How to Use Your Used Cooking Oil

Cooking oil is used in just about every modern kitchen around the world. It is an essential commodity in privately owned kitchens in homes as well as commercial ones. Many people have a few problems with regard to the disposal and reuse of UCO (Used Cooking Oil).

Simply pouring it down the drain is not the way to go. Many who have tried that have ended up with drainage issues. The oil cools down and clogs up drainage pipes causing an environmental disaster. This more often than not results in a stinky neighbourhood and calls to the plumber. 

Unfortunately, this is the disposal method many home kitchens opt for. Commercial kitchens have large volumes of oil to dispose of. The right equipment must be used to ensure the oil is collected properly and transferred into a holding tank. 

What to Do with Used How Cooking Oil

Once you have figured out how to collect it correctly, you want to know what to do next. After pouring it into the container or freezing it, what do you do with it? Here are a few suggestions on how you can utilize your used cooking oil. 

  • Use it as a Lubricant

Once in a while, hinges will squeak and locks may give you some trouble. Instead of spending money on store-bought lubricant, apply your used oil to the affected surfaces resolve the issue. You can also use it on metal surfaces as well as tools to counter rust. 

  • Polish and Condition Your Furniture

Used cooking oil is perfect for wood furniture that looks like it needs polishing. Mixed with vinegar in equal parts, the mixture restores your furniture’s lustrous appearance. 

  • Getting Paint off Your Hands

Once you get paint on your hands, removing it can be a long and tedious task. Your used cooking oil can come in handy. Put a little in your hands and rub it generously over the affected area. Leave it for at least five minutes, and then wash it off. It slides right off your hands. 

  • Covert it into Biodiesel Fuel

This may be the most important use of all. Saving your used cooking oil not only benefits you but also the environment. Biodiesel fuel is a great and safe alternative to fossil fuels which are loaded with harmful elements. 

You can access kits from your local UCO industries that can help you to convert your oil into reusable biodiesel fuel. However, it is best to leave the experts to handle the process. If you run a commercial kitchen, you often have lots of used oil to dispose of. 

Saving that oil for recycling is one of the best ways you can contribute to the environmental effort.

  • Use it in Your Compost Pile

Compost piles benefit greatly when used vegetable oil is added to them. A small amount of used vegetable oil feeds the worms that facilitate the composting process. 

You must, however, refrain from adding animal-based oils to your compost pile. Only vegetable oil is viable. Used animal-based oil will have your pile overrun with all sorts of problem animals. These can cause untold chaos in addition to helping in the formation of pathogens. 

  • Use it as a Hair Moisturizer and Conditioner

You do not need to spend money on conditioners and moisturizers from the beauty shops anymore. Used cooking oil provides you with a natural moisturizer that is free off harmful elements. To make a healthy conditioner and moisturizer for your mane:

  • Heat a little of it to room temperature; preferably in a cup
  • Massage some of the oil thoroughly into your hair
  • Shampoo your hair and rinse it off to remove the oil

Conclusion

Used cooking oil should no longer pose a problem for you in the future. You can contribute to the fight for a healthy environment by reusing your oil and reducing the use of unhealthy products. If you have a lot of it, you can have it converted into biodiesel which is a safer alternative for the wellbeing of our planet.