Monday

The Many Uses of Mineral Oil

While it works well to keep a baby’s bottom soft and treat diaper rash there are plenty of other uses for mineral oil. This inexpensive product can also be used for the following:

Remove oil based make up

Treat squeaky door hinges with a few drops

Use it to condition leather items

Polish stainless-steel with it

Use a little to treat a stuck zipper

Coat wooden kitchen utensils and cutting boards to prevent moisture absorption

Take it orally as a laxative

Swab it in the ears of animals to treat mites

Use as an alternative to varnish

Apply to prevent eyelashes from breaking

Wipe on tools as a rust preventative

Rub it into oil stains on clothes before washing

Use it to remove adhesive residue

Dab some on a soft cloth to moisturize and buff wood

Related Reading:

The Power of Peroxide

24 comments:

  1. Oops, mineral oil should never be used on leather, nor should any other petroleum-based product. Animal source oils only, otherwise the pores in the leather will clog and harden the leather. I raise horses and sell saddles and tack, so leather-care is a priority for me.

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  2. I did some research on your comment and found that for the most part you are correct. Some sources say a little is okay, while most agree with you that mineral oil will destroy leather. I have always used mink oil on my leather boots in the past, so you probably saved me from ruining them by trying mineral oil. Thanks for setting me straight.

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  3. Just wondering - I heard that mineral oil would cure Restless Leg Syndrome if rubbed on your body. Don't know if I should try it. Does anyone know anything about this?

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  4. Can you use mineral oil in your ears for ear wax?

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    1. I was told by a doctor to use mineral oil in your ears to remove wax and not use Q-tips.

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    2. I'm not a doctor, nor a nurse, Sir: BUT, since you say, I could use mineral oil in the ears of my sweet little Sasha, a Pomeranian to kill ear mites, yet can be used as a varnish. And a laxative? I'd rather use cod liver oil, which is also used as a laxative, thus, could be used in the animals ears, as well as mine, & on my skin, to make it soft, but, cod liver oil is known to reduce or diminish wrinkles too. We will see about that part, I have lots of them, also. However,when I had my son in the 1950's. My pediatric Dr. sent me home to take cod liver oil, with a liquid of my choice, I used orange juice, thus doing,I "had" to hurry back to have my son, I had him in 3 hours! No problems.
      He is now in his 50's. However, I do like all the other items you mentioned for Mineral oil though, & will definitely try on it on them all, or most of them, as I go along doing things in my home. As you say. They are good ideas. signed, anonymous.

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  5. My doctor said it would get rid of was in ears.

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  6. I saw on Dr Oz that if you put mineral oil in your ears at bedtime (I would guess using something like a cutip or cotton ball)that it works magic over night and you can clean your ears out in the morning with all the wax build up gone.

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  7. I was told to get sweet oil to unclog my ears. (I'd had a long flight and felt like my eardrums burst) I settled for mineral oil, because the sweet oil was ridiciously expensive. I found that it did help, after a while.


    I also use it to moisten/clean my oil-based paints from paint brushes. I normally put it in a ziplock and mush around. I was told to use baby oil, but since I had so much mineral oil left, I decided to use that.

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    1. Re: unclogging ears: If you had half an hour, you'd have better luck w/ hydrogen peroxide. Hold your head to the side so the clogged ear is "up", take 1 part peroxide & 1 part warm water (maybe a tablespoon of each), & drip it into the clogged ear w/ an eyedropper. Let sit for fifteen minutes, then use the eyedropper to rinse your ear out with more warm water.

      Kinda messy, I realize (I wrapped my neck with a towel and leaned over a sink to rise), but WebMD recommends it, and it worked great for me.

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  8. Farmers and the like mix it in their liquid fertilizer and weed control to help it stick to plants; making it work better (especially in rainy conditions). They call it crop oil but it's active ingredient is 85% mineral oil.

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  9. Can I use Mineral Oil for overly dry scalp? If so, how?

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  10. It is also great for treating trees, such as campordown (sp?) elm that show signs of scale infestation. It can be brushed onto the affected areas. It smothers the scale and prevents them from migrating. Also can be used on wet stones for knife sharpening.

