Uses for Pencil Erasers: 15 Brilliant Ideas

Sure, pencil erasers come in handy when you’re working through a crossword puzzle, doing addition or measuring for home-improvement projects. But they can also help make your life easier when it comes to a number of other things, from cleaning to gardening. And they can even help ease pain! Keep reading for our 15 favorite uses for pencil erasers.

1. Make jewelry sparkle again

You can’t wait to wear the bracelet you found at the bottom of your jewelry box. The only problem? It’s looking a little worse for wear. To make the bracelet dazzle, just rub a pencil eraser over any dull spots on the piece. The eraser’s rubber particles will absorb oil and buff away smudges, leaving your jewelry good as new.

2. Uses for pencil erasers: Help a pet dish stay in place

uses for pencil erasers: Little cute maltipoo puppy — ti-ja/Getty

Whenever Buster gulps down his dinner, his food bowl slides around the floor so much that it leaves behind a huge mess. The easy fix: Remove the erasers from three pencils and glue them in a triangle pattern to the bottom of the dish. The rubber will “stick” to the floor, helping the bowl stay put (without scratching the floor) while your pup enjoys his meal.

3. Plant seeds in half the time

To make planting seeds as easy as can be, insert a pencil, eraser side down, into the soil until the metal part is no longer visible. Then drop a seed into the depression. The hole will be the perfect size and depth for your seedling— and you won’t get dirt on your hands!

4. Uses for pencil erasers: Buff away keyboard grime

uses for pencil erasers: yellow pencil on the keyboard — 101cats/Getty

To spiffy up your keyboard (no liquid cleaner required!), rub a pencil eraser across the keys, then blow on the surface to remove any debris. The eraser’s abrasives will easily dislodge grime while the rubber absorbs dirt and oil.

5. Lift an ink stain from suede

Oops! You accidentally “wrote” on your new suede handbag with pen. The fix: Rub the stain with a pencil eraser, following the direction of the suede’s grain. The tiny crumb-like particles that break off from the eraser will work their way into the fabric and lift the ink mark, plus, the gentle buffing action will “fluff up” the suede fibers. Beautiful!

“It’s perfect for spot treating and gently buffing out smaller stains,” explains blogger Jennifer Lifford.

6. Make a scuff mark vanish

For a quick way to banish scuff marks on laminate flooring, rub the offending marks with a pencil eraser, then wipe clean with a damp cloth. The rubber contains pumice, a slightly abrasive mineral that will gently loosen the residue without scratching the floor’s surface.

“This is a trick I’ve used numerous times to remove shoe or luggage roller scuff marks off laminate floors,” says Sara McDaniel, an interior designer, home renovation expert and owner of Simply Southern Cottage. “It works easily and quickly to remove those pesky black marks!”

7. Uses for pencil erasers: Fix your phone screen for pennies

uses for pencil erasers: Close up photo of smartphone lying on light wooden surface. — Olena Ruban/Getty

Yikes! Your phone appears to have a small scratch on the surface of the screen. The quick save: Rub a pencil eraser on the mark. The rubber will help smooth any sharp edges, plus the shavings will act as an invisible filler to fill in the scratch. Just make sure to wipe away the pencil eraser residue when you’re done.

““Pencil erasers contain tiny bits of pumice, which buff away pixelated boo-boos,” explains Andhi Ermawan, electronics reviewer for MyProsAndCons.com.

8. Temporarily fix a broken heel

You wore your stilettos to work for a big meeting, but the rubber nub on the bottom of one of the heels popped off, making it even harder to walk. The in-a-pinch solution: Remove the eraser from a pencil and glue it to the bottom of the heel. It will keep your shoe level and add traction to prevent slips until you can get the heel repaired.

9. Uses for pencil erasers: Keep frames from scratching walls

If you’re worried about a picture frame leaving marks on the wall, remove the erasers from a few pencils and glue them to the back of the frame (on the corners). The rubber erasers will provide a barrier to sidestep wall scratches.

“In my home design work, I use wallpaper a lot,” admits McDaniel. “And this is a great tip to protect unnecessary wall scrapes caused by frames.”

10. Uses for pencil erasers: Ensure a plant is hydrated

Warm spring weather makes you worried your indoor plants aren’t getting enough water, but you don’t want to accidentally overwater them as a result. An easy way to check: Dip a pencil (eraser side down) into the soil and withdraw it. If bits of soil adhere to the rubber, that means there’s enough moisture and you can hold off on watering your greenery.

11. Add extra flair to a manicure

uses for pencil erasers: Womans hands with trendy polka dot summer manicure. Beauty treatment spa body care concept — Dariia Chernenko/Getty

An easy way to jazz up your nails without a trip to the salon: Paint them a solid color and let dry. Then push a straight pin through the top of a pencil eraser. Holding the pencil, dip the pinhead into another shade of polish and dot onto nails. The eraser keeps the pin in place so you can add a fun polka-dot design to your manicure. Gorgeous!

12. Uses for pencil erasers: Eliminate stains on kitchen grout

Instead of using harsh chemical cleaners to get grout gleaming, reach for a pencil eraser. Rub the eraser on stained areas, then spritz hot water on the grout and wipe clean with a washcloth. The eraser fits perfectly between the tiles, and its abrasive surface easily dislodges grime.

13. Remove price-tag residue

uses for pencil erasers: Yellow color book next to a blue color pencil on the background isolated digitally generated image. Concept of school and education. — Israel Sebastian/Getty

You were able to peel away most of the price tag from your new book, except for that one bit of stubborn white residue left behind by the label. To get rid of it completely, grab a pencil eraser and glide it back and forth over the remnants. The rubber will lift the adhesive, making it easy to wipe right off.

14. Uses for pencil erasers: Stop glue from drying out

The craft project you were working on is almost finished when you realize the cap to your glue bottle is nowhere to be found. To the rescue: a pencil eraser! Simply slide a wedge-shaped piece of eraser over the bottle’s opening. It will ensure no air gets in to dry out the liquid while also preventing any glue from spilling out

15. Soothe back pain

After a day of spring cleaning, your lower back is feeling achy. What can help: an eraser! Use the eraser end of a pencil to apply constant steady pressure in a rhythmic circular motion to the crease behind your knee for 15 to 30 seconds. The pressure from the eraser will hit on an acupuncture spot that boosts circulation along the spine, releasing pain-causing blockages.