Rubber bands can usually be found in a random kitchen door at home. Sometimes, you keep others in a desk in your office. Whatever the case, they’re usually associated with packaging supplies.
But we’ve got a few handy uses for rubber bands that you likely hadn’t thought of. These ideas will have you stocking up on rubber bands and using them at will any chance you get.
Create a gripper for tight lids.
Pickle jars and other lids can be particularly tough to pop off when they’re new. By wrapping a rubber band around the side of the lid, you can make it easier to grip the lid and twist it off.
Keep books safe and closed in your bag.
Often times, books can flip open inside your bag, potentially damaging the pages inside. By binding your books with rubber bands, you can make sure they’re safe whenever you’re on the move.
Keep your measuring tape wrapped tight.
Fabric tape measures are incredibly useful for taking measurements of your clothing size and measuring round objects. However, it seems they always end up rolled out and in disarray in one of your drawers. Just roll up the tape and bind it in the middle with a rubber band to keep it (and your drawers) organized.
Prevent your cutting board from slipping.
Wooden and plastic cutting boards often come without rubber feet. And wielding a chef’s knife on an unstable base sounds extremely unsafe. Create rubber “feet” by wrapping each end of a slick cutting board with rubber bands.
Prevent tea bags from falling into a mug.
If you brew your tea loose leaf or steep tea bags in a large pot before serving, you’re not too bothered by this problem. But for the many (like me) who steep tea bags in their mugs of hot water at work, this is a genius idea for keeping the tea bag fastened near the side of the mug (and not floating around in the middle).
Bind chip bags (and other snacks).
I can’t say how often I’ve seen my friends worry about finding extra chip clips. I grew up rolling the bag down and binding it with a rubber band to keep the chips fresh. Simple, yet a no-brainer.
Whatever you end up using rubber bands for, they’re easily the most versatile of all the packaging supplies lying around your house. Make the most of them now that you’ve got plenty of ideas on how to use them.