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People Share 47 Old Wives’ Tales They Thought Were Nonsense Until They Tried Them As A Last Resort
While it's important to stay skeptical when taking advice from random strangers, some tips stick around for a reason. Or at least make for a good story.
We found a thread on Reddit where Brits have been sharing the old wives' tales they swear by. Some might have a grain of truth and others sound like pure superstition, but whether you're curious, desperate, or just up for a bit of fun, here are the ones that stood out the most.
Proceed with caution, but who knows? You might just find your next weirdly effective life hack.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
When I was around 21-22 -there were a lot of reasons to own a tuxedo... fancy 21st bdays, uni graduation balls etc.... one day I am staying at a mates place, have the tux in a suit bag for the big night. When I go to get my shirt out to iron it, there is an old, dried ink stain, like a pen leaked on it last time I had worn it.
I freaked out , white shirt, huge blue ink stain.... he says " no worries I'll call mum".... 2 mins later he comes back and says "spray it with hair spray and then rinse it... Will be all good".....
And holy s**t, it was! The hairspray just made the ink run away out of the shirt and it just rinsed off perfectly clean...this was 30 years ago and I am still freaked out about how well it worked.
Just a ray of f'ing sunshine 5 months ago
It's the alcohol in the products that take the ink stains out. I've used it many times (just isopropyl alcohol), and it works great.
George Costanza 5 months ago
This. It isn't specific to hairspray, it's just that hairspray has volatile alcohol in it.
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Disco Cat 5 months ago
I've used it to get hair dye stains off my face and neck. Works very well
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Rahb in Oz 5 months ago
You don’t wear a business shirt as formal wear; you wear a dress shirt. They don’t have pockets.
Joke Vermote 2 months ago
works with permanent marker on most surfaces too, kids been doodling on the cupboard doors? Hairspray is the solution
RELATED:
#2
Clove oil for toothache. Just dab a bit on with a cotton bud. Even chewing on a clove will help!
This one is so effective that dentists will recommend it, along with salt water as a basic disinfectant.
ABC NrTen FCK CENSORISM 5 months ago
Eugenol, which is a part of clove oil, has pain-reducing and anti-inflammatory properties.
#3
Salt for bloodstains. Ideally when the stain is still wet, keep it damp and pile a s**t ton of salt on it. The salt draws liquid, and the blood particles with it. I’ve also had some success by rewetting dried blood too, although it’s not as effective.
Just to clarify, I got that from years of having periods, not … any other reasons.
Stephanie Did It 5 months ago
Hydrogen peroxide completely removes wet blood and is very effective on dried blood as well. It acts as an oxidizing agent, breaking down the blood components through a chemical reaction.
#4
If you break glass and it splinters everywhere, you can use a slice of bread to pick it up safely.
If you’re sweeping up or use a cleaning cloth, the little tiny splinters of glass will all end up caught in the broom or the fabric and you end up spreading them further. If you make a little cushion out of a fresh slice of bread, you can use it to collect all of the splinters and keep your fingers safe.
You can mix this low tech solution with a high-tech one. Use the torch on your phone at a very low angle to check you’ve got it all. If the phone is effectively on the floor, shining sideways, anything you need to pick up will show up easily.
#5
If you've lost an earring, or other small piece of jewellery in the carpet, stretch some tights over the hose and hoover the area. Just make sure you don't split the tights, or you'll be fishing hoover dust to find it again! 🙀
(Yes, I learned that one the hard way, I make mistakes so you don't have to! 😹).
#6
Local honey helps Hay-fever.
I have tried every medication under the sun (I sneeze well in to triple figures on a really bad day), and nothing helps manage the allergies like local honey. A spoonful in my cereal or porridge every morning is a game changer. Takes a while to build the immunity but give it a couple weeks - night and day difference.
#7
If you want more birds in your garden... brush cat, dog, rabbits etc in garden and leave it hanging on a bush somewhere. Birds will use it for nests.
If you want to keep squirrels, rats etc out of your bird food, mix it with the hottest chilli flakes you can find. Hotter the better.
Also good more natural way of keeping rats away from anywhere. Bird seed with chilli flakes/seeds. Have rat problem around block I live in... not round my patio doors!
