40+ Bizarre & Sometimes Clever Uses for Vicks VapoRub

Did you know that VapoRub can potentially prevent your pets from doing their business indoors? This life-changing hack can be used to help train your pets and teach them not to go to the bathroom in the house. Simply rub a bit of the balm over the spot where your pet usually marks its territory.

The strong scent will prevent your pets from coming back to the same place over and over again. Eventually, your pet will start getting used to this treatment and they will want to go outside to do their business!

Sometimes, you might need to fake a few tears to impress your acting coach or to get out of a tricky situation. Making your eyes water by staring into the distance can take some time. Well, you can speed up this process with VapoRub.

Apparently, if you rub a bit underneath your eyes, the tears will start rolling down your cheeks. This will make you an expert in crying on demand. Personally, we wouldn’t put Vicks VapoRub anywhere near our eyes but to each their own, we guess! If you decide to try this trick out for some reason — although we don’t know why anyone would — be extremely careful to avoid getting any balm in your eyes!

Next time you plan on going camping in the forest, perhaps consider taking VapoRub with you. The product apparently makes a great insect repellent. Simply apply a small amount of Vicks VapoRub to your skin and/or clothing, and the mosquitoes will be more likely to stay away from you.

The balm’s strong scent repels those annoying bugs, so you can relax when you’re out in nature. VapoRub also supposedly works to relieve the discomfort of insect bites if you’ve already fallen prey to hungry mosquitos. Apply the product on your mosquito bites to relieve the itchiness.

There’s nothing more annoying than the noise a squeaky door makes. Luckily, some VapoRub can fix this issue in under a minute. In order to get rid of the annoying squeaky noise, just rub some VapoRub on the hinges of the door.

This is a non-toxic and quick solution, as well as an excellent substitute for oiling your door hinges. If you run out of grease and don’t feel like making a trip to the hardware store, grab a tub of VapoRub and get to work on those squeaky hinges.

Discomfort inside and around the ear can be caused by various health problems. Vicks VapoRub can purportedly be used as an effective treatment for earache and wax buildup. Putting some balm on a cotton ball and leaving it in your ear overnight can supposedly help relieve the pain.

Then again, we’re not really fans of sticking anything in our ears, especially cotton swabs covered in VaporRub. After all, we wouldn’t want to cause damage to our eardrum or ear canal. So, we’d definitely skip this one.

If you’re running out of your favorite makeup remover, apparently, Vicks VapoRub makes a great substitute? We’re not really sure how that works, exactly. But, we definitely wouldn’t recommend it.

After all, you’d need to be extremely gentle while rubbing the makeup of your eyelids to avoid getting any balm in your eyes or lashes. This a no-go, people. Don’t try this one at home.

Riding a horse during the mating season can be very tricky since male horses can be distracted by the scent of another female horse nearby. During this period of time, it’s likely that your horse will not listen to your commands, even if you give him his favorite treats.

In order to keep your horse focused, you can apparently just rub some VapoRub cream underneath his nose. The menthol supposably masks the scent of any female horse nearby. If we owned a horse, though, we definitely wouldn’t try this tip. It could seriously irritate your horse’s muzzle!

Cats like sharpening their claws on hard surfaces, and they can often destroy your furniture in the process. Apparently, you can apply a small amount of VapoRub to doors, walls, or furniture to add a protective layer. Cats will likely be repelled by the strong scent of menthol, and they’ll start avoiding those areas.

Thanks to VapoRub, you can leave your cat alone in the house without worrying about your favorite armchair getting completely destroyed. You can also apply the balm on your legs or arms if your cat is prone to scratching you.

For the ultimate home spa experience, try VapoRub’s shower discs. They release therapeutic aromas in the shower, which can relax and energize your body. Place a disc at the bottom of your shower to get the best results.

As the hot water hits the disc, the essential oils will release and spread the refreshing scent throughout your bathroom. The disks can also help clear congestion and loosen up the tension in your head when you have a cold. Overall, the VapoRub discs will enhance the relaxing experience of taking a shower.

Having warts on your hands or feet can be uncomfortable and unsightly. Apparently, you can apply some VapoRub on your warts and cover the area with a sock or any clean cloth. Do this twice a day for a period of two weeks till the warts are completely gone.

If you experience any kind of irritation, you should immediately remove the product and wash that area thoroughly with soap and water.

A jar of VapoRub can also speed up the healing process… allegedly. If you ever cut your hand or end up with a splinter, just apply some cream on the wound. It can reportedly help your body heal faster without any side effects.

If you’ve run out of Neosporin or a similar antibiotic topical cream, that’s apparently not a problem as long as you have Vicks VapoRub at home. Not only can it apparently help your cuts heal faster, but it may also prevent any fungal infections and protect your skin from germs. Still, we’d probably just go to the store to buy more Neosporin and call it a day.

