7 Clever Uses For Pencil Erasers You’ll Wish You Knew Sooner

Think beyond your old math class homework, and consider these clever household uses for the humble eraser. (You'll never look at the end of a pencil the same way again!)

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1. Use an Eraser to Shine a Coin Collection
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Use Pencil Erasers to Shine a Coin Collection

If you’ve just inherited a rather grimy coin collection from your uncle, but you’d like to see it with more lustre, use an eraser to shine up the coins. (Don’t do this to rare and valuable coins, however: You might erase their value along with their surface patina.)

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2. Use an Eraser to Remove Label Residue
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Use Pencils Erasers to Cushion a Picture Frame

Don’t you hate it when that heavy mirror or picture frame gets slightly crooked? Tired of worrying about the black marks and scrapes the frame is making on the wall? Glue pencil erasers to the bottom corners of the frame. The picture will now hang straighter and not leave their mark!

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Use nail polish remover to remove stickers from glass
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Use Pencils Erasers to Remove Label Residue

That gray gummy substance on the new vase you just purchased is a sight to behold and not coming off with plain soap and water. Rub the residue with an eraser and watch the stuff just peel away. If pencil erasers don’t do the trick, try removing the residue with nail polish remover. Check out more extraordinary uses for nail polish remover.

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3. Use an Eraser to Remove Scuff Marks on Vinyl Floors
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Use Pencil Erasers to Remove Scuff Marks on Vinyl Floors

Those new shoes of yours look fantastic. The black streak marks they’ve left all over the kitchen floor? Not so much. Make quick work of them by rubbing them out with a pencil eraser. Find out more expert tips on how to clean vinyl floors.

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Use pencil erasers to clean piano keys
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Use a Pencil Eraser to Clean Your Piano Keys

Whether it’s a baby grand piano that fills the corner of the living room, a more conventional upright, or just a fold-away electronic keyboard, cleaning the keys can be a nightmare project of dust and finger marks. And when you clean it, it’s hard to reach some spots to remove dirt. The sides of the black keys are especially difficult to clean. Find an eraser that fits between the ivories and the black keys and you’ll have 86’ed the dirt on the 88s. This works well whether you have an antique piano with real ivory keys or the more common plastic ones.

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4. Use an Eraser to Clean Off Crayon
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Use an Eraser to Clean Off Crayon

If your toddler’s gone wild with the crayons and taken her “art” to your walls, try tackling the mess with a pencil eraser. You’ll be back to a blank canvas in no time.

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5. Use an Eraser to Store Pins and Drill Bits
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Use Pencil Erasers to Store Pins and Drill Bits

A box is not the most handy place to keep sewing pins. What if it spills, for instance? And what if you have a hard time grabbing just one when you’re laying out pattern pieces? Here’s the solution: Stick pins in pencil erasers. They won’t fall out, and it’s easy to grab the ones you need. This is also a good tip if you’re storing several small drill bits.

Next, find out 45 clever uses for aluminum foil you’ll wish you knew sooner.

Originally Published in Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things

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