10 Oddly Clever Ways to Use Shaving Cream

Score cool points with the little artists in your life by whipping up a quick batch of shaving cream finger paint. Swirl some food coloring into a cloud of foam shaving cream and let kids paint it on their own bodies for some super messy fun with relatively easy cleanup. Alternately, mix a little shaving cream into washable finger paint to give the paint puffy texture. Let kids paint on paper and the shaving cream mixture should dry in about a day.

Whoops — someone spilled on the rug again. Okay, it might have been you, but assigning blame doesn't matter when you can just as easily remove the spot. Using plain white shaving cream, cover the mark completely and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Wipe the cream away and blot the spot with a damp cloth.

Are Grandma's old earrings looking a little dull? Shaving cream makes an effective jewelry cleaner in a pinch. Squirt a dollop of foam cream in one hand, work it all around the jewelry and rinse with water. Super rare or valuable jewels should be professionally cleaned, but this method is perfect for making everyday stuff shine.

Convincing an unwilling child to practice their spelling or math is a feat that should be rewarded with gold stars and lots of chocolate. That is to say.... it's a challenge. Entice a resistant student to practice these important skills by covering a cookie sheet with shaving cream to create a sensory writing board. Kids can use their fingers to trace words and work out math problems with a method that's a lot more fun than using pencil and paper.

When you spill coffee on your suede shoes, it's unlikely that your first thought is, "I'd better grab my shaving cream." But if you don't have suede cleaner on hand, and the stain is setting in quickly, foam shaving cream can minimize the damage. Massage a little bit of basic white shaving cream into the spot, then wipe it off with a soft cloth. This trick may also help you remove old food stains from suede.

To a kid, what's better than sinking your hands into something delightfully messy? Shaving cream adds an interesting texture to a sensory play box. Fill a large plastic container with small plastic toys and other kid-safe objects like large beads and dry macaroni. Spray shaving cream over the top of everything and let kids dig for objects. When they're done, simply rinse everything off.

Who said water was the only filler you could use for balloon fights? Fill them with shaving cream instead! Your can should have a long, thin nozzle that will fit right inside the opening of the balloon. Make up a big batch of shaving cream balloons, change into swimsuits and head outside for an extra-messy, extra fun game. Clean up with a hose when you're done.

Take me out to the ballgame — but let me lather up my glove first. Shaving cream softens stiff, new leather. Break in a new baseball mitt by rubbing a small amount of foam shaving cream into every crevice of the glove. Let it sit for several hours or overnight and wipe off any excess cream. The leather should be softer and more flexible, so go out and play a game of catch to help the glove start to conform to your hand.