Banana Peel Uses: 12 Shockingly Amazing Ways To Try

It’s no doubt amazing to come across new and brilliant ways to reuse things and when these banana peel uses popped up, my excitement went through the roof. If there’s one thing you should know about me, I’m seriously obsessed with recycling things.

Whether that’s a toilet roll holder to making plastic flowers, if it can be used in some other way, I’m there.

Following a no-waste system is something we should all at least try to practice once in a while. It’s good for the environment and peace of mind.

Don’t you just love that feeling when you recycle an item?

Well, bananas, are packed with nutrients, vitamins, minerals, and most importantly, potassium. It’s great for your body and overall health but have you ever wondered what you can do with the peels?

Before we get started on banana peel uses, you should know about these essential tips.

Banana Tips And Tricks

How To Ripen Bananas

Since this hack is meant for using ripe peels but if you don’t have ripe bananas as of yet, then here are a few smart ways to help you get started.

There are two best ways to ripen bananas:

1. Lay them out on a baking tray and bake them in the oven until the peels turn brown.

2. Wrap them in a newspaper and leave them overnight. In a few days or even by that morning, you’ll notice a huge difference.

How To Store Bananas

If you are overloaded with bananas and have no clue how or where to store them, here are a few ways you can do so:

1. Freeze them – This is a great way to make use of bananas later. You can easily defrost them when you’re ready to use them in the garden.

2. Ziplock Bag – If you’re not into freezing bananas, then just grab a ziplock or airtight bag and store them in the fridge. This should last you for a few days at the very least.

Ways To Reuse Banana Peels

Since we’ve got the essential details down, let’s head over to the different ways to reuse banana peels:

1. Make A Natural Fertilizer

When you need to maintain a garden, there are many things you’re going to need such as fertilizers. However, fertilizers are costly and the last thing you want to do is keep spending more money.

What I found the most beneficial is homemade fertilizers.

I know this might sound a little out there, but this stuff works wonders in the garden since bananas are loaded with all good nutrients that will help improve the soil and plant health.

You can also use this banana peel method for just about any plant or even garden beds.

All you need to do is cut the peels into small pieces and place them into the soil or around the plants.

When you cut the peels into small pieces it will speed up the breakdown process and plants will absorb the nutrients at a much faster pace.

If you want to use the banana peels for potted plants, then simply add them under the mulch and this will slowly release the nutrients for the potted plant.

This tutorial will show you step by step on how to use the banana peel as a fertilizer:

2. Add Them To Compost

Another great way to use banana peels is by adding them to the compost.

Since they’re packed with nutrients and minerals, the potassium from the bananas will be a bonus to the plant’s health and in turn speed up the root development of the plant.

You can also add tea bags, crushed eggs, and coffee grounds to the compost. This epic combination will be a valuable addition.

However, always check the soil’s ph and other properties to ensure everything is in order before or as you add these other ingredients to ensure you’re not messing with the soil balance or overfeeding your plants.

3. Feed Seedlings

This idea is fantastic since it will help boost your seedlings, give them the nutrients that they need at such a young stage, and fight diseases.

Chop up banana peels into small pieces and add them to the soil of your seedling starter pack, ensuring that the peels do not touch the plant directly. You wouldn’t want to burn the seedlings!

4. Deter Pests

The last thing we want is to have our beautiful plants destroyed by nasty pests, especially when it comes to roses and aphids.

It’s highly advised to stay away from harmful chemicals when trying to repel aphids but rather move towards natural methods like using banana peels.

SEE ALSO: 10 Super Nifty Ways To Use Baking Soda In Your Garden

Simply place the soft side down of the peels around the plant area and as it decomposes, the gases that are released will eventually repel aphids.

Add a few extra orange slices to help combat aphids.

5. Add It To Livestock Feed

Livestock, such as cattle, goats, chickens, and rabbits love it when dried banana peels are added to their feed. It helps maintain their health and provides protein among other nutrients.

However, this method isn’t too popular but there has been some research on using banana peels for livestock.

6. Improves Skin

Banana peels can be useful in many ways to improve the condition of your skin. However, before you try any new remedy, it’s always best to do a test patch first to see if you get any negative reaction but other than that, I’m sure these banana peel uses will surprise you.

• Helps Acne

If you suffer from acne-prone skin, some natural treatments can help get rid of acne over time. All you have to do is grab a banana peel and rub the soft side of the skin on your affected areas.

This natural treatment has other benefits to the skin such as brightening and helping with the overall complexion of the skin since bananas are high in potassium, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12.

• Soothes Itchy Skin

Banana peels are a great way to relieve itching if you’ve touched poison ivy or been bitten by a mosquito and other bugs.

• Reduces wrinkles

As you age, wrinkles are one of the skin conditions you’re going to be tackling on and off. Bananas help to nourish and hydrate the skin which will help keep wrinkles at bay.

7. Whitens Teeth

If you need a quick solution to brighten your teeth, simply rub a banana peel on your teeth and rinse. You’ll notice a change over time. Do this twice a day for one to two weeks, it will help remove the stains from your teeth.

8. Shines Surfaces

Would you believe it but banana peels can be used to shine things like shoes, houseplants, and even polish silver?

Just grab a banana piece and rub it over the area for at least 30 seconds. Wipe it clean and you’ll notice how shiny the surface is.

9. Make A Smoothie

And the most obvious use, eating banana peels. An amazing way to do this is to make a smoothie. I’ll be honest though.

This won’t be as delicious as using the banana itself but you’ll be shooting down all the nutrients that will benefit your body and overall health.

This banana peel smoothie recipe is well worth a shot if you’re interested.

10. Tenderize Meat

Banana peels can also be used to tenderize meat since they will help maintain moisture that will, in turn, make sure the meat keeps its natural juices. You can also use this hack for other protein products.

11. Make A Cake

I’m pretty sure you haven’t seen this crazy yet fantastic hack but did you know you can make a delicious cake using banana peels? Well, this banana peel with brown sugar frosting cake will make you lose your marbles.

12. Remove Splinters

This trick according to Dr. Steve Silvestro will prove to be very useful if you’re struggling to remove a splinter.

All you need to do is take a small piece of the banana peel and place it in the affected area.

Cover it with a tape and leave it overnight but the splinter can come out within minutes.

Conclusion

As you’ve seen, there are many banana peel uses that can be incredibly helpful. Some of which I had no idea even existed. Just take a look at the banana peel cake, who would have thought of that?

While there are the pretty obvious methods like using the banana peels in the garden you’ll be thanking your lucky stars you’ve found them so soon.

We hope you found this collection of banana peel uses interesting and worth trying, especially when it comes to gardening and following a no-waste protocol.

It’s wonderful to reuse and recycle ordinary items, do you agree?

Leave a comment below and let us know your thoughts on these banana peel uses.

We look forward to hearing from you!