Turns Out That Old Gift Card Is Actually A Super Handy Kitchen Tool

If you're anything like many of us, chances are you've got an old gift card or two lying around that you just haven't discarded yet. If you do, you're actually in luck. Those old gift cards can be repurposed into genius kitchen tools to help make your life — and those tedious kitchen tasks — easier and more efficient. That's right, the straight edge of your card can be utilized effectively to accomplish a variety of chores and minimize your after-dinner stress, including scraping crumbs off your counters and table, scrubbing stuck or dried food off your pans and dishes, and, for a surprisingly clever kitchen hack, it can even be wrapped in a slightly soapy microfiber cloth or paper towel and slid between tight crevices in your kitchen to collect dust, dirt, and grime.

So, next time you're ready to throw out an old gift card, think twice. Instead, you may just want to keep a few in your cabinets with your most essential kitchen tools.  Trust us, you'll be using that old card frequently right alongside them.

Using your old gift card as a kitchen tool is effective and satisfying. You can use it as a makeshift scraper to clean up crumbs and dirt on your counters after use or use it to help rub down surfaces, cabinets, and even your stove. You'll simply cover your countertops with soapy water or your favorite cleaning product, then use the edge of the card to scrape the residual grease and soap away (think window squeegee), resulting in sparkling surfaces. But be sure to wipe the dirt off your card as you go so you don't redistribute that grease and grime around your kitchen. Then, follow up with another round of soap and wipe clean. 

Alternatively, that old gift card deserves a serious round of applause for its effective ability to slide in and clean crumbs from those hard-to-reach crevices between drawers, your oven, and other places in your kitchen. And if you — like most of us — have rectangular glass pans, cookie sheets, or highly versatile muffin tins hanging onto dried remnants of meals past, you can use your old card to clean their corners. Jimmy the rounded corner of the card into the corner of your dish, and scrub hard. Worried about scratching your dishes? Don't be — what is perhaps the most convenient part of using your gift card for this is that it works to scrape off all that stubborn gunk without damaging your dishes and pans.

What if we told you that in addition to helping with your kitchen cleaning, your old gift card can provide extra assistance with some of your cooking prep, too? That's right, as long as you clean it thoroughly with soap and warm water first, you can use that old card to slice deli meats, softer cheeses, and even tender cuts of steak— however, it's important to note that harder cheeses and tougher meats can cause your card to bend (and even break), so stick to simple, softer varieties to be safe.

Bakers can also enlist the help of a card as a way to cut brownies or lemon squares worthy of that bakery display case. For this, however, you'll want to coat your card in a light layer of cooking spray so it doesn't stick as you're slicing. And while you can just as easily use your gift card to cut sandwiches with soft fillings also, this works best with soft bread right out of the package — toasted bread or thicker slices are likely to present some difficulty in slicing, so consider that option carefully. And if you're not yet ready to use your card for cutting, you can utilize it in place of a duller knife, too. For example, do you need to spread some peanut butter, jam, or room-temperature butter but don't have a butter knife handy? You got it: Use your gift card.