Science bit... Birds don't have the taste receptors to taste the chilli. The chilli passes straight through them, seeds complete with a little package of wet fertiliser. Mammals like squirrels and rats do have taste receptors. The feel temporary pain eating the chilli laced bird food and get a remimder when they poop a bit later.
Rats and squirrels are intelligent and will quickly associate pain with eating at location and will then stop eating there.
Gavin Johnson 5 months ago
As a warning here. If you’ve used a spot treatment for fleas on the back of the neck of your furry friends then don’t put the fur out for nesting material. Studies have connected bird mortality rates with chemicals that are being found in bird nests. https://www.forbes.com/sites/grrlscientist/2025/03/10/pet-flea-treatments-are-poisoning-wild-birds-study/
#8
Dunno if these are old wives tales but they are things that have personally worked for me AND others I have recommend them to.
Razor burn on your legs? Put on a pair of tights/ leggings/ long socks. Don’t know why it works but does. Saved me many times till I just stopped shaving and switch to hair removal cream.
Nappy cream (zinc based emollient like sudocrem) on/ around the nose when you have a cold that requires you to wipe your nose a lot. Helps to keep the area hydrated without getting irritated by the snot and frequent wiping.
Hot and sweaty? Can’t change/shower (work or whatever) baby wipe, then hand sanitizer, then fresh deodorant. You will feel and smell like you just showered. (Wipes off the sweat, kills off all the bacteria and dries out the area, renews your protection)
Also, if you’re larger set or part of the tig biddy gang, you can use that same nappy cream on your underboob to prevent sweat rash.
Nauseous? Salted crackers. Literally just a nibble on one or two just to put something in the stomach can help greatly. Good for morning sickness, hangovers, anxiety.
If there’s something you can’t wash - spray it with vodka or rubbing alcohol. Widely used for costumes in theatre that can’t be washed, but it’s also useful for those items that you want to freshen up after being in the wardrobe for a while.
Someone is sick in the house? Circulation is key. You need a “cross breeze”. My go to is opening a few windows and having a fan pointing from one to the other to draw fresh air in and push old air out. Best practice to be done while giving everything a good clean. Especially in bedrooms.
Use a bath mat as a kitchen rug - very absorbent if you’re like me and manage to splash a lot when washing up. But can also be shoved into the washing machine with no issues.
#9
Got bursitis in my already arthritic knee, really swollen and painful. Friend suggested rubbing castor oil into it which I’d never heard of but I was desperate enough to give it a try. Within 24 hours it was far less swollen and after 36 hours I was in the least pain for months. Been doing it twice a day for a couple of weeks now, I’m back at the gym, I’m a complete convert.
Also had great success with rubbing Vicks on the soles of my feet at bedtime to help subdue a cough.
#10
Witch Hazel on a cyst.
I was in my teens, battling a golf ball on my face; determined quitting school and moving country was my only option to survive. Out come the dear matriarchs of the family with a bottle of which hazel and I was right as rain (well still 14, but we can't have everything) by the end of the weekend. No operations. No pain. Absolutely brilliant.
Tabitha 5 months ago
Witch hazel is not only good for bruises, it’s also a good astringent for your face too. Plus, since all witch hazel is alike, except for the more expensive brands simply adding scent and quintupling (or more) the price, if you go for the bottom shelf generic brand, it is cheap cheap cheap. Forget all those expensive astringents and “clarifiers”. Just use good old fashioned witch hazel and you’ll be just fine.
#11
You can tell if an egg has gone bad by putting it in a saucepan or jug full of water and seeing if it floats. If it sinks or stands upright on its end it’s fine as long as it’s touching the bottom. If it floats and doesn’t touch the bottom it’s gone bad. The older the egg, the more upright it will go until it floats completely.
Something to do with gases being produced that make the egg more buoyant as it ages I think.
Ace 5 months ago (edited)
No, that will not tell you if it's bad or not. It is an indication of freshness, true, but there's no reason to assume than an older egg will be 'bad'. In general (especially in countries where eggs are not 'sanitised' before packing) an egg will last for months before going off. Edit: worth mentioning also that in the US and a few other places the eggs are washed before packing, which removes a natural coating from the shell and therefore allows air transfer much more quickly, which is why they need to be refrigerated and even then will tend to have a shorter shelf life.
