While visiting the Grand Central Terminal Holiday Fair, we stumbled upon jars of charcoal while visiting with Chrissy Fichtl, owner of Apotheke. As it turns out, charcoal is not only beautiful and great for flipping burgers over, it’s also a great natural cleanser, detoxifier, and ideal for use around the home and for beauty care. Who knew?! Check out these five uses for charcoal you didn’t know about. Read on, we think you won’t mind a little coal in your stocking this year!

1. Natural Air Deodorizer

Use charcoal as a deodorizer in everything from your fridge to your stinky shoes. When it needs refreshing, leave the coal outside in the fresh air for a day or two.

2. Water Purifier

Simply boil a piece of charcoal and drop it into a jug of tap water. Continue to refill the jug for 60 days. Reboil the piece of charcoal and use it again and again. It’s a miracle!

For another method, check this out.

3. Teeth Whitener

Don’t let the messy look and feel of charcoal fool you. Add fine charcoal powder to your toothpaste to brighten up those pearly whites.

4. Food Purifier

Cooking with charcoal is more than just firing up the grill. Slip in a piece of charcoal when you’re boiling rice or pasta it naturally absorbs chlorine, bad odor and toxic substances from water.

5. Detox Bathing

Bathing with charcoal can pull out impurities from the body. It’s as simple as dropping charcoal in the bathtub with you. You’ll find yourself refreshed, recharged, and clean! Grab a gift package from Apotheke’s charcoal line. How handsome!

Where to Find It

Aside from selling sooty bricks of charcoal to visitors at Grand Central Terminal Holiday Fair, Chrissy makes soaps. You’ll want to lather up with organics blends that include raw cocoa butter, bentonite clay and green tea. Also calming are her soy candles. Be sure to visit Chrissy stationed inside Vanderbilt Hall at Grand Central Terminal. Preview her booth and many more at Krrb.com/grandcentralholidayfair.