Onions are known for being a tasty vegetable that can spice up tons of dishes. What you likely do not know about them, however, is that they can also do a whole lot more for you outside the kitchen! That’s why we’ve compiled six ways that onions can help you around the house and improve your overall health.

Soothe an earache fast

If you’re looking for a quick fix to soothe your ear ache, simply heat half an onion in the microwave for 30 seconds or until it’s warm (not hot), and then wrap it in a washcloth. Once you have done this, hold the flat side of the onion against the ear for 10 minutes. Heating up the onion creates sulfur, an anti-inflammatory gas that gets rid of the pain and pressure in your ear canal.

Eliminate a musty odor overnight

If you notice a gross odor in a room in your home, all you have to do is cut an onion in half and leave it on a plate in the room overnight. Throughout the night, the onion will release enzymes that neutralize odor, leaving your room smelling fresh. Don’t worry, it will NOT smell like onions!

Remove rust from a knife

It’s always annoying when knives get rusty, but onions are there to save the day! You can save the knife by cutting   into a large onion and sawing the utensil back and forth. The onion contains acids that break down rust, leaving your knife looking good as new!

Keep scorch marks from setting

If you burned your favorite shirt by leaving the iron on too high, an onion can get rid of the mark in no time. Just rub the cut side of a halved onion on the spot and soak it in soapy, cold water for about an hour. Then, launder the shirt as you usually would, and the mark will be gone! The onion breaks down the carbon particles in the scorch mark, which makes it so that the stain comes right off in the wash.

Prolong the life of avocados

After using one half of the avocado, it’s hard to keep the other half from going bad. To make sure the avocado half does not turn brown, put it in an airtight container with half an onion. The onion will release sulfur dioxide, which prevents the oxidation that makes the avocado go bad.

Get soft, beautiful feet

Summer is right around the corner, which means that sandal weather is almost here. This is a problem for those of us with calloused feet, but onions can take care of that in no time. All you have to do is put half an onion in a bowl and add enough white vinegar to cover it before letting it sit for four hours. Then, before you go to sleep at night, peel off the top layer of the onion and cover the callus with it. Place plastic wrap around your foot to secure it and then put a sock on it, then go to bed.

The next morning, your feet will look soft and fresh because onions contain anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory properties and vinegar’s acetic acid that make callouses disappear!