Nearly everyone has struggled with acne at some point in their life. VapoRub is purportedly one of the best at-home remedies for blemishes and acne. Some of the ingredients in VapoRub have been known to help fight acne.

Apparently, if you dab some of the balm on the red spots and leave it on overnight, you may notice a significant improvement in the morning. But again — Vicks VaporRub isn’t an all-purpose solution despite the fact that these weird tips and tricks might tell you otherwise.

If you love the smell of menthol, you can add some VapoRub to an air freshener or an air diffuser to spread the scent around the house. This is a great way to clear congestion if you’re sick and don’t want to rub the cream onto your skin.

Using VapoRub as a therapeutic aroma is supposedly a great alternative for people with sensitive skin who get rashes easily. Even if you’re not sick and you just want to add some sort of scent around the house, VapoRub can freshen up your room in no time!

VapoRub allegedly works wonders in clearing up all kinds of skin conditions. A small amount of this product has been said to help treat eczema or rosacea. But, we’d have to seriously disagree.

After all, skin conditions aren’t something to mess with. The only type of ointment you should be putting on your eczema or rosacea is whatever your doctor has prescribed. Treating your skin with VapoRub can cause further irritation. Don’t do it!

Supposedly, one of the most common uses of Vicks VapoRub is to relieve headaches. If you’re suffering from a throbbing headache, you can apparently apply a small amount of VapoRub on your forehead and temples. The menthol scent can help relieve pain and tension in your head.

Besides the fact that it smells really good, menthol has been said to help lower blood pressure and relieve pain in a few minutes. Then again, there are many different ways to relieve headaches that we’d probably try out first — from drinking water to resting with the lights off.

Many women have started using VapoRub to combat stretch marks because of the anti-inflammatory properties of eucalyptus. It can allegedly work to tone and tighten loose skin, especially after pregnancy.

VapoRub contains a combination of eucalyptus oil, cedar leaf oil, and other skin-soothing ingredients. These ingredients can help smooth skin that was stretched during pregnancy. Then again, though, stretch marks are beautiful and should be embraced — especially considering the fact that they’re a result of carrying and nurturing your baby during those nine months.

One of the most common uses of Vicks VapoRub is to ease muscle pain. The product helps increase circulation and gives almost instant relief. VapoRub can help reduce soreness, as long as you apply a large amount to the painful area and rub it in for at least five to ten minutes.

The balm will provide a soothing and cooling sensation in the sore area and thus help you feel less tense and more refreshed. Thanks to these properties, VapoRub is very useful for runners and athletes in general.

We all know how sunburns can feel unbearable at times. Being as red as a lobster is not an ideal look for summer. Vicks VapoRub happens to be a great solution for relieving the discomfort of sunburned areas on your skin and can even help prevent peeling.

Applying the balm on your red areas may help relieve pain, burning, and itchiness. Next time you plan on sunbathing in your backyard or taking a beach vacation, don’t forget to pack the aloe! If you do, VapoRub could make a good alternative.

Having a dry scalp can cause itchiness as well as a flurry of unattractive white flakes on your shoulders. You can supposedly treat this condition with a bit of Vicks VapoRub.

Similar to what we said about treating skin conditions, though, this isn’t something to mess with. Don’t just apply whatever topical ointment you have sitting at home to your scalp, as it could seriously irritate your skin condition even more. Instead, make an appointment with your dermatologist!

Toenail fungus can be very unpleasant, and VapoRub can apparently be a good alternative treatment. If you suspect you have fungus, you can rub this product on your nails and the skin around them. In a few days, you will hopefully see a significant improvement in the appearance of your feet.

Due to the antiseptic and antibacterial properties of thymol, one of the product’s ingredients, the balm can efficiently treat fungal infections and allow for healthy nail growth. Keep applying the product for a period of two weeks to get the best results.

If you have a fresh bruise and want to speed up the healing process, try applying Vicks VapoRub on the affected area. The balm could help reduce swelling and heal the wound underneath.

VapoRub can come in handy if you’re one to injure yourself, or if you have active children who are prone to coming home with bruises. Make sure to store an extra tub of VapoRub in the back of your bathroom cabinet just in case you need to fix up a bruise one day.

Chapped lips look really unattractive, and they can hardly be masked with lipstick. If you often feel that your lips are dry and chapped, you can supposedly apply a small amount of VapoRub to get softer and fuller lips.

Menthol is one of the main ingredients in the product, and it serves as a natural lip plumper. Still, we’re not sure how comfortable we’d feel putting Vicks VapoRub anywhere near our mouth. We suggest thinking twice before trying this hack out.

