PASTA lovers who regularly cook the Italian dish will be used to immediately tipping the leftover water down the drain.

But that's actually a mistake, as the starchy water can be put to good use.

6 Reusing pasta water can also help you conserve water Credit: Getty Images

Here are six ways it can benefit your home.



1. Watering your plants and flowers

Water which pasta has been cooked in is full of starch, which is often rich in minerals and vitamins.

That content makes it helpful for growing plants and flowers, so use it to water the garden.

6 Plants and flowers can benefit from leftover water

Just make sure you avoid watering plants with water that's been salted, and let it cool before you put it on any soil.



2.Making your own pesto sauce

Most people can't dive into a bowl of pasta without a spoonful of pesto.

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The remaining pasta water can help you make it - ensure it's kept warm and it'll act as a bonding agent.



3. Making homemade pizza dough and bread

As the water retains some of the flavours and starch from the pasta, it'll give your homemade pizza dough, or bread, a new and unique taste.

6 The flavours from the pasta water can help to enhance new recipes

Similarly, use it to make broths or soups and you'll get an extra flavour punch. It's good for boiling vegetables in too.



4. Washing your dirty dishes

You might think using pasta water to wash dishes would leave them filmy, but the starch actually dissolves grime and acts as a natural cleaning agent.

All you need to do is leave dishes soaking in it for a bit first.

6 You can even use the leftover water on dishes you have used to eat your pasta off Credit: Getty Images

5. Soaking your sore feet

If you have sore feet at the end of a long hard day then this novel treatment might just be the one for you.

All you have to do is warm up your spaghetti water to a comfortable temperature and pop your feet in.

The heat combined with the minerals will soothe aches and pains.

6 Pasta water can be used a remedy for achy feet Credit: Getty Images

6. As a replacement for shampoo

If your hair lacks shine or looks flat then soaking it in the water for 10 minutes could help.

After that shampoo as normal and you'll be amazed at the gleam you get.

6 If your hair is lacking shine then give a pasta water shampoo a go Credit: Getty Images

This isn't the only cooking tip to sweep the web in recent months.

Chef Fabio Viviani recently urged people to stop putting oil in their boiling water when making pasta.