Insider tip for household, garden and beauty Why you should never throw away potato water
Too good to throw away: potato water contains starch and vital substances that you can use in the household, garden and for cosmetic products.
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- Potato water can be used in the home as a natural cleaning agent, in the garden as a fertilizer and pest control, and in cosmetics for skin and hair care. Health benefits: Unsalted potato water made from peeled potatoes soothes the intestines, helps relieve heartburn and coughs and contains valuable nutrients.
- Sustainability tip: Instead of throwing it away, potato water can be reused in a variety of environmentally friendly ways, for example for weed control or as a fabric softener substitute.
The broth produced when cooking potatoes often simply ends up down the drain. However, the starchy water can be put to very good use in other ways: for example, as a household remedy against limescale and in the garden against weeds and pests.
Some people throw away potato water for fear of the toxic plant substance solanine. But the all-clear has been given.
The German Nutrition Society (DGE) confirms that the small amount of solanine is only found in potato skins and can therefore be peeled away. Even potatoes with peel are not harmful to health due to the extremely low amount of solanine.
Give your garden a boost
Potato water can be used as a natural fertilizer in the garden. This is because it is full of valuable minerals such as magnesium, iron and phosphorus. This means that not only the human body benefits from these nutrients, but also plants. As a natural fertilizer, potato water supports plant growth and flower formation.
The potato water should therefore not be poured away, but poured into a watering can. It is best to allow the unsalted potato water to cool completely. It is important that no salt is used during cooking, as this damages the soil and the plants. Balcony and house plants can be fertilized with it once a week.
Also good for your rose bed
In addition to its use as a fertilizer, potato water has another benefit for plants: as a natural remedy against aphids, which mainly infest roses.
Potato water provides a remedy: the water is allowed to cool completely and sprayed onto the infested areas. The surrounding soil can also be treated with it to prevent further infestation.
The tuber water not only helps to control pests, but also weeds. The potato water does not even need to cool down for this. It is best poured boiling hot directly from the pot onto the weeds. The extreme heat and the starch in the potato water attack the cell structure of the weeds, burn the pores and the plants die.
Cleaning agents also work without chemicals
In addition to the garden, potato water can also be very useful in the household: as a natural cleaning agent without any chemicals. Here too, the effect of the starch kicks in and becomes a natural grease remover. Potato water is used to polish surfaces and windows and to remove food residues from encrusted dishes more easily.
To use potato water as a cleaning agent, moisten a sponge or cloth with it and wipe the surfaces thoroughly. It is best to rinse everything again with clear water to remove any potato starch residue. Very good results can be achieved on plastic door and window frames or garden furniture.
In addition to dirty frying pans, potato water also helps with heavy soiling on steel fittings or blocked drains. To do this, pour the hot potato water directly from the pot into the sink. Here, too, the starch in the water dissolves the dirt.
Potato water can be used to treat stubborn stains such as grease, blood or red wine stains by soaking the textiles in it. If blood stains in particular cannot be removed immediately, the potato water can be mixed with salt to make it more effective.
Also suitable as a fabric softener
The starch in potato water works wonders as a fabric softener substitute. The juice from potatoes also makes laundry soft and smooth. You can add a few drops of essential oil for a more pleasant fragrance. It is best to add the potato juice about halfway through the wash.
Sauces made easy with potato water
Potato water also serves as a natural aid in the kitchen: the liquid is used to thicken sauces or to thicken soups and stews. This also enriches the flavor of dishes. Potato water can also replace liquid ingredients when baking bread. Yeast dough can also be prepared with lukewarm potato water.
You can also use it to conjure up soft hands
With its many uses, potato water has already proven that it is not a waste product. But potato water is also used in DIY cosmetics.
Potato water can have a cooling and soothing effect on rough, reddened and itchy skin. The water can also be rubbed into rashes to nourish and soften the skin.
Potato water can be used to pamper stressed hands. To do this, prepare a hand bath with lukewarm potato water and leave your hands to soak for five to ten minutes. After the potato water treatment, gently pat your hands dry and apply a nourishing hand cream.
As an alternative to skin toner, potato water is particularly effective for blemished and combination skin. This is because the water has cleansing and detoxifying properties that have a positive effect on the skin's appearance. To do this, dip a cotton pad in lukewarm potato water and cleanse the affected areas. Grated potato as a face mask also has an anti-inflammatory effect.
Hair also benefits from a strengthening hair treatment made from potato water. This is applied after washing your hair and rinsed out thoroughly after a few minutes. The hair then becomes stronger, shinier and smoother. The water also helps to combat an itchy scalp, as the starch in the water soothes the skin.
For the strengthening hair rinse, it is preferable to use potato water that has been boiled exclusively from potato peelings. This is because vitamins B and C are mainly found in the potato skin and these vitamins ensure a healthy and smooth hair structure. Also in the potato skin: thiamine, riboflavin and niacin, which have an antioxidant effect and prevent hair damage.
A rinse with potato water can give dark hair shades in particular more color brilliance. Even the roots of gray hair can be dyed with potato water. Although the rinse is no substitute for a dye, constant use will actually darken the hair a few shades. Unfortunately, potato water does not help against gray hair in blonde hair.
Potato water soothes the intestines
Cooking water made exclusively from peeled potatoes can also be drunk. Taken as a drink, potato water soothes the intestines and even helps with irritable bowel syndrome and other digestive problems. In order to benefit from the positive properties in the long term, the healing potato water must be consumed over a longer period of time.
Potato broth also helps with coughs. The best way to relieve the irritation of a cough is to drink unsalted potato water. To do this, heat the water slightly and mix it with a little honey. However, because of the solanine content, potato water should only be drunk from peeled potatoes.
Another health problem that can be combated with potato water is heartburn. Due to its high starch content, it counteracts stomach acid and helps to neutralize it.
