Last Updated on March 14, 2021 by Diane Hoffmaster
When you go to the grocery store, do you ever see that table of over ripe bananas? They are ridiculously cheap to buy but what can you do with over ripe bananas? Sure, you can put them in the freezer and make banana bread, banana pancakes, or banana smoothies, right? But maybe you need MORE uses for bananas once you get them home.
After hours of cooking and baking, what if you are so darn sick of bananas that you don’t want to eat any more of them? Should you pass by the over ripe banana table because you cannot come up with any new uses for bananas?
If you find yourself with too many bananas, there are plenty of things you can do with them besides eat them. What sort of things? Well, here are a few unusual uses for bananas that you may not have heard of yet!
Table of Contents
10 Unusual Uses for Bananas
Make a face mask:
Mashed up banana will leave your face soft and smooth. Make a face mask by mashing up a ripe banana and adding 1/4 cup plain yogurt and 2 tablespoons honey. Apply to clean skin and let sit 10 to 20 minutes. Then rinse with warm water.
Treat Insect Bites:
Rub the inside of a banana peel on an insect bite to take out some of the sting.
Cure warts:
Bananas are high in potassium which is said to help treat warts. Rub the wart with a banana peel or mash up a small amount of banana and rub it on the area.
Brighten up houseplants:
If your houseplant’s leaves are looking dull, you can rub them with the inside of a banana peel to add a bit of shine.
Treat Bruises, Cuts, and Scrapes:
The potassium in bananas also helps heal cuts, scrapes, and bruises.
Make a banana sugar scrub:
Combine a banana with white sugar and a touch of cream for this heavenly Banana Sugar Scrub.
Attract butterflies and birds:
Butterflies and birds are both attracted to the sweetness of a banana. If you have a platform feeder in your yard in an out of the way location, place an over ripe banana on it. Poke a few holes in the skin to make the fruit more accessible.
This will also attract bees and wasps so make sure it is above head level and not in an area with a lot of activity. Remove it before dark to avoid attracting raccoon and other scavenging animals.
Moisturize your hair and heal your scalp:
Get Rid of Splinters:
The enzymes in bananas can help remove splinters. Mash up a tiny amount of banana and place a dollop on the area of the skin that the splinter is located. Let sit and then wash thoroughly before grabbing sterile tweezers to remove the splinter.
Wow, some of these uses are really unusual! I never knew you could use bananas to help remove splinters. Good to know!
I had no idea a banana had so many uses. Definitely want to try some of these out – bug bite one sounds really good.
That is so cool! I had no idea you could use bananas for anything other than breakfast or desserts. I’ll have to give these a try.
You can use the banana peel to whiten your teeth.
That’s very good to know, thanks!