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  11. Folks, oil is oil. Once oil is refined, it's nothing but chains of hydrocarbons (hydro-phobic carbon chains). Saying mineral oil is bad for leather vs. natural oils is like saying vitamin C from some rare plant is better for you than just from oranges. Once a chemical is isolated (eg: vitamin C), it's just a chemical. Mineral Oil & Petroleum Jelly have had all petroleum-based solvents (that WOULD harm leather) removed from them. They're perfectly safe to use for leather and skin care. They're heavier/thicker than natural oils, and in some cases that's good, b/c with natural oils they can easily soak into the leather but also wear out of the leather fast. I use petroleum jelly on my leather boots & backpack, and have for years. Rub it on firmly with your thumb/fingers. Don't "scrub" it in with a toothbrush or whatever. Most folks screw up leather by being overly abusive in applying cleaners/oils. Rub it in, let it soak in, wipe off excess. If your leather used to be very shiny, but has gotten cracked and dull, then wash it (saddle soap, or just white toothpaste), condition it with some mineral oil or petroleum jelly, then wipe off as much as possible and apply a light layer of leather laquer. This is only good for solid pieces that don't get flexed (eg: toes of leather shoes, not the parts that flex.) People have it in their heads that you have to use very special oils and junk for leather care. No. A $1 bottle of mineral oil or petroleum jelly will last a long time. You could use Murray's Beeswax hair pomade, too, which as petrolem jelly + beeswax, which adds extra layer of wax for waterproofing and protection.

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    1. Um... you're wrong. Oil is not just oil. Any more than refined salt is the same as sea salt. Mineral oil is made of alkanes and cyclic parafins while vegetable oils, and animal fats (oil when melted) is made of various saturated and unsaturated fatty acids...

      What do you mean "natural oils"? Vegetable oils (Canola, Corn, etc) are not "natural" as they are some 100 years old and discovered in a lab. Olive oil, known long for it's properties is natural having been around for a long time (thousands of years). Animal fats, have been around even longer. But I am not sure calling tallow rendered from CAFO raised cattle would be considered "natural".

      Using petroleum on leather does the same as using alkanes on anything... only metal machinery. I never used PJ on my children (couldn't stand the smell). Only thing I use PJ on is to keep the flies off my horses in the bad fly weather. Any leather company will tell you you're ruining your leather.

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    2. Much refined salt is made from sea salt. The refinement is removing the other minerals. Leather companies generally want you to use a product they now works with the finish they use, nothing wrong with that. But when it comes to raw leather or oil finished leather, mineral oil is a great choice.

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  12. I totally agree with you on oils!!!

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  13. if u mix it with olive oil and petroleum jelly and apply to eyelashes it will make them longer, fuller, and less prone to breaking or falling out

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  14. Can.it help with stretch marks?

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  15. I don't know about the leather. I've used petroleum jelly for a quick fix on my leather boots, but for conditioning, I use a leather conditioner. I use a mix of mineral oil and petroleum jelly on my eyes at night (they get dry during the day from allergies and staring at the computer screen). It works better than the ten dollar tubes at the drugstore and, obviously, saves a lot of money. I haven't heard about any bad side effects and the ingredients are the same as Refresh.

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  16. Petroleum is flammable, Glycerin is in glycol which contains alcohol. The product Astroglide was originally used to lubricate rocket assembly parts. I want to stretch my peppermint oil or extract in an oil. I am then coating cotton to put in places where spider enter. I saw that mineral oil is the base for many skin products including baby oil. Also seed oil is used, I just want the oil with the longest half like, It will dry eventually, Any ideas?

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  17. While exploring food preservation tips for emergency supplies, I found that experienced preppers applied mineral oil to the surface of eggs. This prevented air passing through the shell and it's this which allows them to keep for up to 9 months without refrigeration.

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  18. Mineral Oil is made from ancient organic oils. It is still an oil, hydrocarbons. With leather it is complex. If you have a hard surface finish, particularly a light one, the oil will go underneath it and eventually crack the finish. If you have an open pore finish like stained most leather used on sheathes and holsters, mineral oil is perfect as it keeps the leather soft, preserved, and is also provides some water proffing as well as prevents rust on the metals it contacts. If you are unsure of the finish on your leather, it is a risk, but even if it damages a hard finish, the leather underneath will be well preserved and it can be refisnished. Most people against mineral oil are just trying to sell their concoction, Ballistol and many leather treatments use Mineral oil as their base and baby oil is essentially scented mineral oil. In my book, if it cant benefit from minieral oil, it was not made to last in tough climates. Oiled leather is a common product because it is water phobic and water is the real enemy along with UV of leather.

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Agree? Disagree? Questions? Leave a comment!