Sometimes, duct tape can offer crucial help and even save lives in emergency situations. It’s highly recommended to always have a roll of it nearby as it provides some of the best solutions to problems. If you are not currently utilizing some of these hacks, be prepared to enhance your quality of life with the amazing properties of duct tape.
Jar-Opening Assistance
Living alone can make it challenging to open jars, which can require a lot of strength. Instead of depending on someone stronger to help you open them, you can use duct tape to solve the issue of lid being too tough to remove.
Simply cover the lid of the uncertain jar with duct tape and tightly secure it. Then, pull the tape – its adhesive and folding properties make it ideal to assist in opening the jar lid.
Emergency Tire Repair
It’s unpleasant to experience a flat tire, mainly if you are not close to your place of stay. But mishaps can occur. If you keep duct tape in your car’s storage compartment, you can feel confident that you can drive for a short distance to seek help until you can’t move any further.
In case you can locate where the flat is coming from, cover it with duct tape and if possible, inflate the tire. The duct tape should stay in place temporarily, with luck until you are able to reach a mechanic for a proper repair.
Adjust Clothing Hems
It’s not necessary to possess exceptional sewing skills in order to have well-fitted clothes; all you require is a bit of duct tape.
In case you need to fix a hem that has fallen or requires modifications, you can temporarily solve the problem by using duct tape. This solution allows you to wear the affected pants or skirt with relative ease. However, it’s advisable to eventually seek help from a skilled person for a more permanent fix.
Prevent Scuffs on Wood
Many people who have recently moved into a house with wooden floors, or installed new wooden floors in their current house, share the same goal of wanting to maintain the flawless condition of their floors for an extended period of time.
Consider safeguarding your wooden flooring by applying some duct tape, particularly to the legs or wheels of your frequently moved furniture. Just wrap the tape around the section that comes into contact with the floor, and you can continue to use your furniture without causing damage to your wood flooring.
Cup on the Go
If you happen to have a roll of duct tape with you when you’re extremely thirsty, don’t worry because you can save yourself. Using a particular design or your own preferences, it’s simple to create a temporary cup out of the duct tape.
If duct tape is built and applied correctly, it becomes impervious to water. As a result, you can pour any liquid you want into your newly created duct tape cup and consume it just like any other vessel.
Hiking Blister Buster
To determine if your new hiking boots have been properly broken in, it is essential to hit the trail. Unfortunately, people often discover that their boots are not adequately broken in, resulting in painful blisters. To avoid preventable incidents, you wouldn’t want a delightful hiking adventure to be ruined.
Apart from carrying a first aid kit, it’s recommended that you always include a duct tape roll in your packing routine. Whenever traditional bandages don’t suffice, duct tape can be used to shield delicate skin and guarantee a hassle-free journey to your destination.
Keeping Close to the Charge
It can be challenging to locate a suitable spot to charge your mobile phone in older houses or apartment buildings. Attempting to stretch the cord or leaving the phone on the floor may cause harm. To avoid these issues, creating a charging port using duct tape is a useful solution.
To create a convenient pocket for your smartphone, simply make one out of duct tape that is the same size as your device. Afterwards, attach the pocket to the wall beside the outlet using either push pins or the adhesive of the tape.
Embrace Winter Weather
Regardless of its frigid temperatures and snowy conditions, winter can still offer enjoyment, particularly when equipped with a spool of duct tape and a leisurely schedule.
By using duct tape, you can make your sled and have fun on snowy and slippery hills. Personalize the sled’s appearance and texture as desired or have a contest with your friends to determine who creates the finest sled design.
Duct Tape Watercraft
We’re not suggesting that you try to break a new sailing world record using a boat made of duct tape. However, we want to inform you that it is possible to create a duct tape boat that is safe, won’t sink and can carry you and your friends.
If you are able to prevent water from entering your boat and keep it from leaking, you have an equal opportunity as anyone else to venture out into a large body of water, such as a pool or pond, and try out your newly acquired canoe.
Decorate a Helmet
There are individuals who dislike donning helmets as they believe it spoils their look. However, if they were aware that they could design their helmet to showcase their interests and enhance their appearance while engaging in activities like skateboarding or biking, then they might reconsider. You can incorporate your personal style with duct tape onto your safety equipment.
