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Although I don’t often need an emery board or nail file, I always seem have one on hand at home or in my purse. I think it’s because I’ve been annoyed in the past when I needed one and couldn’t find one anywhere, and that’s definitely not a problem now!
But not only are emery boards are inexpensive, but they’re also surprisingly useful outside of hangnail emergencies and at-home manicures. Here are 11 uses for emery boards that will show you just how helpful a humble nail file can be around the house.
11 Practical Uses For Emery Boards And Nail Files
1. Sharpen Eyeliner
Use an emery board to get a super fine point on your makeup pencils for perfect application! You can also use an emery board to sharpen colored pencils if you find yourself without a sharpener.
2. Remove Pills From Sweaters
If your favorite shirt or sweater is pilling, you can lightly rub a nail file over the pills to remove them. (Here are some other options for dealing with pilling.)
3. Remove Glue Residue
Had a run in with super glue, and now it’s stuck to your fingers? You can use a nail file to gently scrape away the excess glue to make the rest of the residue easier to remove. (Just be sure to stop before you reach your skin!)
4. Soften Dry Heels
An emery board is nothing more than a smaller heel file, so there’s no reason you couldn’t use one to slough dead skin off your heels in a pinch. (Check out more DIY solutions for cracked heels here.)
5. Restore Rusty Tools
If your hand tools or gardening equipment are showing a few rust spots, an emery board makes a great little detail sander for rust removal. You can start with a piece of sand paper, followed by a nail file to get in smaller spaces. Be sure to apply a rust inhibitor to your tools when you’re done to keep it from coming back.
6. Encourage Seeds
When you buy seeds for your garden, they are coated so they last longer. Gently rub the coating off with a nail file just before planting the seeds to help them sprout faster and absorb more moisture!
7. Clean Erasers
Don’t you hate it when a dirty pencil eraser smears black gunk all over your paper? Prevent that problem by rubbing off the dirty spots on your eraser with an emery board.
8. Sharpen Small Items
You can use an emery board to sharpen things like sewing machine needles, X-Acto blades, and even tweezers! Just pull the item across the nail file a few times in the same direction.
9. Get Crafty
Use an emery board on the edges of cardstock to add a distressed quality to it when scrapbooking! Some people use sand paper, but a nail file is smaller and easier to maneuver.
10. Tighten Screws
You can use the end of a pointed metal nail file as a screwdriver to tighten or replace the screws in eyeglasses (or any other tiny screws).
11. Open Packages And Letters
Use a nail file to open bottles that are wrapped in that pesky plastic. You can also use a metal nail file as a letter opener—it’s perfect!
What other uses for emery boards would you add to this list?
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