#12
My Nanna would get a bar of soap, cover it in cloth and use it as a pin cushion. She said the needles would glide through the fabric better because of the pointy end being stuck in the bar of soap. No one sews much anymore but that one worked.
She also swore by apple cider vinegar for keeping you healthy. All her family had arthritis except her. She'd have a teaspoon in a glass of water every morning and said it prevented her from getting arthritis. Not sure about that one but I doubt it did any harm. .
Rali Meyer 5 months ago
I knew this man, drinking a bottle of whisky until 95. I prefer that to vinegar
#13
Vinegar is amazing. Water stains on a glass bottle? Vinegar and some water and it's gone. Drain blocked? Vinegar and baking soda and it's gone. Got rust? Vinegar. Smeary mirror? Vinegar and water. Rubbish bin smells? Vinegar and water. Sticky labels stuck on something? Vinegar and water.
Victor Botha 5 months ago
Vinegar and baking soda is a myth. Vinegar is acidic snd baking soda is alkaline so it will fizz, but basically it's just one item canceling the other one hence the chemical reaction.
#14
A fairly well known one but ginger for nausea. Warm saltwater gargle for a sore throat. .
Huddo's sister 5 months ago
I always use Betadine gargle for sore throats. Before I get negative comments like last time, Betadine make a specific throat gargle product where I live, I'm not using the external Betadine product internally.
#15
I got a veruca, I lived with it for a month or so and mentioned it to my grandma as you do, anyway she said to tape a square of banana skin to it each night. I thought it was bollocks but I did it anyway and it actually worked really well, was gone with after 2 weeks!
#16
Mosquito Bites. I get absolutely eaten alive and the only thing that's ever worked for me is extra strength deet. But if I do get bitten, a spoon in a mug of hot water, wait until it gets hot then apply for as long as you can stand to the bite. I don't know why it works, I guess the heat draws the venom out or maybe it just tricks the brain but I've tried everything else and a hot spoon is the only relief.
Andrew Burke 5 months ago
The heat probably breaks down the proteins in the mosquito saliva which are responsible for the allergic reaction. You can actually get heat pens for exactly this reason.
#17
When you’re doing plaster work or dusty work, clean up the dust using damp sawdust. Saves clogging up a vacuum and doesn’t let the dust up into the air. Top tip from my dad who learned it from the old lady who used to clean his dad’s bike shop in the 1950s. Best DIY tip I’ve ever learned.
#18
To stop a mirror steaming up, get a bit of soap on a cloth or towel, rub it on the mirror to cover it. Then buff it up so you can see in it again. Voila!
#19
Rubbing dock leaves on a sting nettle sting. They also appear to grow near each other.
#20
I used to have warts on my fingers by the fingernails. Was told to dab them with sap from a dandelion and cover the, with plasters. Was gone within a fortnight.
#21
If you have a cold with a cough. Tablespoon of honey right before you go to bed. Honey is a natural anti inflammatory with so much other health benefits. It's why most cough medicines have honey in them as an ingredient.
#22
If you have an abscess in your mouth, and you can’t get to a dentist for what ever reason, pop a teabag on it and leave it for a good hour. It’s uncomfortable and slightly disgusting but the teabag will suck the infection out. Well it will calm it down massively, I will add this isn’t a full cure. Mental.
Becky Samuel 5 months ago
Gargle and swish with a nice strong salt solution for mouth and throat infections. Use as much salt as you can dissolve in warm water. Take care not to swallow the salt though.
#23
If you spill oil cover it with salt and sweep it up. Not sure if it’s an old wives tale or a hospitality hack I learned. We had tubs of salt just for oil spills and it’s just so much easier than any thing else.
keyboardtek 5 months ago
Kitty litter absorbs oil. Also if there is no paint recycling center where you live, dispose of old paint by putting kitty litter into the can and leaving the lid off until it dries. Then you can put it with your other landfill trash.
#24
If you drop an egg on the floor sprinkle salt on it &it turns the yolk/white into a paste which is easier to scoop up with kitchen roll or a cloth.
#25
Use a tealight candle to wax wooden drawer runners.
