3 ways to reuse rubber bands around the home to make chores faster and easier – and finally give old junk a purpose
Finally give the old rubber bands in your junk drawer something to do
Rubber bands are one of those items that seem to wind their way up into a junk drawer and take up permanent residence. We always tell ourselves we’ll keep them for something useful, but what exactly are those things?
If you’re looking for ways to reuse rubber bands around the house, you’re in luck, as experts have suggested three different ways to give your bands a second life.
While rubber bands are one of the things you should store in drawers, they have plenty of other uses. Here are just three examples you can test out at home with ease.
1. Stop clothes slipping off hangers
When it comes to tidying and organising a wardrobe, the main grievance I have is that my clothes are prone to slipping off their hangers, making the space messy again. What I hadn’t realised was that two handy rubber bands are all I need to fix the problem.
‘Before buying specialist non-slip hangers, try adding a couple of rubber bands to basic plastic or wooden ones. Wrap a thick rubber band tightly around each end of the hanger to create extra friction, helping strappy tops, wide-neck jumpers and slippery fabrics stay in place rather than ending up on the wardrobe floor,’ explains Max Wilson, co-founder at Pocket Storage.
If you have lots of clothing items that slip off your hangers, then it is worth investing in some non-slip hangers to help them stay in place.
2. Clean your blinds
If you want to clean your blinds but don’t have the best tools to hand to help you, a pair of tongs, cloths and a rubber band can help you get the job done.
‘Grab a pair of kitchen tongs and wrap two microfibre cloths around the end, secured in place with a rubber band. Then, simply clamp each of the slats between the tongs and glide along. It’s a quick, simple, and satisfying hack to clean both sides of each slat in one smooth motion. Works best on venetian and aluminium blinds,’ says Heath Showman, founder of Lifestyle Blinds.
This affordable cleaning tool is also excellent at removing dust from your blinds.
3. Open stubborn jars
Everyone has a trick for opening a sticky jar, but I’m always happy to welcome one more - after all, there’s nothing worse than being hungry and not being able to get a jar open when cooking.
‘Give an old rubber band a new job as a DIY grip. Wrap a thick band around a stubborn jar or bottle lid and twist. The rubber creates extra friction between your hand and the lid, giving you more grip and leverage without needing a specialist jar opener,’ says Max.
This clever tool makes opening jars a breeze. It will fit most lids and gives you a little extra leverage to get them open.
Do you have any other handy uses for old rubber bands?
