Olive oil has long been used in cooking and creates a great addition to the flavor of many dishes, particularly Italian style dishes and the health benefits of olive oil have been the subject of numerous studies and have become rather well known; however, olive oil also has a number of great uses for easy cleaning and household chores. Here are a few tips and tricks for great ways that you can use olive oil around the house:

Furniture Polish: A teaspoon of olive oil with a couple of squirts of lemon juice can make a great furniture polish that is safe for your kids and pets while helping you to give a beautiful shine to your furniture while a fresh scent to brighten up your home. For tough to clean areas on your wood floors or furniture, add some white vinegar for some extra cleaning power.

Keep Your Pots from Tarnishing: If you have stainless steel pots that you are having a hard time cleaning, try using a little olive oil on them to help prevent tarnishing and those unsightly streaks to leave your pans shining like new.

Clean Up After Painting: Painting can often be a mess and after you have cleared the drip clothes and stripped the masking tape you still have the chore of trying to get the paint off of you. A little olive oil could do the trick, simple rub some of the olive oil on your skin wherever you have paint that needs to be removed. Allow it time to soak for about five minutes or so and then you should be able to easily wash away the paint with regular soap and water.

Condition the Leather Around Your Home: Whether it is leather furniture, a purse, or an old baseball mitt, leather can tend to become dry and crack over time if it is not conditioned properly. Olive oil is a simple and safe way to do this. Just rub some olive oil onto your leather and leave it for about half of an hour or so before cleaning away any of the excess oil that might be left.

Fix Squeaky Doors and Stuck Hinges: If you are worried about keeping chemical based lubricants around the house for jobs such as squeaky doors or stiffened hinges that do not move smoothly, simply spray on a bit of olive oil to take care of the problem without any worries over the mess or exposing your family to harsher chemicals.

Repair a Stuck Zipper: Do not be too quick to throw out your favorite pair of jeans or that great piece of luggage over a stuck zipper. A little olive oil applied with a cotton swap to the teeth of the zipper may help you to gently guide the zipper down and free it up for future use.

As we can see olive oil is definitely one of the essentials that you will want to keep around your house for health reasons, for skin care, and even for house hold chores.