The First Thing You Should Do with a New Tub of Crisco

Do you always have a tub of Crisco on hand or do you buy a new container every year when it’s time to make pies, only to discover you already had one in the depths of your pantry? Opened Crisco is only good for about a year, but that doesn’t mean you have to toss last year’s tub — it’s still perfectly useable!

Whether you did find an old tub, or you’re just opening a new one, we’ve got some ideas for how to use your Crisco, pies aside, in other (less delicious) applications. While Crisco will forever and always remind me of Calvin on picture day, there are some more practical uses for our favorite shortening-in-a-tub, such as getting gum out of hair or shining your car’s headlights.  

However, there’s one way to use Crisco that will, believe it or not, reduce noise and stress levels in your home. Who doesn’t want THAT this year? To use Crisco for a more peaceful home life, attend to the doors in your house. 

There are two main ways that our doors (cabinet doors included!) can add to our stress levels and Crisco can eliminate both of them. First, Crisco can help silence squeaky doors. Door squeaking is one of those ambient noises that our brains have most likely tuned out, but that doesn’t mean they don’t add to the stimulation that increases our inner, if unconscious, stress levels. Purposely quieting this background noise can have an impact greater than we realize. 

Before you dismiss the idea, thinking you haven’t noticed any squeaky doors, go through your house and open and close each door to test it out. Bring some Crisco along with a paper towel because you’ll be surprised how many of them squawk at you! 

To treat squeaky hinges, rub some Crisco into them with a paper towel. The Crisco acts as a lubricant and eliminates that annoying noise. When you’re done, toss the paper towel in the trash. (It’s a fire hazard to wash/dry a greasy rag.) 

Another irritation that can be eliminated with Crisco is a lock that sticks. Fighting with a key and lock when you’re just trying to get into your house is far from the relaxing entrance you hope for. Lubricating the locks makes your homecoming smooth. My favorite way to get the Crisco where it needs to go is to rub a small amount on the key itself. As the key is put in the lock again, it lubricates the lock’s inner workings and solves your problem. 

The holidays are the ideal time to add calm and rest to your home. So it’s great news that it’s also the time of year you’re likely to bring home that fresh tub of Crisco. Make sure you make the most of it.