It’s the time of year where gardens everywhere are being harvested and the produce- either eaten, given away, or wasted!! I know most of the time people try to get through all their harvest or give some of it away to avoid waste, but inevitably, it happens. And in my opinion, one of the biggest culprits is cucumber!

One cucumber plant can go a long way, but cucumbers are kind of hard to go through because you really don’t use them for tons of thing! You can make sandwiches, throw them on salads, or eat them plain, but it takes some pretty creative recipes sometimes to use them all up! Last year I shared a few of these recipes, but this year I thought I’d focus on something a little different. We know we can EAT cucumbers, but what about all the ways we could use cucumbers that are maybe not quite so edible? Let’s take a look!

Cucumbers are great for your skin in all kinds of ways! We probably all associate cucumber slices with facial masks, but for good reason! The ascorbic acid and caffeic acid found in cucumbers can reduce swelling/puffiness, making them the perfect eye treatment! They also contain vitamins and minerals that are can tighten your skin- the natural anti-ager! Some sources say that you can even rub cucumber slices on cellulite and wrinkles to help them fade away (at least temporarily)! I can’t guarantee this works, but hey- it couldn’t hurt, right? ;) Cucumbers can also help soothe sunburns, so try rubbing a slice on your shoulders the next time they’re bright red after a swimming day ;).

Cucumbers can help you in other hygienic areas as well! Try rubbing a cucumber slice on the mirror before you shower, and the mirror won’t fog up! And if you’re suffering from bad breath, place a slice of cucumber on the roof of your mouth for 30 seconds and you’ll kill the bacteria in your mouth that’s causing the bad breath! And to top off the whole look, you can polish your shoes with a slice of cucumber. Just rub it on you shoe and notice the immediate shine!

Cucumbers can also help you around your home! If you don’t have any WD-40, use a cucumber slice to take care of any squeaky hinges. You can also use a cucumber slice to polish up your faucets! And if you’re dealing with pests in your garden, cucumbers can do the trick! Cut a few slices and place them in a small pie tin in your garden. It will emit a smell that repels bugs/pests, but will be basically untraceable to you! Replace it every couple weeks to keep those bugs at bay.

And really, cucumbers should be every parent’s best friend! If you’ve got crayon on the wall or ink somewhere else you don’t want, use the outside of the cucumber to rub away the ink! (I’ve definitely got to try this one!) And if you have a littler teether, freeze a slice of cucumber as a healthy and natural teether for you little one! (With lots of supervision, of course!).

Have you ever used cucumber for any of these things? Is there anything you would add to his list? Share in the comments below!