10 clever uses for coffee filters

Just like salt and marshmallows, coffee filters have a lot of uses beyond the obvious. Here are 10 that will have you heading to the kitchen to grab some.

The flash on your camera can cast harsh shadows and bright spots on your subject. You can soften your flash by taping a coffee filter in front of it. Or, you can just hold a filter over the flash if you can't stand the idea of tape touching your camera.

When you're babysitting someone else's kids, you may not have any kid-sized bowls in the cupboard. Coffee filters are just the right size. Fill them with pretzels, chips, cut veggies or popcorn and toss it when they're done.

Cover bowls or plates with a coffee filter to prevent splatters when you're heating up leftovers.

Flatten out a coffee filters and place them in-between china when you stack them in cabinets. This will prevent scratching.

Cork crumble into your wine? Filter out the bits of cork by pouring your wine through a coffee filter nestled in your wine glass.

When you need to spread butter or oil on to a baking pan, use a coffee filter. It doesn't leave lint behind like paper towels or cheesecloth.

You can put a filter in the bottom of your flower pots to keep soil from seeping out of the drainage holes when you water your plants. Just make sure that the filter covers the drainage holes. For bigger pots you may need to line the bottom with several filters.

Slip the stick of a popsicle through a filter to catch icky drips before they run down your hand.

You can make vodka taste better by filtering it through a coffee filter several times. Just use a rubber band to secure a filter to the mouth of a jar or glass and pour it though. Using a water pitcher filter takes less time and produces better quality, though.

Out of paper towels? Coffee filters work great for cleaning glass and windows without leaving lint residue or streaks.