Why those shoebox bags shouldn't be thrown away

Today, every pair of shoes must be accompanied by a bag of transparent balls, which have long caused sincere bewilderment among consumers. But we are just talking about hardened silica gel made from silicic acid, which has the property of absorbing moisture, and therefore can be used in a wide variety of areas.

For shoes and bags

There is no need to rush to get rid of the “unnecessary balls” and certainly not to damage the integrity of these bags, because they can be used for their intended purpose by placing them inside wet shoes. In the same way, it is quite possible to dry a bag, especially if we are talking about sports equipment, which tends to absorb sweat from things after a workout. In this case, the magic balls will be able to solve two issues at once, absorbing all the excess moisture and neutralizing the unpleasant odor.

How to use silica gel from a shoe box

You bought shoes, opened the box and found a small packet of silica gel in it. The first reaction that a buyer exhibits is to throw it away as something unnecessary.

However, do not rush to do this. Each of these bags can be useful to you. And all because these bags can be used in unusual ways.

One can only regret that few people know about the amazing methods of using them. That is why below we will talk about how you can adopt such wonderful ideas.

Bed sheets

The situation when washed and ironed bed linen and towels suffocate in the closet, acquiring an extremely unpleasant smell of dampness or an old house, is quite common. There are only two ways to avoid it: by thoroughly drying the laundry while unfolded after ironing, or by adding several silica gel packets to it already folded.

Remove condensation from the camera lens

The plastic body of a photo or video camera, if it is positioned as waterproof, must be absolutely inaccessible to water. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. After all, condensation does sometimes form inside.

If so, then damage to the camera is just a matter of time. And when moisture remains inside, then with a high probability we can say that this will negatively affect the quality of photographs and video materials.

The situation can be dealt with very simply. It is enough just to place a bag of silica gel in the plastic case of the device.

Phones and cameras

Recessed phones and cameras will cause a lot of trouble for anyone. Meanwhile, this problem can be solved even without the help of a specialist and drying with a hairdryer, which only aggravates the problem.

You need to turn off the gadget as quickly as possible and separate it into its components, filling them to the top with balls from the bag. It is recommended to remove the device from the silica gel captivity only after 24 hours.

If we were not talking about a long underwater dive, then such measures will be enough to make it work.

To rescue a drowned phone

Silica gel for saving a drowned phone.

How to dry your phone? This question is often asked by users who hope to independently resuscitate a gadget after it falls into the sea, is washed in a washing machine, or even dives into the toilet. The first thing to do is turn off the phone, take out the battery, SIM card and memory card. And then start drying.

Let’s say right away that drying your gadget with a hot hairdryer is a bad idea; it’s much better to dry it thoroughly and place it in a container with gel balls, they will perfectly absorb moisture. By the way, if you don’t have such balls on hand, then rice will help solve the problem (although silica gel still has better adsorbing properties).

Shaving accessories

Why do even the highest quality blades on machines quickly become dull? Yes, because they are constantly in contact with water and are stored in the wettest room. You can extend their service life using only silica gel, previously removed from the bags. It is enough to simply pour their contents into some container in which it will be convenient to store razors, so that you always have a sharp razor at the ready.

Remove moisture from your phone

Have you spilled tea or coffee on your mobile phone? Did you drop your phone in the river or toilet? Something similar happens to many of us. And when this happens, it becomes clear that a person often does not know what to do in a given situation.

You need to dry your phone. And you can do this with rice. However, cereal is not entirely suitable for this. The grain, for example, can get stuck in the headphone jack and charging port.

You can dry your phone without damaging the ports using silica gel. Let's do this. Fill the bowl with gel packets. I put the phone inside. It should be completely covered with bags. Then we wait a day. And only after that you can turn on the device.

To help motorists

To prevent constant fogging of the windshield, it is strongly recommended to place bags of silica gel at its base, which will in every possible way prevent the formation of condensation by absorbing excess droplets. In addition, this simple method will help get rid of unpleasant odors in the cabin much better than any other odorants, which is especially important for smoking motorists.

What are these bags actually for?

Many people are interested in the question of what is inside this closed bag.

The answer is simple - in fact, it is granular silicate gel, or as it is often called silica gel.

If we consider this substance from a chemical point of view, then it is a solution of silicic acids in a supersaturated concentration and brought to a dried state. That is, in the words of a simple layman, it is a dried gel.

The main purpose of its use is that it is a hydrophilic sorbent. That is, simply put, it is able to intensively absorb excess moisture, which is in both liquid and gaseous states.

Most often, such bags with silica gel granules are used in places where there is possible excess moisture that needs to be gotten rid of.

Sometimes manufacturers of such granules add color moisture indicators to the main composition. This is done in order to know how well such bags have worked. The mechanism of their action is extremely simple:

at the release stage, such granules are packaged in a transparent or translucent bag;
The granules will change color from colored to translucent or from one color to another as they absorb moisture (the color depends on the chemical component that was added as an impurity).

Important! Methyl violet or cobalt chloride are added as such pigments. They are toxic, but methyl violet is still considered toxic to humans. Therefore, it is better to use bags of silica gel without indicator additives.

The whole trick of the adsorbing properties of silica gel lies in its special structure.
It simply has a huge external surface area. This happens due to its porous structure and special technological processing. Thus, when silica gel granules are heated to a temperature of 150-200°C, its free surface area increases and reaches its maximum value. Due to this, adsorption occurs, that is, the absorption of liquid into the structure of the outer surface of the gel.

