Here's Why You Should Keep Those Annoying Silica Gel Packets

There are a few key things to know about silica packets: They’re found in shoe boxes, you shouldn’t eat them, and do not let them near children or dogs.

That’s about the extent of everyone’s understanding of these little guys.

Everyone except Redditor Beast667Neighbour, who gave us one hell of a lifehack with these babies.

In the LifeProTips subreddit, the user posted this helpful tip:

“LPT : Dont’t throw away annoying Silica gel little pockets, that come along with new electronic devices, shoes, or purses. Silica gel can prolong the life of anything that would be affected by excess moisture or condensation.

Here’s what you can use them for:

~ Throw them in your gym bag and you can prevent bacteria or mold from growing. They also get rid of nasty odors.

~Put some of these in your toolbox — they will keep your tools free of rust.

~ You can preserve your old photos and books using them

~ They can help keep your makeup bag fresh.

~ If you ever have to pack moist clothes, especially when you are on holiday, just put some of these packets into the luggage.

~ You’ll never have to wait for your windshield to clear up in the mornings again. Just put few silica sachets under your windshield. They will absorb the moisture, leaving your windshield clear.

~ Keep Dry Goods Dry – it can help keep foods like dried herbs, bread crumbs, crackers, and anything else that should be kept as crispy as possible from getting soggy. So, you can put some silica gel bags in the food wardrobe“

The Reddit user made clear the packets are still VERY TOXIC!

Silica gel is non-toxic, still they are not edible! Also make sure you keep Silica gel pockets away from children and animals!“

If you want to go the extra mile, Redditor AmishAbe pointed out you can buy some next-level packets.

“You can also buy silica packets with color changing beads that indicate when they are saturated. I use this type of silica packet in my rolls of 3d printer filament. They are blue when dry and eventually turn pink when they are no longer effective. 7 min in the microwave on the defrost mode and they dry back out and can be used again.”

Fellow Redditor SteampunkBorg offered a tip for how to remove the excess moisture the Silica gel packets accumulate.

“Heating them in the oven is a bit safer, because it’s slower and more controlled

120 degrees [Celsius] is enough to evaporate the bound moisture, and the microwave might make pockets of moisture boil too suddenly, so the pearls Crack, creating sharp edges that can pierce the package.”

Helpful!