#26
A glass of milk for heartburn. Castor oil packs for any lumps/bumps. Clove oil on toothache. Rub a paracetemol on a hot stained iron to remove burn marks and residue from the iron. Ginger for nausea/sickness/upset tummy. Lemon and honey with ginger and a pinch of cayenne for colds.
#27
From my granny. If you have very bad dry skin, use oats to help soothe it. Take raw oats, the rough sort. Seal them in a cloth or something that can strain. Tie that cloth to the tap and let the bath water filter through the oats. Soak in the turgid oat water. Pat dry.
The cloth is to stop you blocking the drain, sitting on soggy oats and having to clean up afterwards. Pro tip: She used tights as a strainer. Works a treat, no other additives, and cheap.
From my mother, hot water as a cure for indigestion from overeating. Take a cup of hot water, as hot as you can make it. Sip it as soon as you can drink it without completely burning your mouth off. Keep sipping while it is hot. Our normal reaction is to put the cup down until it is cool. Don't do that. Keep sipping while hot. Then walk about a bit, if you can. Give it 10 minutes and you should be fixed.
Tabitha 5 months ago
Drinking hot water—-you can add some lemon for flavor if you like—-stimulates the process of peristalsis, which helps muscle contractions in the digestive tract that aid digestion by moving the contents of the digestive tract along, so you can eventually “evacuate” them. I learned about this as a child from my grandmother, back in the sixties.
#28
Conkers for getting rid of spiders. I won't tell the wife this, but I think she was right as since she saw about this and put conkers round the house we've barely seen any when we used to have loads.
Only problem now is the bloody flies! I'd much rather a harmless spider chilling in the corner keeping them under control!
#29
Magnesium salts to draw out a splinter. Make a really strong solution and soak finger whilst watching telly. Works like a charm.
Rali Meyer 5 months ago
well, this big one I can grab with an adjustable crescent wrench. Perhaps for the invisible ones?
#30
Years ago, I found a charm in an old folk law book to cure hiccups. I've found that most of the time, it works. As I'm pretty sure it's the action and not the little "spell" that goes with it, take 7 sips of water.
Graham Chapman (He/He) 5 months ago
My trick is to take sips of breath and hold it, so sip, hold, sip hold, sip, hold until you can't get enough air in, then slowly release the air out through pursed lips- works every time!
#31
Consuming local unfiltered (raw) honey really helps minor hayfever.
Sadly soon as whatever particular pollen I’m EXTRA allergic to appeared, it ruined me, but up until then it was great.
#32
Cold tea for eye inflammation. Bathe your eye in an eyebath twice a day. I believe that the tannin in the tea is the active ingredient?
#33
The sun also works for turmeric stains.
That's why the British have a problem with them but Indians don't.
You also need the clothes to be damp.
#34
Lavander oil on burns. Got a minor burn from say oil splatter or catching the side of a pan, put a couple drops of lavender on it.
Honestly not sure if placebo, but now I have a bottle of lavender in my kitchen always. Just take care it doesn't go in the food...
#35
Garlic and honey for a cold, garlic is generally magic antibiotic and helps ‘clean’ blood.
Nichole Harris 5 months ago
Combined with ginger and lemon it's even better ( yes it tastes weird but it's medicine not lunch)
#36
When i was young and had hiccups, my nan told me to take a big deep breath then fill my mouth up with water, hold my breath for as long as i can and then swallow the water.
I don't care if someone says "that doesnt work" or anything because for my entire life since then it has never failed me, rarely i might have to do it twice but it just works.
I don't know scientifically if it helps reset your diaphragm or what, but it just works for me.
Rali Meyer 5 months ago
I get people to name 5 celebs with bald heads. Telly Savalas, Yul Bynner, ...- em, em, em. Gone
#37
Raw onion on the bottom of your feet to cure colds. Just put a sock over them and go to sleep.
I had an event coming up but didn't want to cancel with a cold, My mom's old neighbour told me to do this and I thought she was crazy, but I was desperate.
It felt weird and I threw my socks away, but my cold had gone, no symptoms at all the next day.
Witchcraft 😂.
