More Than A Bathroom Staple: 14 Overlooked Ways To Use A Shower Cap In Your Home And Garden

Shower caps are typically made from plastic or fabric covering plastic. Their shape, size, and the fact that they have an elastic rim have sparked peoples' imaginations and inspired folks to come up with new uses for this bathroom staple. We compiled 14 possible applications, some of which are focused on helping seeds germinate and protecting seedlings. Others are related to covering food and keeping it safe for picnics. You'll find ways to use a shower cap as a glove, so you don't have to directly touch something yucky, along with other ideas for creating barriers against dirt. Some suggestions may just surprise you.

The usefulness of shower caps may suggest you should hang onto old ones you have and save the cheap versions you can find in hotel rooms. But given that you might spend less than $10 for 100 plastic shower caps, it would also make sense to stock up by buying them in bulk.

A shower cap can come in handy for both indoor and outdoor seed starting. For instance, you could buy some from the Dollar Tree and try this hack for easy germination. While indoors, place the plastic head coverings on pots or small seed-starting trays to keep seeds warm and capture moisture. For winter sowing in your garden, you could put shower caps on containers located outside and allow seeds to germinate when they're ready. You'll want to poke many holes in the caps for winter sowing to allow moisture, but only a few for indoor germination.

You might be old enough to remember when plastic covers resembling shower caps were routinely sold as a way to cover leftovers in containers. You can still buy such products in various sizes, but in a pinch, you could easily stretch a shower cap over a bowl as a reusable solution that keeps food fresh. The elastic enables shower caps to fit on containers of different sizes.

Oh, darn! You left your bike in a place that exposed the seat to rain. Grab a shower cap and place it on the seat to cover up that wetness. Keep it handy in case you need to park your bike in the rain and want the seat to stay dry. Or maybe your bike seat is getting worn and has holes, and you'd like to refurbish it. Choose a decorative shower cap. Securely wrap the cap around the seat and tuck any extra material underneath. 

Courteous tradespeople typically put "booties" over their work boots when entering a home so they don't track in dirt. Store some cheap shower caps by the front door for anyone sporting dirty or wet footwear. You can even apply this hack to inanimate objects like ladder feet and stroller wheels to keep them from bringing crud into your house.

It's important to cover cut melons you're storing in the fridge to prevent them from absorbing flavors from other foods. One option is to cut the fruit into slices, place them a plate, and then cover the food with a shower cap. This approach is similar to methods that The Kitchn rated as some of the best ways to store watermelon pieces (placing slices in a zip-top bag or wrapping plated fruit in plastic).

Few things are more gross than hair clogs in your shower drain. Because those wet strands tend to gather close to the drain, you can often pull all or most of them out with your hand — but, ew, who wants to touch them? Before you attempt to remove hair clogs from the shower, place your hand in a disposable cap so you have a barrier between you and the soap scum and hair salad you're pulling out. You can then wrap the clog in the cap for disposal.

Time to take the doggo out, and you discover you're out of pet poop bags. Not a problem if you have a supply of shower caps. You could easily use them like a glove to pick up and contain the waste. You can employ shower caps to pick up poop on your own property, too, which is a good idea since droppings may be secretly attracting rodents to your yard.

We've seen that germinating seeds can benefit from shower caps, and the same is true during a period when you're saving your garden seedlings from transplant shock. This process, called "hardening off," means putting your seedlings outside in their containers for longer periods each day and under increasingly challenging conditions. Even though you want to expose them to the elements, covering them with shower caps will protect them from wind and cold temperatures until closer to transplant time. Poke holes in caps for air and water access.

The proofing stage is critical during bread-making, as that's when fermentation occurs. BThe dough needs to be covered in some way while it's rising for temperature and humidity control, as well as to help keep its shape. Shower caps are a perfect size and shape for this task. Be sure not to use a shower cap that's been on anyone's head for food products.

It's not unusual to pause in the middle of a painting project and need to cover the paint can to keep the contents from drying out. If you're returning to the project soon, it seems like overkill to firmly pound the lid onto the paint can only to have to pry it open after a short time. So cover it with a shower cap instead. You can also use the head covering to wrap rollers and brushes to keep them from drying out for up to 24 hours 

Got a big sanding project coming up? Planning on removing a popcorn ceiling? Tackling some painting?While the main job of shower caps is keeping hair from getting wet when we shower, they can also protect against dust and drips from DIY projects. It's not a bad idea to wear one when you're doing routine dusting around your home. 

Perishable food for a picnic or outdoor party is chilled and safe as long as it's in the cooler. But once you pull it out and place it on the table — where it might spend an hour or more — how do you keep it below 40 degrees Farenheit, the beginning of the temperature danger zone for perishable food? Genius shower cap hack to the rescue! Fill a shower cap with ice, and then set the bowl containing the food inside the icy shower cap. Replenish with ice from the cooler.

If you're looking to prevent limescale from building up before it becomes a problem, using a shower cap to cover bathroom fixtures in the direct path of shower water is worth a try. While we could not find scientific evidence to support this hack, users have anecdotally succeeded with this method. Limescale is from mineral deposits left behind when hard water hits surfaces and evaporates. If a shower cap serves as a barrier to water making contact with the fixture, it makes sense that limescale can't form on that fixture.

We conclude with an oldie-but-goodie — using a shower cap to pack shoes in when you travel. While this is arguably the most widely published shower-cap hack on the internet, it's still a smart one for keeping your shoes together and preventing any dirt from your shoes from getting on other clothing. You can even use shower caps for your shoes when you're not traveling. Shower caps on seldom worn shoes will keep dust off them.