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Incredible Things You Can Do With Aspirin To Save Time and Money!

1.10.18

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Today we are sharing the incredible things you can do with aspirin!

Yes, it’s true! Aspirin is such a fascinating chemical that not only helps your health, but it can be used for dozens of other things.

I love sharing these chemistry secrets posts with you because it is a great way to learn something new and make your life easier!

Past chemistry posts about common items with unique uses?

  • Crazy things to do with Table Salt
  • Awesome Things to Do with WD-40
  • Cinnamon: Good for More than Just Health
  • How Vinegar Helps the Garden

Those are just a few popular ones you will enjoy!

Now, let’s talk about aspirin!

Incredible Things You Can Do With Aspirin To Save Time and Money

 

Aspirin is known in the chemistry world as acetylsalicylic acid. As with most fantastic substances we use everyday, aspirin was invented by a chemist. Decades later, in the late 1800s, a scientist by the name of Bayer studied the use of acetylsalicylic acid for medicinal uses. He called it aspirin and started selling it.

Believe it or not, aspirin is actually derived from willow bark which was used in Egyptian times before Christ. Willow was used for centuries as an anti-inflammatory. Then, when the age of invention and chemistry was in full swing (the 1800s), scientist isolated and extracted a substance from the willow which they named salicin. 

Salicin was studied further, and eventually the French chemist Charles Frédéric Gerhardt found the structure of salicylic acid. Then, Bayer added an acetyl group to the structure in the late 1800s, developing a more gentle substance for medicinal uses.

Side Note: Chemist in the 1800s were on fire with all their amazing discoveries and experiments. Read about more awesome things invented by chemists that changed the world in this post!

Chemical Properties of Aspirin

Because of aspirins chemical properties, it is great as an anti-inflammatory, but it can also be used for interesting things around the home.

Another interesting thing many people don’t know, is almost ALL chemicals, including modern medicines, were derived from plants. Just like aspirin was from willow.

Aspirin is a white, crystalline powder with weak acidic properties. When mixed with water, it turns back into salicylic acid and acetic acid (vinegar) which is the key to its uniqueness.

Incredible Things You Can Do With Aspirin

Whether or not you take aspirin for pain or health reasons, you can still use it for these neat things around the home!

Remove Yellow Sweat Stains

While there are many neat ways to remove stains from clothes (like our favorite one in the eBook), this is a really handy method to know if you are in a bind.

Crush up some aspirin and mix with water to form a paste. Apply to the stain and rub around gently. Wash clothes like normal, or you can rinse the aspirin off in the sink after it sits for 15-20 minutes.

Remove other Protein Based Stains

Use this same method for other protein based stains (food stains). Again, if you are traveling or run out of stain remover, this is just a really neat thing to keep in mind.

Use it in the Garden

This is an old favorite chemistry trick of mine. We shared it last year in our post “Mind-Blowing Chemistry Tips.” 

It is good for black spots, white mildew, and other fungal issues.

Another scientific gardening tip is how acetylsalicylic acid can help keep plants healthy during transplanting or planting. I learned this in horticulture, but have talked with many older gardeners who have done this for years! Usually, you can mix one tablet of aspirin into one gallon of water. Soak roots in it before transplanting to prevent shock,

I read this book a long time ago about using aspirin to lower pH for plants too especially in hydroponic planting.

Treat Pimples

My favorite blemish treatment is definitely this overnight treatment with niacinamide and tea tree oil, but you probably don’t always have that with you. Aspirin is a great option for that! It works the same as many over the counter treatments too. Just crush up one aspirin, add a little water, dab onto pimple, and leave overnight. I have done this before and it works well!

Anti-Fungal for Skin

Due to it’s chemical properties, you can use aspirin to treat fungal issues on skin like athletes foot. Crush aspirin up into a powder, sprinkle on to the area. Just a light dusting is good. Do this once or twice per day.

If you want more of a paste to leave on the area, just add a few drops of water.

Treat Insect Bites

Since aspirin does so well with inflammation, you can use the same past mentioned above to dab onto insect bites. Not only does it relieve the itch or sting, but it also reduces the swelling.

