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Wacky Home Remedies & Cures That Really Work

Updated on April 14, 2013
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I'm no doctor but...

I’m not a doctor, and I don’t even play one on TV, but I do have a collection of some pretty awesome home remedies I want to share with people. They range from the simple to the weird and icky, but I guarantee you you'll try at least one.

So without further ado, here is a list of ten tried and true home remedies to cure what ails ya. Be forewarned though, I am a fan of the wacky and weird which allowed me to be pretty open to trying these remedies some are not for the faint of heart.

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Put a penny on a fresh bee or wasp sting

I have a daughter who is mildly allergic to bee stings, not anaphylactic, but she swells up pretty seriously. When my mother was visiting us one summer she told us about this quick remedy and I was amazed by how well it works. Don’t quote me on the science of it, but the copper in the penny helps reduce the swelling and takes out the sting. My daughter is like a bee magnet, she’s been stung nine times over the past three summers, now I always carry a penny in my pocket.

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Onions to cure a chest cold

This one is totally wacky, but again the proof is in the pudding, or should I say onion. If you have a chest cold, put half a peeled onion in an open jar beside your bed. In the morning when you wake up it will be brownish black from absorbing your sickness. Throw it out immediately. As an aside it is never a good idea to keep left over onion in your fridge, they are like sponges and pick up bacteria quickly. Do yourself a favour and eat the whole thing, they have amazing health benefits or chuck the remainder in the compost.

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Hydrogen Peroxide for an earache

This one is pretty cool and absolutely works. Just get some standard hydrogen peroxide, the kind you would use to clean a cut or scrape, and with an eye dropper, drop 3 or 4 drops into your ear. Make sure you are lying down when you do it and aren’t required to hear anything for about 20 minutes after. It is the weirdest sensation, you can actually hear it fizzing in your ear and it kind of tickles, but it works wonders and often the earache is gone within 24 hours. I wouldn’t recommend doing it more than every eight hours.

I swear this picture is of apple juice not pee
I swear this picture is of apple juice not pee | Source

Your own urine for an earache

Okay so remember I mentioned that some of these are not for the faint of heart? The fact is that urine has tons of healing properties, a lot of cultures embrace it and go so far as to drink their own urine as well as some animal urine, but in Western cultures it’s frowned upon. I can’t say I have gone so far as drinking my own urine, but I have read that dropping a few drops of your own urine in your ear for an earache works wonders. Note: it has to be your own urine. I haven't been brave enough to try this yet, but will if need be. Gag all you want, but I think there’s some truth to the healing powers of urine.

First urine of the day for athlete’s foot

More pee! I know you’re probably still freaking out from the last pee remedy suggestion, but this one might be a little more palatable. If you suffer from athlete’s foot then peeing on your feet in the shower first thing in the morning can help. It has to be your first urine of the day because that is when the ammonia and urea will be most concentrated. One summer I came back from camp with a killer case of athlete’s foot, cracks between the toes and everything. I was shocked when my Mom told me to pee on my feet in the shower, but it worked. Moms really do know best.

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Duct Tape for plantar’s warts

Yow do these hurt! And if you’ve had the misfortune of having a doctor put liquid nitrogen on your foot to remove the wart you’ll know that hurts even more. Why not skip the nitrogen and wander down to your workshop for some duct tape? It’s super simple, cut a small piece of duct tape out and cover your wart with it. Leave it on for two weeks. Take it off, and the wart should come with it. Sometimes you need to pumice your foot to loosen things up. If it doesn’t fall out try another two weeks with the duct tape again. Having gone the nitrogen route, I would strongly recommend duct tape instead.

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Toothpaste for insect bites

Have a mosquito bite that just want stop itching? Forget those ridiculously expensive after bite pens and grab some minty toothpaste. Just put a little dab on the bite and let the mint soothe the itch. I learned this one at summer camp many moons ago and was happy to hear from my ten year old daughter upon her return from summer camp that this trick is still being recommended by camp counselors now. It's also great for drying up pimples...oh and brushing your teeth.

Mr. Clean for infections

I am prone to infection, if I get a scrape or even a sliver sometimes, I get an infection. And if I don’t get a hold of it in time I start seeing that telltale red line leading to my groin that has me heading to the emergency room for some serious antibiotics. Blood poisoning is less fun then it sounds. (Looking back at my medical history I think it’s a bit of a miracle I haven’t lost a limb.) At some point during my early teens my Mom read that Mr. Clean was a cure all for infections and started using it on my numerous scrapes and cuts. (Did I mention I was a grade “A,” super klutz, and still am to this day?)

I have no idea how it works on dirty floors or toilets, but I can tell you it works wonders on infected scrapes. It has to be Mr. Clean though; other brands don’t have the same magical healing powers. Depending on the area and level of infection, soak the infected area for 30 minutes every four hours until the infection subsides. I rarely have had to follow this regime for more than two days before I saw major healing.

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Oatmeal bath for chicken pox or poison ivy

Our family opted not to get the chicken pox vaccine and as a result all three of my girls got the chicken pox. Not that I’m complaining or would do it differently, but it was a very itchy time at our house for about a month.

To combat the itchiness we found that an old sock filled with oatmeal in a warm bath did the trick. One of my daughters practically lived in the tub for several days her pox were so itchy. Keep the water lukewarm and watch the water turn milky coloured when you put the sock in. Make sure not to rinse them off after the bath. If possible let them air dry to keep some of that oatmeal anit-itch goodness on them. Add more oatmeal to the sock with every bath.

We’ve tried this remedy for poison ivy as well and it helped a lot.

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Listerine as an insect repellent

This remedy got a lot of mention online a few years ago, but it bears repeating. Just throw some Listerine in a spray bottle and squirt some on yourself before heading out into the great outdoors. It works and you smell minty fresh. It can be a little sticky if you go hog wild with the spray, but I’d rather be sticky and minty then covered in bug bites or worse yet spray DEET on myself. Yikes!

So there you have it, ten tried and true wacky home remedies that you can start using today. As I wrap this up I realize I have a whole bunch more I could add to the list so watch for a part two to this hub and/or updates. If you decide to try any of these or have some great home remedies of your own to share I would love to hear about them.

Good luck and good health!

Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. The home remedies in this article should not be used as a substitute for real medical advice should it be required. We are all personally responsible for our own health.

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