Don't Throw Out Banana Peels: 8 Genius Ways To Reuse Them In Your Home & Garden

Banana peels are so much more than a running joke or a piece of trash to toss out the next time you enjoy one of these boldly yellow fruits. Though we typically discard them and get right down to the fruit inside, there's actually quite a lot of benefit to keeping the peels around. Banana peels are surprisingly nutrient-rich, and they can be turned into functional foods of their own. Plus, those yellow peels have nutrients that can be beneficial in other ways. Their potassium and phosphorous content, for example, makes them an ingredient you can put to use in your garden and with houseplants. So, instead of throwing away another banana peel, put that typical waste to use in some genius ways around your home.

There are so many different ways you can take banana peels from trash to helpful treasure. Grab your favorite pair of scuffed leather boots, your compost bucket, or even pieces of tarnished silver, because these humble peels can help items shine, grow, and even smell a bit better. Once you discover the ways you can use these peels as helpful household ingredients, you may want to stock up on bananas to eat and utilize in your garden, kitchen, and across the house at large.

One of the easiest ways to reuse (well, technically repurpose) banana peels is to add them to your compost pile to use as plant food. Those peels can be a beneficial source of nitrogen when added to compost, and all you have to do is drop them into your bin to include them as part of your usual compost-making process.

According to some sources, you can soak banana peels and create a "banana water" fertilizer that may offer some garden benefits. However, it's unclear if any of the peels' beneficial nutrients actually leach into the water, and your plants may not absorb any nutrients that are present. So, while it's often recommended, you may not see clear benefits like you do with composting peels. If you'd like to try it, cut banana peels into small pieces, soak them in water for a few days, strain the peels out, and spray or pour this "tea" onto plants for a potentially nutrient-filled fertilizing solution.

The next time your silver goods are looking tarnished, consider swapping your traditional cleaning solutions for a totally natural homemade silver polish paste made with just a banana peel, a bit of water, and your blender. Blend the peel with water until it creates a brown-colored paste, rub the paste onto your tarnished silver with a soft coth, then wash and dry the items. Just be aware that the banana peel method isn't the most effective choice for heavy tarnish; that task may require chemical intervention.

You can turn banana peels into a soil amendment by drying them out in direct sunlight (or a food dehydrator if you have one), grinding the peels into a fine powder, and mixing this with other additives that round out its nutrients with nitrogen and calcium. From there, you can add the powder into soil. You can also mix it with other compost for the safest blend of good-for-plants ingredients.

If your trash is particularly stinky, adding a banana peel can help eliminate the odor. However, instead of tossing banana peels into the bag-lined can with the rest of your trash, you place a banana peel at the bottom of the can. Then, you add the bag as you normally would, and the peel absorbs odors as trash gets added, like an in-can deodorizer.

If you've been trying to keep fruit flies off your bananas — adult fruit flies like to lay their eggs in them – you can use their love of bananas against them with a DIY banana peel-based trap. Add a banana peel to an empty container, such as a jar, cover the top with plastic wrap, then use a toothpick to poke fruit fly-sized holes in the plastic wrap. Fruit flies should flock to the banana peel's scent, slip in through the holes, and wind up trapped.

Thanks to their potassium content, banana peels are a great alternative to store-bought leather polish (which also typically contains potassium). Just rub the inside of a banana peel on the leather in question, then gently buff the surface with a soft cloth. There is a slight residue left behind from this trick, but it feels similar to other leather polishes and dries in a matter of seconds.

If you need to dust your indoor houseplants, the inside of banana peels can grab dust sitting on the surface of leaves. It can also leave behind a visible shine, though it's best used for plants with waxy leaves such as monstera or elephant ear. You may wind up with a little bit of slightly sticky residue on your plant leaves after dusting them with peel pieces, so this trick may require a second wipe-down with a soft cloth.