It is worth noting that silica gel used for household purposes is produced exclusively according to state standards (GOST). In accordance with this, it has a certain classification:

according to the shape of the granules;
by granule size;
by the presence in them of indicators that change the pigmentation of granules.

If the bag is opened and the granules come into direct contact with air, the silica gel quickly absorbs excess moisture from the air and becomes unsuitable for further use.

Important! Do not attempt to dry the silica gel granules as this is a dangerous method.

Tools

It is no secret that any metal is subject to corrosive changes, and tools in this regard are no exception to the rule. And to prevent the screwdrivers, drills and screws folded in a box or suitcase from rusting ahead of time, it won’t hurt to throw a paper bag or two with miraculous balls to them.

Why are there bags of balls in shoes?

Everyone found in a box with a new pair of shoes small bags or bags filled with white or blue balls. But few people used this remedy. These balls are called silica gel. It is an adsorbent that is obtained from silicic acid. Essentially, it is a dried gel broken into granules. In this article, we will find out what and why this tool is needed. And let's look at how to use silica gel.

Precautionary measures

Meanwhile, silica gel is not as safe a substance as you might initially think. It is highly flammable, explodes when the temperature rises above 100 degrees Celsius and provokes severe intoxication when consumed internally. That is why it should be kept away from children, food and open flames.

In all other cases, these miracle balls can be a real salvation. And perhaps this is why experienced owners are discovering more and more new areas of application of silica gel every year.

Remove condensation from car windows

Condensation may form on the lower part of the instrument panel. What to do? Just place silica gel packets along the edge of the glass. This method is also effective for windows in an apartment.

Please note that silica gel is intended for repeated use. You just need to “recharge” the silica gel bags. To do this, they are placed in the oven for about an hour at a temperature of about 90 degrees. If the bags are not used, they should be kept in an airtight container.

Silica gel for drying shoes.

Not long ago I figured out how to dry my shoes with silica gel.

. In this article I will share with you this good way to dry shoes. In general, let's talk about silica gel.

The issue with wet boots has been bothering me for a long time. Either it was my feet or my shoes that didn't wick moisture away, but my shoes were constantly wet.

I tried drying it with newspaper

, crumpled up several balls and stuffed them into the shoes, but the effectiveness was insignificant, the shoes remained damp.

Experience in drying shoes with a special electric dryer

I have one too. On this score, I’ll say that it’s not bad. But it has its drawbacks. Firstly, dependence on electricity. Secondly, you will have to remember about the electric dryer in order to unplug it from the outlet.

As soon as I came up with the idea of using silica gel

, it turned out that buying it is not easy. I even considered the option with
cat litters
made of silica gel, but I couldn’t find them either, they sell some others everywhere. As a result, I had to order silica gel on the Internet. It cost me about 1000 rubles for two bags of 1 kg each. For me it was not very expensive, since the issue with wet boots worried me more. But I think that the cost of silica gel is probably even lower.

Choosing silica gel KSMG

Silica gel KSMG

used when humidity is less than 70%. This is the kind of silica gel that is suitable for drying shoes. It consists of white glassy balls. Silica gel absorbs moisture and odors, which is very good for our purpose. This silica gel easily restores its properties when heated to 150 degrees.

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In the photo you can see blue particles - this is indicator silica gel. It serves to understand whether the silica gel can still absorb moisture or whether it needs to be dried. When moisture is absorbed, the indicator silica gel changes its color to pink.

Here it is pink silica gel.

Not as beautiful as before. The balls are cracked. The indicator silica gel turns pink. But after drying on the battery it turns blue again.

Silica gel in shoe boxes

This substance is called silica gel. You definitely can’t eat it! Animals should also be protected from contact with it. However, silica gel does an excellent job of absorbing moisture. In particular, its usefulness has been proven in practice in the following situations.

How can granules be used differently?

If moisture gets into your phone for any reason, don’t despair. It is quite possible that he can be saved even at home. To do this, take a zip bag, pour silica gel into it and put your mobile phone in it overnight. By morning there will be no trace of moisture left.
In order for jewelry to retain its appearance and not darken, it is necessary to put a package of silica gel in the box with it. Moreover, you don’t have to spill it out - being in the package, it copes with its task no less perfectly.
If there is an odor of sweat from shoes or clothes in your sports bag, you can easily remove it with the help of a package of silica gel included in this bag.
Despite the fact that silica gel is strictly forbidden to be eaten, it can be used to remove moisture from crackers, croutons, herbs and other foods.
With the help of several packs of silica gel you can protect almost any documents from excess moisture. To do this, simply put the package of these granules in the bag along with the documents.
Silica gel is great for keeping animal feed intact. At the same time, it does not harm him at all.
Silica gel helps protect tablets and other medications from moisture. To do this, just put the package of this substance in a jar without tearing it.
You can use silica gel to freshen the air. To do this, you need to tear one or more packages and add some essential oil to them. However, it is necessary to carefully protect animals from contact with this substance.
Silica gel works well with almost any unpleasant odor, so it can be put in a drawer with old clothes.
Any holiday decorations will always be in perfect condition if you put one package of silica gel in the box with them.

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Finally, I would like to remind you once again about security measures. Silica gel is a useful thing, but children and animals must be protected from contact with it. Caution never hurt anyone!