Bananas are known to be healthy fruits. However, not many know that the peels too are full of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.

So the next time you eat a banana make sure you use the peel, keeping these tips in mind.

Prepare compost
Banana peels are known to break down quickly and can add several nutrients to the soil. Notice how fast your plants grow after you add peels to the soil.

Feed indoor plants
Take a large jar of water and soak a banana peel in it. Combine one part of the resulting banana peel water with five parts of regular water into a watering can in order to fertilise the plants.

Eat the peel
Boiling the peel for ten minutes, putting it into a juicer or blending it with other fruits can be extremely nutritional. But make sure you clean the peel to remove all the bacteria beforehand.

Heal bruises
Not many know that banana peels can heal bruises. Either rub the banana peel on the bruise or tape it on throughout the night.

Polish leather and silver
Rubbing the moist side of the banana peel on your leather shoes can make them shine. You can also blend a peel with water to use it to shine silver.

Removal of warts
It is believed that applying banana peel to a wart overnight can help reduce them. Keep applying till they completely go away.

Remove splinters
According to doctors banana peels can help remove splinters. Cover the splinter with the inside of a banana peel and keep it tight using medical tape. Leave it on for a few hours. Research says that the enzymes in the peel soften the skin making the splinter come out.

Get rid of insects
Gardeners are of the opinion that banana peels control aphids like greenflies, blackflies and whiteflies. You can sprinkle them around your plants or even bury them in your garden. The flies will disappear in a matter of two days.

BDST: 1850 HRS, APR 08, 2015
Edited by:  Sharmina Islam, Lifestyle Editor