Those small little silica gel packets that are often found packed in with a whole number of items usually end up in the bin but they can be reused in a number of ways.
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Travel and fashion TikTok star Patrice, known online as @patricejwill, has advised her thousands of followers not to just simply throw the little packets out as they can become very handy.
In a short clip on the social media site Patrice said: “Do not throw these away.
“These are natural deodorisers, and they remove moisture.”
While appearing to pack for a trip, she added a handful of the silica gel packets into her suitcase, saying they can be useful if your bathing suit is wet and can also save your mobile in a pinch.
As silica is a drying agent, it helps keeps things fresh and free of mould an odours.
The gel packets can absorb up to 40 per cent of their weight in moisture, reports Discover magazine.
It should be noted though that the tiny sponge-like pellets inside the packets can be a choking hazard and that other desiccants can be toxic.
They are very useful though, so much so that Nasa has deployed an aerogel form of the desiccant in its Mars rover.
The silica gel packets that can often be found packed in with any number of consumer goods, dried fruits and even vitamins, can be put to any number of good uses.
Another social media user has shared 15 other uses for them, including in with your gym kit and shoes.
As the packets keep your possessions in good shape for longer, they can help you save money as you don’t need to replace items as quickly.
Some followers were grateful for the tip
One person said: “A travel hack I’ve actually never heard before! Thank you!”
Commentators were also quick to applaud the hack with other social media users saying they always had desiccants to hand.
TOP 25 HACKS SAVVY HOLIDAY BOOKERS SWEAR BY
1. Compare different travel dates to see if it’s cheaper
2. Search for flights departing on a particular day to see if it’s cheaper
3. Pay for flights with a credit card
4. Book a hotel directly rather than through a third-party site
5. Pack as lightly as possible to avoid baggage charges
6. Search for flights six-eight weeks in advance of the trip
7. Buy a package deal to make the entire trip less costly
8. Compare multiple flight comparison websites
9. Compare multiple airline websites directly
10. Book flights in the ‘off season’ of where you’re travelling to
11. Look up when school holidays are as to travel outside of these times
12. Clear cookies from your browser when resuming a search for flights or hotels
13. Compare two, one-way flights instead of a return flight, to see if that’s cheaper
14. Compare multiple travel agents directly
15. Use ‘private’ or ‘incognito’ mode on your browser so they can’t tell you’ve already looked at flights
16. Book a flight into a less busy airport
17. Fly overnight to reduce costs
18. Set up price alerts to be notified of price drops
19. Sign up to air mile or frequent flyer programmes
20. Sign up to airline flight deal newsletters
21. Consider different layover options to lower the price of your overall trip
22. Wake up early to take advantage of the cheaper tickets on sale at the start of the day
23. Compare flights in other currencies to see if you can save money
24. Search for hidden city tickets (when you buy a ticket with the intention of leaving the plane at a stopover, rather than the final destination)
25. Use throw away ticketing (where a round trip flight is cheaper than your desired one way flight so you purchase the round trip flight and throw away the return ticket)
One person wrote: “They saved my phone on a trip!”
While another noted: “Great tip!”
Patrice responded: “Yup! Same for me when I was in St. John and I placed my phone in my bag and something sticky got in the port.”
Another posted: “They’re also great for your toolbox! They keep your tools from getting any tiny little rust spots.”
Elsewhere, a travel influencer has shared five easy hacks everyone should know about.
Among her savvy tips was how you can board a plane with a large bottle of water.
It comes as one travel expert revealed the best way to save space while packing your suitcase.
This simple hack will allow holidaymakers extra room to bring along as many items as they want.
Meanwhile, this clever item will help make walking through the airport a breeze.
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