If you are like most people, you probably throw away those tiny silica gel packets that come inside shoe boxes, medicine bottles and other which are packaged with many other common, everyday products. But to the most savvy do-it-yourselfers, these desiccants are known to do much more than keep packaging moisture free.

Keeping Engines Dry While Not in Use

If you want to know what is silica gel used for, you would probably be interested to learn that silica gel packets can be put inside small containers like film canisters which have tiny holes drilled in them to keep engines dry while being stored. Many vehicle and airplane owners slip these containers inside carburetor intake valves to help prevent moisture from building up and doing harm to the inner workings of the engines.

Doing this will ensure that the bearings inside carburetors do not become pitted and rusted. So if you have a vehicle or aircraft which you put into storage during the winter months, consider using silica gel packs to keep your engines dry. You also can use this method if you happen to have a snowmobile you store during the summer months.

Drying Out Wet Mobile Phones

Another of the most common silica uses is to use these tiny desiccants packets to dry mobile phones that have become wet. Every mobile phone owner’s worst nightmare is a wet device. You will have to act quickly if your phone becomes wet so take the battery out as well as the SIM card and then put the wet phone in a bowl that is filled with silica gel packets. Simply leave it be for several hours and then try to power it back on – the chances are it will work which means you just saved yourself a good deal of money.

Keeping Luggage Dry

If you tend to wonder what is silica gel used for other than keeping shoes dry, you should know that these tiny packets can do a great job of keeping luggage dry. You can simply toss a few silica gel packets into your luggage to keep it moisture and odor-free. This could really help to extend the life of your luggage.

Combating Camera Condensation

What is silica used for you ask? Many shutter bugs use silica gel packets to keep the inner workings of their cameras dry and moisture free. If you tend to use your camera in humidity, around water or outside during the winter, simply remove the battery and memory card when not in use, put the camera in a container with a handful of silica gel packs and leave it.

To Dry Out Damp Fishing Line

Many avid fly fisherman use silica gel packets to dry out their fishing flies when not in use. You can do this yourself by grounding up the silica into a power and placing it in a small jar.  Then whenever you need to dry a fly, simply drop it inside, shake it around and then close the lid. The fishing fly will be moisture free in just a couple of hours.

To Make Razor Blades Last Longer

The typical razor blade becomes quickly corroded and rusted which makes it dull and useless. If you find that you are going through razorblades very quickly, put some silica gel into a small lidded plastic container, drop the blades in after use and then seal the container with the lid. Your razorblades will be as good as new in no time which equates to you having to purchase new blades less often.

To Keep Condensation out of Underwater Camera Casings

Are you a scuba or deep sea diver who uses an underwater camera case? If so, you know how annoying it is to see condensation build up inside your waterproof housing. A pack or two of silica gel can be placed inside the casing to completely eliminate the chances of this happening again.

To Extend the Life of Your Tools you Keep in Your Toolbox

Are you are DIY type of person who is handy with tools around the home? Then it is important to you that your tools remain in tip-top shape. If you leave your toolbox outdoors, in your vehicle or in an unheated garage, your tools can quickly become rusty and corroded. But you guessed it! A few silica gel packets in each drawer or level of your toolbox can go far in keeping your tools dry which will extend their lifespans considerably.

The next time someone you know asks you what is silica gel used for, tell them about these uses. Be prepared for that person to be quite surprised!

1. Select leaves that are still somewhat moist and supple. Silica gel will allow you to dry slightly thicker leaves, too.
2. Place about a 1 inch layer of silica gel in the bottom of a microwaveable dish.
3. Place the leaves flat on top of the silica gel, leaving space between the leaves and the sides of the dish.
4. Completely cover the leaves with another inch of silica gel.
5. Place the uncovered dish in the mirowave oven and microwave at medium for about 2 minutes. It’s hard to give exact times for this, because it depends on the size of the dish, how many leaves you have in the dish, how much silica gel is used and the power of your microwave. As with straight microwaving above, it is safer to check the status of the leaves in short intervals than to wait until the leaves scorch.
6. In my experience, 3-4 leaves in a 8 x 8 pan with 3-4 cups silica gel takes about 2 minutes on medium.
7. Let cool and remove the leaves.

Tip: The leaves will last longer if you seal them with an acrylic spray.

