I remember when I was a child every time I got a little sniffle, my mother would get out the Vicks Vaporub. She'd scoop a big blob of it up and start smearing it all over my chest, throat and under my nose. Then, I'd have to go to bed and use my covers as a tent to breathe in the menthol/camphor smelling goodness. I loved it. After I had children of my own, I would do the same for them.

What I didn't know is that there are so many other uses for Vicks Vaporub besides a stuffy nose and cough. Read on to discover 15 incredible uses for this amazing product!

1. Fade bruises quickly

Combine a pinch of salt with a dab of Vicks and gently rub it on a bruise. The bruise will fade more quickly.

2. Repel mosquitoes and other insects

To keep mosquitoes away, rub Vicks on all exposed skin. To keep flies away from your picnic, open the jar of Vicks Vaporub and place it nearby.

3. Moisturize dry or cracked skin

Massage Vicks onto dry skin for a moisturizing treatment. For cracked heels, rub Vicks on your feet before bedtime, put socks on and go to sleep. In the morning, your heels will be less dry and cracked. Continue doing this until your heels are soft and beautiful again.

4. Ease sore muscles

Massage Vicks Vaporub into sore muscles. The menthol and camphor in Vicks provides temporary relief from achy muscles.

5. Heal acne

Rub Vicks onto the affected areas to heal acne fast! Do this a few times per day until the acne is gone.

6. Cat repellent

Rub some Vicks on areas your cat loves to claw on. Cats hate the menthol and camphor smell and will stay away from those areas. No more clawed up furniture! (Be sure to test a small area of your furniture first as it may stain).

7. Fingernail and toenail fungus

Rub Vicks onto the affected nail twice per day until the fungus is gone. Be sure to keep trimming the nail down until you have a beautiful, healthy nail again!

8. Earache

Place some Vicks on a cotton ball and place into the ear canal. Be gentle! It doesn't need to be inserted into the ear canal far to achieve results.

9. Wart removal

Apply some Vicks to the wart twice per day and cover with a bandaid or gauze. Continue for about two weeks or until the wart is gone.

10. Heal cuts and splinters fast

Apply some Vicks to splinters and cuts to keep infection away and rev up the healing process.

11. Pet accidents

Place an open jar of Vicks in your pet's favorite potty spots in your home. They don't like the smell and will not go into the area.

12. Relieve cold and flu symptoms

This is the actual intended use for Vicks and, as I mentioned in the intro to this article, it works like a charm!

13. Nasty Odors

If you watched the movie "Silence of the Lambs," you probably noticed that the FBI agents smeared Vicks under their noses to keep from gagging from a nasty smell. You can do the same when you have to come in contact with any malodorous scent.

14. Athlete's Foot

Apply Vicks Vaporub to the affected foot and cover with a sock once daily until healed.

15. Stretch mark and fat-burning cream

Believe it or not, Vicks Vaporub can help decrease localized fat on the body, firm skin and fade stretch marks. Mix Vicks Vaporub, a few drops of camphor, baking soda and a little rubbing alcohol into a cream. Rub onto the problem areas and cover with plastic before your exercise routine to stimulate fat-burning. This is not a miracle remedy and should be used only as a part of your weight loss program along with a balanced diet and exercise. You can also apply before bed, wrap in plastic and shower it away in the morning.