I worked with a guy who used a lot of rubber bands in his job. One day, he decided he was going to start building a rubber band ball. Not just a little one. A big one. Day after day, he kept adding to the ball until – at last – it could no longer fit in his drawer. It was pretty amusing to see how big he got it. One morning he got into work and the ball was missing. Someone had stolen it. Our entertainment was gone..
Rubber bands seem to have lost much of their appeal today. It could be the digital age, folks using clamps or what have you – but I don't see them as regularly as I used to.
Which leads me to today's post. I'd like to offer you ways in which you can recycle and reuse those rubber bands laying around the house. Let's put them to use!
- Child-proof cabinets. This may not be for all ages – especially the older tots, but tying the rubber bands around two door knobs to keep small children from doing unwanted exploring, is a great way to child-proof doors.
- Grip jars. A good way to get a handle on jars that are hard to open, is to put a rubber band around the lid and then go at it. It'll provide you a better grip to get that feisty container of jam open.
- Keep electrical cords together. Instead of wrapping the end of the cord around itself (which can damage it) – use a rubber band instead.
- Pencil gripper. Wrapping a band around the grip area of a pencil can give you a better handle on the instrument and provide some comfort.
- For remembering. I'm terrible at remembering things. A good way to give yourself a little reminder is to put a rubber band around your wrist or finger. Adding two or more might alert you to it being more important or letting you know there are several items on your list.
- As a vice. If you have two pieces of wood or other materials you want glued together – try using a heftier rubber band as a vice. (HT to This Old House magazine)
Any other ideas that you have for rubber bands?
3 Comments
I have to admit when I first scanned this article I thought “vice” meant using them for evil. Slightly disappointed when I realized but nonetheless informed of 6 amazing ways to use rubber bands! I tried the pencil grip today – it was fantastic. I do have to add that using a rubber band as a hair tie, not so good of an idea.
Thanks Alysa – good point on the vice. Though I’ve never used one on my hair – I can imagine a rubber band would hurt.