#38
I once had a swollen, infected toe.. Did the lactating mother trick of finding a cabbage leaf (darker green the better) and wrapped it up. Drew the heat out and reduced swelling. even a dark green lettuce leaf worked.
#39
My Nan used to chop an onion in half and put it on the windowsill inside, she said it like a natural dehumidifier 🧐.
#40
I had a sty appear out of no where after becoming unwell.
My old dear told me to rub gold directly onto the sty daily, I did this for weeks and nothing was happening and I felt like abit of a t**t for doing it in all honesty, when I finally stopped doing it after seeing no results the sty literally disappeared. Extremely quickly. Like gone in a few days..
#41
One I heard was planting a cooked sausage in the garden a week before a wedding will ensure good weather. So we tried it, thinking nothing of it. The days before our wedding were wet and autumnal, as were the days afterwards. The day itself, a beautiful October day with gorgeous weather.
#42
"Rain before seven,fine by eleven." I actually live by this one.
Another one that I've heard that could be translated as accurate is
"Oak before the Ash, and you're in for a splash,
Ash before the Oak, and you're in for a soak. "
Because either way, it's going to rain.
#43
A spoonful of vinegar to stop the hiccups.
It actually worked for me.
#44
Sell a wart. I had a few warts on my fingers for months as a teenager. My mums best friend bought each wart for a silver coin. She told me to bury the coins in my back garden and within a week they had gone.
#46
Pink Himalayan Sea salt for migraines …
More specifically, electrolytes.
Tabitha 5 months ago (edited)
I use menthol for headaches. It relaxes the muscles and clears my sinuses, which are both the main reasons for headaches for me. If you’re hungover, drink non-caffeinated beverages, as alcohol is a diuretic, and the hangover headache is from dehydration. Throwing up may help clear your stomach, but it also dehydrates you, so drinking water, juice, Gatorade, or any other drink that doesn’t contain caffeine (also a diuretic) will ease your headache and make the morning after a heavy partying night go a lot less painfully for you. Of course, since the best way to not get hungover is to not drink mass quantities of alcohol, so moderation and knowing your limit, then switching to a drink without alcohol or caffeine that’s been spruced up to look like it’s and alcoholic mixed drink would be even better (to keep your friends from trying to force more booze on you when you don’t want it—-and people who party and drink a lot tend to try to do this if you aren’t matching them drink for drink, because misery loves company, and if it can’t find any it tries to create some by making everyone else miserable too).
#47
Raw egg white for nappy (diaper) rash! My son, when he was an infant, had bad nappy rash and was in so much pain. My older colleague told me that her Mum recommended egg white to her when her kids were babies (they are in their forties now). I tried it at night and it was so much better than using any of the barrier creams. His nappy area was so less inflamed in the morning.
What do you think ?
Papa 5 months ago
I have one I learned when I was a boy. If you get dust in your eye, spit, as forcefully as you can. That doesn't work 100% of the time, but it does more often than you'd think.
Little Bit 5 months ago
If you get a bit of grit or dust in your eye, if you rub your other eye it goes away. It's always worked for me.
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wowbagger 5 months ago
Once when I was at my grandma's house, I woke up with terrible nausea, but I didn't get sick. She had me drink strong cinnamon tea to help me throw up, because she figured I'd feel better if I could just get rid of whatever was bothering my stomach. It did the trick! Sadly, I was at the hospital a few hours later, having my appendix removed, because that was the actual cause of the nausea. Anyway, I can recommend cinnamon tea as an emetic.
Papa 5 months ago
I have one I learned when I was a boy. If you get dust in your eye, spit, as forcefully as you can. That doesn't work 100% of the time, but it does more often than you'd think.
Little Bit 5 months ago
If you get a bit of grit or dust in your eye, if you rub your other eye it goes away. It's always worked for me.
Load More Replies... wowbagger 5 months ago
Once when I was at my grandma's house, I woke up with terrible nausea, but I didn't get sick. She had me drink strong cinnamon tea to help me throw up, because she figured I'd feel better if I could just get rid of whatever was bothering my stomach. It did the trick! Sadly, I was at the hospital a few hours later, having my appendix removed, because that was the actual cause of the nausea. Anyway, I can recommend cinnamon tea as an emetic.
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