Duct tape’s versatility defies belief. Thanks to all of the memes and comedy sketches that it inspired, it will always have a place in popular culture, but its real value is in the inspiration it provides to everyday people with problems. When it comes to ingenuity, duct tape may be the mother and duct tape may be the midwife. You might be surprised by some of these less-common duct tape hacks.
10 Brilliant Home Hacks Using Duct Tape
Heavy-Duty Lint Roller
When it comes to cleaning a couch or love seat, the lint roller that you use to remove fur from your clothing is just not big enough. Duct tape, it turns out, is an excellent lint roller. Start and end with a full loop so that tape sticks to itself and stays on the roller. Wrap it around a paint roller brush with the sticky side outward. Fur from your furniture can be collected quickly and easily with the jumbo roller, saving you time and effort compared to using your vacuum.
Open a Stubborn Jar Lid
For some reason or another, jar lids that refuse to come off are a common problem in the kitchen. Not even a can-opening tool? There’s nothing to worry about. Attach a “tail” of duct tape to the top and around the lid’s perimeter. Your jar should open in a flash if you simply pull the excess tape off.
Prepare Your Windows for Extreme Weather
Duct tape can be an important part of your emergency supplies if a severe storm is in the forecast. One of the most common causes of storm damage is broken windows, which flood your home with both water and shards of glass. Duct tape can be used to help limit the extent of the damage. A sheet of plywood wouldn’t be able to keep them from shattering, but it will make them more resilient and more importantly, it will make them fall in large pieces rather than shatter.
Simple Dust Pan Hack
When sweeping fine dust, dirt, and sediment into a dustpan, it’s impossible to keep the pan in perfect contact with the floor. There will be a line of dirt left behind when you lift the pan. For those hard-to-reach messes, use duct tape that’s the width of a dustpan to clean them up. Tape the pan’s front edge to the floor, making a perfect seal, so you can easily sweep up those last stubborn specks of dirt. To remove the tape from the floor, simply peel it off, then empty your dustpan.
Make Neater Cuts and Holes
Even if you’re successful most of the time, you should watch out for splinters and cracks. Even if you’re using a brittle material or one with a finished surface (like plastic or pre-finished wood), this is a problem. Using duct tape to cover the work area ensures the materials won’t be damaged during the cutting or drilling process. You can still use a drill or saw to cut through it, but the tape will protect the surface and immobilize it so that you get clean cuts and holes with smooth edges.
It’s a Shiny Grey Medical Kit
Duct tape works well as an emergency bandage because it can be used as a butterfly bandage to hold a long cut together until you can get to a doctor’s office. In addition to using duct tape to bandage a sprained or broken joint, it can also be used to create a temporary functional sling. Duct tape is also useful for minor issues, such as warts that will eventually die if you cover them with a small piece of duct tape, and for removing fine splinters from your fingers.
Tape Down Cords and Wires for Safety
A few trip hazards, such as children’s toys or awkward steps, are almost always present in homes. These can be mitigated, however, with the use of extension cords or wires for a complex home entertainment system. You can use duct tape to gather cords together and tape them to the floor when you’re working on a project or putting up holiday decorations. Wires for speakers or entertainment equipment should be taped along the baseboards of the room with matching or complementary colored duct tape, if possible.
Use the Roll As a Cup Holder
There are plenty of cup holders in most cars, but they’re scarce in most other areas of our homes. Coffee spill cleanup isn’t everyone’s idea of a good time, so there’s definitely room in the market for a universal cupholder. Put down a roll of duct tape and place your cup or glass in the middle, whether you’re working at your desk or in the garage. It’s tall and heavy enough to keep your cup from tipping or being accidentally knocked over.
Take It Camping
Duct tape’s versatility makes it a must-have when going camping, even if you can only bring a few essentials. You can use it to fix a hole in your tent, make your shoes watertight, or to keep your food fresh in between meals. An emergency bootlace, a belt, or a guy line for your tent can all be made from duct tape if you twist it up. If you’ve gotten wet and need to dry some clothes, a roll of duct tape can double as a makeshift clothesline.
Repair Lawn and Deck Furniture
Aluminum or plastic frames with webbing stretched across them are common materials for patio and deck furniture. The webbing is sturdy, but it won’t last as long as the frame itself. Instead of throwing away a perfectly good chair when the webbing fails, use duct tape to repair it. Loop around the frame’s edge, then run back and forth across the back of it, doubling back on the tape for added strength. Repeat this process until the chair is completely covered. Chairs can be dressed up with a variety of colors and patterns thanks to the tape.
