How To: Use a coffee filter for more than making coffee

Learn how to use a coffee filter for more than making coffee.

Discover the versatility of coffee filters by learning all the things they can do besides straining your java.

You Will Need

* Coffee filters
* Window cleaner
* String or rubber bands
* A little imagination
* Transparent adhesive tape

Step 1. Prevent splatters

Prevent microwave splatters by covering foods with a filter before nuking them.

Step 2. Get streak-free mirrors

Use them with window cleaner to wash windows and mirrors; they're lint-free.

Step 3. Protect your china

Protect your good china by slipping a filter between each plate.

Step 4. Recycle cooking oil

Recycle cooking oil by straining it through a filter-lined sieve.

Step 5. Prevent food spills

Use them to prevent food spills: Wrap them around tacos, or poke them through Popsicle sticks or corn-dog sticks.

Step 6. Soak up grease

Drain bacon, French fries, and other greasy foods on filters; they'll soak up the oil.

Step 7. Keep dust out

Fashion a makeshift dust mask by tying one around your mouth and nose with string or rubber bands.

Step 8. Layer cookies

Put one at the bottom of a cookie tin, and then lay them between layers of baked goods.

Tip: To remove one coffee filter from a stack, hold one end of a one-inch piece of tape with your fingers and swipe the top filter with the sticky side of the other end. Gently tug and just one filter will separate from the bunch.

Fact: The first drip coffee pot was invented in the late 18th century by English physicist Benjamin Thompson.