Silica Gel Packets + 50 Surprising Ways to Use Them

You won’t believe how many ways you can reuse those silica gel packets that come in the box with your new pair of shoes, your vitamin bottles, and other packaging. Don’t throw desiccant packs in the trash ever again!

We’ve all seen those little white silica packets that come in the box when you buy a new pair of heels, a bottle of vitamins, or a new purse.

I used to toss those silica beads in the trash, but my brilliant husband asked me to start keeping them. He has discovered some great uses for those silica gel packets that I had never thought of!

50 Creative ways to reuse silica gel packets

What is silica gel? What is silica used for?

Silica gel packets are used to absorb moisture and keep things dry.

Many manufacturers add these desiccant packs to their new products to keep them fresh and moisture-free for the consumer.

Silica gel uses

Silica gel packets are ideal to reuse throughout your home in places where you might be worried about excess moisture.

Here are a some genius ways to reuse Silica gel packets in your home. I wrote this post originally with 6 ideas, and my brilliant readers have shared TONS of amazing useful comments with how they use silica gel packets in their home, so I’ve added to my list with their ideas.

If you have more ideas, be sure to comment and let me know!

Warning: Please make sure that you keep silica packets out of the reach of children and pets. These are not to be eaten, and could be a hazard if left where a small child could access it.

This post contains affiliate links. If a purchase is made, I make a small percentage at no extra cost to you.

50 Surprising Uses for Silica Gel Packets:

#1 Use silica gel packets to save your phone from water damage

I recently dropped my iPhone in a pot of boiling potatoes while trying to multitask (yep, I was on Pinterest while making dinner).

I dropped my phone in the boiling water, quickly pulled it out with a spoon, dried it off, removed the SIM card, and put it in a Ziploc bag filled with silica gel packets that we had stockpiled.

I left it alone for a few days, and was shocked to find that it worked perfectly!

Supposedly, this works better than the rice trick for saving your cell phone. Just restrain yourself and don’t turn the phone on until a few days later. Doing this could cause an electrical short and ruin your phone.

#2 Add silica packets to photos to keep them safe and free from moisture

I recently pulled out a scrapbook I had made, when I noticed that some of my scrapbook pages were wet.

You can imagine how upset I was to find that one of my kids had spilled water, and it had dripped down into the sheet protectors and onto my pages.

My husband quickly air dried the pages, and was able to salvage most of them.

Now each of those pages have a silica gel packet in between the two pieces of card stock in each sheet protector. I did this to absorb any excess moisture that might still be hiding in the paper.

We will eventually remove them, because I am unsure of the archival quality of silica, but for now I am okay with them being there.

#3 Use silica packets to keep collectables in pristine condition

My husband has quite the baseball card collection, and uses silica gel packets to keep his collection to store long-term and in great condition.

#4 Keep desiccant packs stored with important documents

Whether you store important documents (birth certificates, social security cards, etc.) in files in a desk, cabinet, box, or envelopes, you can add a few packets of silica gel to keep them protected and safe.

#5 Add silica gel packets to each container in your basement, garage, or storage unit to absorb excess moisture.

We use them everywhere in our basement since it is prone to moisture due to its’ location.

#6 Preserve your Christmas ornaments and holiday decorations with silica beads

Holiday decorations get taken out of their boxes only once a year, so using silica gel packets

in your Christmas boxes is a smart idea to keep your decorations and special ornaments in pristine condition.

#7 To remove the musty smell from old books

Place a musty book in a bag with several gel packs for a few days and the smell will be gone!

#8 REUSE these packets once they are full of moisture

From The Feral Turtle- “We save our silica gel packets too! They will collect moisture and quit working, though, so we regenrate them in a 200 degree over for about 2 hours and store them in an airtight Ziploc bag until we need them.”

Here are 44 more silica gel uses, thanks to my genius readers. Keep the creative ideas coming!

#9 Add them in with your embossing powders to keep them moisture free

#10 Place a large packet in the bottom of a dirty clothes hamper to eliminate the smell of dirty clothes

#11 Make your own desiccant packs with loose silica gel beads and inexpensive tea bags

#12 Store with hearing aids when not in use to remove any moisture from inside

#13 Place in between phone and phone case to keep out unwanted moisture

#14 Lay out silica gel packets in the hot sun on a dry day to recharge them

#15 Add to collected seeds for gardening to prevent mold from growing

#16 Put them in your gun safe and with ammo to prevent rusting

#17 Empty the packets over small flowers in a small bowl to dry the flowers and maintain their color

#18 Store with silver jewelery to keep it from tarnishing

#19 Add to a camera bag and with lenses and other camera equipment

#20 Store with Polaroid pictures for a month to stabilize the colors and keep them looking vibrant

#21 Add a few packs with your camping gear

#22 Place some with hidden geocaches

#23 If shoes or boots are wet when it’s time to store them, add a few silica gel packets inside of them

#24 Keep your jewelry supplies moisture-free with a few silica packets

#25 If you have a condensation problem around your windows, placing a few desiccant packets nearby can help

#26 Keep some in your medicine or vitamin cabinet, especially if stored in the bathroom since it can get humid from baths and showers

#27 Place them in the box with antique or family silver utensils and serving dishes to prevent them from tarnishing

#28 Add them to your sewing pins and needles to keep them from rusting

#29 Store with seasonal clothing when not in use- for example, with sweaters, boots, etc. during the summer

#30 A few silica gel packets stored inside a guitar or other musical instruments that

#31 Keep dampness away from your computer by storing some inside your computer case

#32 Place a few in a tackle box to prevent rust

#33 Stuff a few inside your shoes to eliminate moisture

#34 Store with nails and screw and in tool boxes to keep them from rusting

#35 Add a few to your incense sticks storage so they don’t go out due to moisture

#36 If your powder laundry detergent clumps, you can add a couple of dessicant packets to remove moisture and prevent clumping

#37 Drop a few in tins to prevent them from rusting

#38 If you have added to much water to a potted plant, place the plant out in the sun with a few silica gel packets on top of the soil to draw away the excess water

#39 If your dishwasher detergent is clumpy, add a few silica gel packets to absorb the moisture

#40 Place in an electric guitar to prevent body or neck deformations

#41 Use these to keep your welding rods dry

#42 Place inside closets

#43 Store inside suitcases and bags when not in use

#44 Keep your coin collection in pristine shape with a few silica gel packets

#45 Place inside purses that are out of season and not being used

#46 If you live in a humid area, place a few in a makeup drawer

#47 Keep a few inside your gym bag to help keep eliminate moistness and odors

#48 Place multiple packets inside a car that isn’t in use

#49 If you live where it is very humid, place packets inside your dvd cases

#50 Store packets with sensitive electronics to keep them moisture-free

As you can see, there are so many different ways to reuse silica gel packets.

You can buy silica gel packets for a great price on Amazon, so don’t worry if you don’t have any left from your packaging.

Do you keep silica gel packets? Are you going to start keeping them now? Do you have any more ideas on where to use these desiccant packets?

Other creative ideas to try:

Please share and pin if you found this post helpful!

Originally posted January 2013, updated October 2018.