The skin on the heels is prone to dryness, especially during the winter period. Not moisturizing the skin properly can lead to cracked heels, which can be very painful. VapoRub can alleviate the dryness and bring your feet back to their natural, healthy state.

After applying the product onto your feet, put on socks to let it absorb and prevent it from getting all over your floor if you’re walking around. Vicks VapoRub contains petroleum jelly, which helps lock the moisture in your skin. In order to prevent future dryness, you might also consider moisturizing your heels regularly with VapoRub.

VapoRub can allegedly help you reduce fat and cellulite in both the belly and thigh area. All you have to apparently do is create a slimming cream at home using VapoRub as one of the main ingredients.

To do so, you’re going to need VapoRub, baking soda, rubbing alcohol, and camphor powder. Mix the ingredients together and apply the DIY cream to the desired area. Cover it with plastic wrap to let it absorb and get the full effect. This may sound super easy, but this hack is ridiculous. It probably won’t cause you to lose belly fat, but it could likely irritate your skin.

Dry skin on the face can be the result of various factors — including hot water, winter weather, harsh soaps, etc. Vicks VapoRub can serve as an efficient facial moisturizer to solve this issue, according to some. Apparently, the product on your face can help moisturize the dry patches and leave your skin looking smooth and flawless.

While the ingredients in VapoRub can supposedly help restore moisture to dry skin, we’ll have to disagree… yet again. VapoRub isn’t meant to act as a moisturizer — and as we’ve said many times throughout this list — it can cause lots of irritation. Rather than grabbing a random topical cream from your medicine cabinet to moisturize with, do proper research and get professional advice about the kinds of creams you should use on your skin.

Itchy skin is an incredibly uncomfortable sensation that makes you scratch all the time, which only makes the situation worse. There are many factors that can cause itchiness — including dry skin, a bug bite, or an untreated skin condition. You can use VapoRub to relieve itchiness in the affected areas.

The eucalyptus oil in VapoRub can apparently help the skin heal and serve as a protective layer. If VapoRub doesn’t help in soothing the itch, however, it would be a good idea to see a doctor since persistent itching can be a sign of a health condition that needs to be treated medically.

Open wounds can easily get infected if you don’t treat them properly. You have to make sure to disinfect the area, even if it’s a small cut or even a burn. Well, some say that applying VapoRub around the open wound can help you disinfect it properly.

The petroleum jelly in the balm helps seal the disinfecting ingredients that help heal cuts and burns in a short period of time. After applying the balm to the affected area, you will feel a cooling sensation, which will instantly soothe the pain.

Some lipsticks can be really difficult to remove. Even some of the most expensive makeup removers may not work on long-lasting lipsticks. VapoRub debatably comes to the rescue. We wouldn’t but, apparently, you can apply a thin layer of the balm on your stained lips and wait for approximately five minutes.

After that, just use a cotton ball or tissue to wipe it off. VapoRub will help you remove lipstick completely without leaving any stains or residue — but keep in mind that it may also sting! Perhaps you might consider using water and soap instead, or good old makeup remover.

You do not have to be a tennis superstar to get tennis elbow — it happens even to casual players. VapoRub can be used as an analgesic to temporarily relieve aching muscles and joints. If you’re suffering from tennis elbow, just rub the cream on the painful spot to relieve any discomfort.

Repeat the process a few times a day until the elbow stops aching. Menthol and camphor, the two powerful ingredients in Vicks VapoRub, can help ease the pain as efficiently as possible.

As we’ve mentioned, one of the most common uses for Vicks VapoRub is to help relieve chest congestion and cough. However, there’s another interesting way to do this.

Some people swear by this — if you apply some Vick’s VapoRub to your feet before you go to bed, it’ll help you shake off a cough. To make sure that you don’t get Vicks all over your blankets and sheets, though, don’t forget to throw on a pair of socks once you apply the cream!

If you want a nice candle for your bedside, you can put your jar of Vick’s VapoRub to use here as well! All you need is a rolled-up piece of cotton and a small jar of Vick’s.

First, cover the cotton in Vick’s VapoRub. Now, cut a hole in the lid that you can fit the cotton through and close the cover. Once you light it, the cotton will burn and have the soothing scent of Vick’s VapoRub.

When you first purchase new shoes, they’re shiny and impeccable. After wearing them a few times, though, you’ll notice this luster starts to fade as dirt accumulates on them.

If you want your shoes to look as good as new, grab a jar of Vick’s VapoRub! Put a little bit on a spare toothbrush and start to scrub away. Not only will this help remove any grime from your shoes, but it’ll also add a polished appearance thanks to the oils in the rub.

