole has worn away preventing your screw from adhering tightly, the nail polish can provide just enough added thickness to the screw to allow it to securely hold in place,” explains Jett.

14. Uses for clear nail polish: Keep tights from tearing

The last thing you need whole getting ready in the morning is to find a tear in your tights. To stop it from getting bigger, simply grab some clear nail polish and apply it to the damaged parts of the fabric. “It seals it off and stops it from running further,” explains McDaniel.

15. Patch a ripped window screen

You spotted a tear in one of the screens in your sunporch. To mend it fast, grab some clear nail polish, advises how-to expert Aaron Green from Essential Home and Garden. “Dab a small amount over the hole and use a toothpick to spread it evenly. Apply two or three coats, and the hole will be secured—plus, with the clear polish, you won’t even see it.”

16. Uses for clear nail polish: Flavor food perfectly

If salt always comes flying out of your saltshaker faster than you expect it to, leaving you with over-salted food, try this clever trick: Unscrew the lid of the saltshaker and use clear nail polish to paint over a few of the holes on the inside of the lid. Let dry before screwing the cap back on. The clear polish will “plug” the holes so less salt comes through when you shake, guaranteeing you get just the right amount of seasoning on your food.

17. Protect clothing from hanger snags

Uses for clear nail polish: Clothes hanging in the wardrobe — Kinga Krzeminska/Getty

When spring-cleaning your closet, you discovered one of the wooden hangers you splurged on has a jagged edge, and you’re worried it will snag your delicate blouses. To ensure it doesn’t, apply a coat of clear nail polish to the rough spot and let dry. The polish will smooth out the wood so your clothes stay snag-free.

18. Uses for clear nail polish: Cover up a car ding

While washing your car in your driveway, you notice a small spot of chipped paint on the passenger door. To keep it from rusting, cover the exposed metal with a coat of clear nail polish. The polish creates a protective barrier that prevents water from reacting with the exposed metal to form rust.