I love cucumbers! Whether they are on a sandwich, in a salad, alone with a dash of salt or in my beverage, they are by far my favorite vegetable. I always wondered why people put cucumber slices on their eyes to reduce swelling – what is in the cucumber that does that?! Do cucumbers have a lot of vitamins and nutrients in them? My inquiring mind needed to know, so I did some research and found some great info!
Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day. Just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C,Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc. That is a whole lot more than I would’ve ever thought!
Feeling tired in the afternoon? Put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B Vitamins and carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours. I love to put cucumber slices in my water!
Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror, it will eliminate the fog and provide that spa-like smell.
Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds? Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent that we cannot smell but the garden pests can – and they want to be far away from it. Good riddance I say!
Did you know that a cucumber can help to reduce the look of cellulite before going out or to the pool? Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes, the phytochemical in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too! I can’t wait to try this over the weekend!
Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache! Another tip I want to try this weekend!
Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers are a great snack. I put a little bit of salt on top, or you can dip them in a low-calorie dressing. Yum!
They can polish your shoes! Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water.
Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the annoying hinge and the squeak is gone!
Stressed out and don’t have time for massage, facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water. The chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber with react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown the reduce stress.
Just finish a business lunch and realize you don’t have gum or mints? Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath. Its phytochemical will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath. This may be hard since your salad was already taken from the table by this time, but I’d try it just to see if it really holds true!
Looking for a ‘green’ way to clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel? Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean. It can remove tarnish and bring back the shine, and won’t leave streaks.
Using a pen and made a mistake? Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing, also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls!!This may be the replacement to the Magic Eraser!?
Have you heard of any of these uses for cucumbers? I can’t wait to try a lot of them out.
Amanda Rinehart says
lemons are like this too! I wipe them on my faucets to clean them! I wish I liked cucumbers! I might be able to stand them in my water…I’ll have to try!
Dana says
What’s funny is I just wrote a post about lemons that I am going to schedule for next week. I don’t have in it that you can use the lemons to clean the faucets…I need to add that! Thank you for stopping by Amanda!
Antonio says
I live cucumbers and always have them in a mason jar as a weekly drink. Had no idea about all the other uses, though. 🙂
Antonio says
I meant “love”. 🙂
Dana says
I love cucumbers in water (and also muddled with some gin…shhhhh) 🙂
The Southern Thing says
I had no idea there were so many uses for cucumbers! I love to add it to my water.
Dana says
Me neither till I did a bit of research! I wonder what else I can find!!
Jessie says
Awww, what an amazing post, thanks! I have to buy some cucumbers now. 😉
Dana says
Thanks Jessie!
Keating says
Very interesting facts! I knew nothing about cucumbers before reading this haha
Dana says
Thanks Keating! I didn’t even know there was this much to know about them LOL.
Lisa Wilkinson says
I would just Like to add that cucumbers are also good to help with hair growth as we get older our hair tends to get thinner and not grow as good as I once did. So I just wanted to share that home remedy that I myself just found out about.!!!