Decorating Ideas: These leaves are similar to pressed leaves, above, and can be strewn or massed for seasonal decorations.

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It involves fire and so you must be cautious every second.

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I’d like everyone to read the PDF file to get a better understanding about Silica Gel and its related information.

Here is the link to download the PDF file. Also whenever you make use of it, just give credits to its creator as a matter of gratitude towards his hard work.

View Online: http://www.apsnyc.com/uploads/Demystifying Silica Gel.pdf

Download: http://www.box.net/s/j1nkzzooi7t59jau8d53

Small silica gel packets are often tossed out by consumers who find them inside packages of all types. However, it should be known that silica gel can be used over and over again. You will need to re-charge the gel now and again to continue using it but that is easy to do using electricity.

Reusing silica gel packs is a great idea and a safe thing to do because these small packets are non-toxic, non-flammable and non-reactive. Silica gel packets are also eco-friendly as they are made using natural materials found in the environment. These packets can go far in preventing waste which can fill landfills unnecessarily and these packets are not harmful to dispose of. If any silica gel packets you have in your possession happen to come into contact with fume or fluids which are deemed hazardous, you should of course dispose of them in a responsible manner. However, uncontaminated silica gel can and should be reused by drying it out.

Drying Silica Gel

You can dry silica gel packets very easily by simply spreading them out on a tray and setting them in the sun. You also can dry silica gel in your oven. This is a very convenient method to use before reusing silica gel packs. You only need to line a pan with foil, add the unbroken silica gel packets or loose beads, spread them out and then heat them to 100 degrees Celsius for five hours if they are the paper packs and up to 150 degrees for three hours if they are paper-free.

If you notice that some of the beads are turning blue, this means that you have indicating silica gel but that is nothing to worry about. Once the beads have dried for the full period of time, they will return to their pinkish color as soon as they cool down.

One of the best and most common ways of reusing silica gel packs is to toss them inside drawers, boxes and other containers to keep contents moisture free. Being able to dry silica gel packets out using the sun or your home over is a no-hassle, cost-free way of having the opportunity to reuse silica gel packs.

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Silica gel packets are normally found in food or electronic packages you buy at the store. These packages collect moisture that accumulates in these packages, thus protecting products in packages. Packets of silica gel can be reused for the conservation of photographs and tools and even protect cell phones.

Procedure & Instructions

1. Line-in oven-safe pan or dish with foil of aluminium. Place the packet of silica gel (still in their packaging paper) inside the pan. If you have loose beads of silica, these may be poured inside too, however, make sure to spread them in the pan.
2. Heat the oven to 220 degrees f and place the pot inside. Packages can be heated from anywhere betwwen two to five hours. Be careful not to overheat the packets, since this will harm the silica.
3. Place the packets in a plastic zip-top bag along with your collectibles or tools.
4. Recharge the silica packets. When silica beads turn colors (depending on the manufacturer, they can turn from blue to pink or orange to green), repeat steps 1 and 2, so you can continue to use them for their moisture-absorbing properties.

Some Tips

1. Keep the packets in a zip lock bag until you need them to help preserve them.
2. Silica gel can also be used to dry and preserve flowers.
3. If your cell phone gets wet, put it in a zip-top bag with a silica gel packet and the packet will help absorb the water, possibly preventing damage to the phone.
4. Silica gel can be used to keep food fresh.
5. Most packets are Tyvek packages and are perfectly safe to put in the oven since they are made to be heat-resistant.

Precautions

• Use un-tampered silica gel packets.
• Do not microwave silica gel packets.

We’ve all seen those DO NOT EAT Silica Gel packets that arrive along with your electronics, small appliances, toys, clothing, shoes, etc. I’ve started to accumulate these to remedy the unfortunate reality of accidentally dropping one of my electronics or accessories in water. That would NOT be good. I have not used this option yet, but it’s logical and I do hope I never have to use it.

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There are several ways to dry plants and flowers to preserve them for dried flower arrangements and other presentations. This video discusses using silica gel to dry plant material.

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Silica Gel can adsorb about 40% of its weight in moisture and can get the relative humidity within a bottle down to about 40 percent. Once saturated, you can drive the moisture and reuse the silica gel by heating it over 300-degree F (150 C).