The jury’s still out on the “right” way to eat a banana, but there’s no denying that you’re wasting a banana peel if you just throw it in the trash. Banana peels have anti-inflammatory properties and antioxidants, but they can also be used around the house in some weird, creative ways. Just don’t bother putting banana peels in your garden soil—that’s somewhat nonsense.
Consider saving banana peels for any of these potential purposes:
Shining shoes. Turns out, banana peels are excellent at shining leather: They’re filled with potassium, which is one of the key ingredients in commercial shoe polish. To use a banana peel to shine your leather shoes, just take the inside of the peel and rub it over the leather, covering the entire surface. Then just use a dry cloth to rub it over and remove any excess banana residue.
Make tea. If you enjoy the taste of a banana, odds are you might enjoy a cup of banana peel tea. Banana peel tea is exactly what it sounds like: You boil a banana peel in water to make a banana-flavored tea. Over at Healthy Green Savvy, they recommend adding a sprinkle of nutmeg, cinnamon, or vanilla extract, as well as a bit of almond milk or coconut milk. Just don’t buy into the idea that banana tea will work as a sleep aid—there isn’t much evidence to back up that claim.
Make vinegar. You can make vinegar from banana peels, so long as you’re willing to wait for it. All you’ll need is a couple of pounds of banana peels, water, sugar, baker’s yeast, vinegar starter, a large pot, and two months of patience. If you have it in you to carry out this recipe, you can use your banana peel vinegar to top salads or make sauces.