I ran out of my usual anti-itch cream last summer and had huge mosquito bites on my back that were itching so bad. I just made some aspirin paste, and it really relieved the itching and swelling!

Disclaimer: Before using anything on your skin, always test a small area first. Testing is important for gardening and home use too, always be careful!

Check out our eBook

If you love science based DIY cleaners, don’t forget to check out our eBook!

How To Remove Stains From Clothes With Just Aspirin


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Alexis

Alexis is an investigative chemist sharing her expertise in cleaning, skincare, gardening, and home hacks. She personally tests out products like the best skincare products or home products then shares not only the science behind how it works, but also her personal results. She is the mom of two living in Texas with her husband. Find her on Instagram for fantastic videos, tips, and behind the scenes.

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Filed Under: Garden Tagged With: aspirin, chemistry secrets, garden, stain removal

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Comments

  1. Mary S. says

    January 10, 2018 at 7:43 am

    I am blown away by this information! You share the coolest, most helpful things. I can’t wait to try this. I use all your cleaning tips and it has been really great for my home.

    Reply
    • Alexis says

      January 10, 2018 at 7:45 am

      Thank you Mary! I am so happy you enjoy our tips, I love getting to share all this fun information!

      Reply
  2. sheryl says

    January 10, 2018 at 9:50 am

    Golly…. you are the bomb… so glad you stuck with Chemistry degree … though it was painful to get. Thanks for sharing your pain with US.

    Reply
    • Alexis says

      January 10, 2018 at 12:16 pm

      Haha yes it was definitely a long difficult degree, but I love getting to share all the knowledge! Chemistry is the best 🙂

      Reply
  3. Kate says

    January 10, 2018 at 1:45 pm

    Love that it treats pimples, and totally using it on yellow sweat stains!
    Green Fashionista

    Reply
    • Alexis says

      January 10, 2018 at 3:55 pm

      It’s a really handy tip to know! I’ve used it for blemishes when traveling before!

      Reply
  4. Emily @ Martinis & Bikinis says

    January 10, 2018 at 4:24 pm

    I’m with ya on using tea tree oil for blemishes but who knew aspirin could do the trick too? So many amazing ways to use it other than for headaches. lol

    Reply
    • Alexis says

      January 11, 2018 at 8:01 am

      It really is a neat substance! It can be so helpful when you don’t have anything else!

      Reply
  5. ShootingStarsMag says

    January 10, 2018 at 8:28 pm

    I might have to try it out on a pimple or insect bite some day! So fascinating.

    Reply
    • Alexis says

      January 11, 2018 at 8:25 am

      It is such a neat substance! I have used it for both when I had nothing else on hand, it is so helpful!

      Reply
  6. Laurie S says

    January 12, 2018 at 12:48 am

    Fabulous info about aspirin! It just dawned on me that acne med is salicylic acid… didn’t equate it to acetylsalicylic acid! I can’t wait to try it on bites. I love all this great info you share… I need to pick up a small bottle for around the house and body uses! Thank you so much Alexis!

    Reply
    • Alexis says

      January 12, 2018 at 7:50 am

      They have the same base derivative! It is pretty cool! Thanks so much Laurie, I love getting to share these fun tips!!

      Reply
  7. Penny S says

    January 14, 2018 at 11:26 pm

    Aspirin can be used to remove warts, also…just crush, add a little water to make a paste, cover wart only & cover with small bandaid. Keep ASA damp under bandaid & change daily till wart is gone. I’ve done this…it works!

    Reply
    • Alexis says

      January 15, 2018 at 3:59 pm

      Thanks for sharing! These are all the things I have personally used, but I love knowing other success stories! It really is a great substance 🙂

      Reply
  8. Wondo says

    January 30, 2021 at 1:18 pm

    I always put an aspirin or 2 into a vase of fresh cut flowers. Next summer I’ll do some comparisons using citric acid and white winegar. Some pH test strips are on my shopping list.

    Reply
    • Alexis says

      January 31, 2021 at 5:42 am

      I like using citric acid for flowers! It works great.

      Reply

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