Fresh milk is a beverage with high nutritional value, providing many health benefits, especially supporting the height development of young children. Many families tend to buy a large amount of fresh milk to use over time. However, milk has a relatively short shelf life. If it is not used up, many people end up pouring it away, which is very wasteful. Instead of throwing away expired milk, you can make use of it for many other purposes around the house.

Watering plants
Fresh milk contains a lot of calcium and other nutrients that are beneficial to plant growth. You can reuse expired milk to water plants. Note that you should not pour an entire carton of milk directly onto the soil; instead, dilute it with clean water at a 1:1 ratio. Pour this mixture into a spray bottle and spray it around the base of the plant so it can absorb nutrients more effectively. You can also spray this solution onto the leaves.

You should only use expired milk to water plants a few times. Overuse can easily damage plants due to bacterial growth. In addition, the fat in milk can decompose and cause unpleasant odors.

Expired fresh milk is an extremely useful fertilizer for plants.

Skin care
Expired milk cannot be consumed, but it can still be used externally for skin care. If the milk has expired but shows no changes in color or smell and has no signs of mold, you can still use it to moisturize your skin. The fat in milk helps retain moisture and nourish the skin.

If the milk has fermented, the lactic acid in it can help remove dead skin cells, soften the skin, and maintain moisture.

You can combine fresh milk with other ingredients to create suitable skincare products. Note that you should choose unsweetened, low-fat milk to avoid clogging pores. Apply the homemade mask to your skin, leave it on for about 15 minutes, then rinse with clean water.

• Fresh milk combined with oatmeal helps cleanse the skin, exfoliate dead skin cells, and make the skin smoother.

• Fresh milk combined with avocado helps moisturize and soften the skin.

• Fresh milk combined with honey has antibacterial effects, brightens the skin, and provides moisture.

Softening leather shoes
Use a brush to clean dirt from the surface of leather shoes. Then, soak a cloth in fermented expired milk and apply it evenly over the surface of the shoes. Leave it for a while until the milk dries, then wipe again with a clean cloth. This will make the shoes clean and shiny like new.

Cleaning household items
Some metal items such as spoons, forks, knives, scissors, and silverware can become tarnished after long exposure to air. Simply soak these items in expired milk mixed with a little vinegar or lemon juice. Then scrub them with a soft brush and rinse with clean water. This method will make the items brighter and shinier.

In addition, you can soak a soft cloth in fresh milk and use it to wipe wooden or marble surfaces. Milk helps remove stains from furniture and leaves the surface clean and glossy.