If you struggle to grow hair, you aren’t completely out of luck. There are plenty of products on the market that are meant to promote hair growth, but all you might need is a jar of Vick’s VapoRub.

Apparently, all you have to do is take a little bit and apply it to your scalp. This works for a couple of reasons. First, it stimulates blood flow in your scalp. Secondly, it works to kill any bacteria you might have on your scalp. But, naturally, using it in excess can cause lots of irritation to your scalp, so keep that in mind if you try this hack out.

Cold sores and fever blisters are pesky and painful problems. Even worse, they can be triggered by stress, making your week even worse. The good news is that relief is close at hand.

When you notice that you have sores or blisters on your lip, you can try putting some Vick’s VapoRub on it! This evidently works because Vick’s VapoRub has ingredients like eucalyptus oil in it. Even so, we’ll stick with a topical cream specifically made for cold sores — like Blistex or Zovirax.

When you go camping, or even if you’re just enjoying a few hours outside in the summer, you open yourself up to the risk of tick bites. If not treated properly, this can become a huge problem.

Getting a tick-off is a challenge in and of itself. Luckily, you can rely on Vick’s VapoRub to help you. Once you realize you’ve been bitten, apply Vick’s VapoRub to the area. The strong scent is likely to get the tick to release.

Just like Vick’s VapoRub is great for relieving sore muscles, it’s also a great tool to turn to if you’re suffering from arthritis pain.

If you find your joints starting to hurt, you can apply Vick’s VapoRub to the affected area for some relief. In fact, you can apply Vick’s VapoRub to the places where your joints hurt up to three or four times a day for continuous pain relief. This will reduce the pain that comes with arthritis.

Have you ever tried to open an old or dirty lock only for your key to catch inside? This can be caused by debris within the lock. This can be a challenge to clean, though.

After all, it’s a small area that’s hard to get into. But you can actually clean it with your key. Just liberally apply Vick’s VapoRub onto the key before putting it in the lock. When you use it, you should be able to open the lock easily.

If you use a humidifier to help keep your breathing easy at night, you can add Vicks VapoRub to help keep your lungs clear.

Some humidifiers or vaporizers will let you add items like aromatherapy components to the tank. That being said, you have to make sure that your humidifier has an aromatherapy compartment to put Vick’s VapoRub into. Without it, you won’t be able to add it to the humidifier and reap the benefits.

Whether it’s on a bag, a boot, or a jacket, a stuck zipper is no joke. It’s a frustrating experience that can hinder how well you can use your items. Don’t panic when this happens.

Instead, just reach for your Vick’s VapoRub and liberally apply it to the zipper and the track. This will help to lubricate it and lead it along the track. Gone are the days that you need to pull and tug on your zipper until it breaks!

If you have trouble sleeping at night because of a nasty cough or cold, you might want to keep a tub of Vicks VapoRub on your bedside table. Apply a generous amount of the balm on your chest before getting into bed, and inhale the soothing vapor.

Relieving cough symptoms is one of the traditional uses of VapoRub, and it should not be overlooked. This balm can really help when you’re awake in the middle of the night, coughing away and waking up your spouse.

Sometimes, you may find yourself in a room that smells so bad, you start to feel nauseous. You can use VapoRub to mitigate the effect of strong scents in your environment. Rubbing a small amount of VapoRub under your nose might help you cope with the offensive odor.

Putting some of the product in an air diffuser is also a great way to freshen up the room and will help put you in a relaxed state of mind for the rest of the day.

We hope you don’t have to use Vicks VapoRub for this purpose, but if it comes down to it, the versatile balm will help you relieve any pain and discomfort caused by hemorrhoids. The menthol in the balm will help reduce itchiness and provide a cooling sensation.

However, we suggest testing out the balm on a different part of the body first to check that you can handle the sensation. If you have sensitive skin, you might get a rash if you use too much of it.

Ringworm is another common type of fungal infection, also known as dermatophytosis. Even though it’s called ringworm, the infection is caused by a fungus. It appears on your skin in the shape of a worm, which explains the name.

If you’re struggling with an itchy case of ringworm, a bit of VapoRub can help ease the discomfort. We recommend speaking with your doctor first but, apparently, you can apply the cream to the infected area two or three times per day and repeat the process until the infection goes away.

One of the most common uses of Vicks VapoRub is to relieve a congested chest. Simply rub some balm onto your chest and throat to suppress a cough and ease your breathing. VapoRub can help open up the airways and make it easier to breathe if you have the flu.

If you apply the balm on the upper chest area, it will provide immediate relief from a cough or other symptoms such as shortness of breath. VapoRub is a must-have product during the cold winter days, especially during flu season. If your shortness of breath is not eased by VapoRub, make sure to see a doctor immediately.