You have the ability to personalize a simple and basic helmet to showcase your interests and enthusiasm. For instance, you can transform a plain white protective shell into an R2D2 helmet by using colored duct tape. You may also explore other combinations inspired by your preferred characters.
Fix a Plane
It’s unsettling to be informed that your plane has a malfunction just before takeoff. Nevertheless, the reality is that all things are susceptible to damage – even airplanes.
If you find yourself in a crisis, duct tape can provide temporary relief. In case the door of your tiny aircraft is slightly damaged, use duct tape to cover it immediately. However, it is not wise to wait too long before fixing the problem. The effectiveness of duct tape in ensuring safety is limited.
Snack Storage for Foodies
Do you feel overwhelmed with the amount of plastic waste coming from single-use items like ziplock bags used for food storage? You’re not the only one. Nowadays, there is a significant movement towards getting rid of these plastics as they tend to accumulate in our environment and take a long time to decompose, causing harm to our planet.
On the other hand, if you need a practical option for storing food that can be used repeatedly, duct tape can be a good choice. By creating your own personalized designs and patterns, this versatile material can be fashioned into sandwich and snack pouches with ease.
Furniture On-Demand
If you have a surplus of guests at your home and not enough seats, use duct tape to fabricate new furniture promptly. In case you have a damaged folding chair frame, try to fix it and create a space for your newly-furnished chair.
All you have to do is interlace the duct tape in a basket design to create a sturdy barricade that will provide everyone with a sense of security. Similarly, if you have a pair of trees, you can easily create a makeshift hammock.
Wrap Holiday Gifts
If you don’t have any wrapping paper, don’t fret. Using duct tape can be just as effective as using regular wrapping paper. In fact, it can even add to the excitement of gift-giving as the recipients will have to try harder to reveal what’s inside.
To make your Christmas gifts distinct from others, try out different wrapping styles such as using alternate colors or adding unique tags or decorations to them. By doing so, your presents will remain memorable and stand out among the rest.
Toys for Dolls
Doll accessories come at a high cost, and it can be challenging to rationalize purchasing them, notably considering how rapidly kids outgrow their playthings.
How about using duct tape as an inexpensive and convenient way to provide your child’s dolls with more accessories? You can easily use it to create various pieces of furniture for a dollhouse without spending money on buying actual ones.
School Supplies Secured
Don’t worry if you have many pens and pencils for school but are unable to store them before your first day. A possible solution is to use a plastic bag, such as a freezer bag, and adorn the exterior with duct tape that showcases your preferred colors and designs.
Expect your classmates to request personalized duct tape pencil holders once they see how stylish and long-lasting this pencil and pen holder is.
On-Hand Art Supplies
Creativity can take many shapes and sizes, and duct tape is a versatile tool that can help support any artwork. Whether you’re inspired to make a messenger bag, there’s always a pattern and enough duct tape available to finish the project.
In the same manner, you can utilize duct tape to enhance the appearance of a pre-existing task or object, without any restrictions other than your own creativity. Duct tape is available to assist in bringing your desired project into reality.
Stencils for Personalized Items
All of us have had the desire to design our own T-shirts. However, were you aware that by using duct tape, you can come very close to achieving a design that is entirely unique to you? Just use duct tape to section off specific areas of your desired T-shirt.
You can strategically arrange the duct tape to make the new personalized pattern you would like to emblazon your T-shirt or another item with. Once the blocking is complete, simply spray, paint, or add on your color to the shirt. Once dry, remove the duct tape to reveal your customized pattern.
Instant Photography Assistance
If you’re a photographer, you understand how hard it can be to get the perfect shot — especially when you’re taking pictures of products. Professional photographers have light boxes and plenty of other resources to take the most ideal picture possible.
But when you’re at home in your own home studio, you can use duct tape to build a light box that will stand up to the competition. Simply take a cardboard box, tape the edges to make it collapsible, and line the interior with white paper or plastic.
Create Some Video Game Art
Duct tape comes in all different colors and patterns. This naturally lends itself to creating art with this unique medium. You can easily create mosaics using different colors of duct tape and cutting them into even squares to construct a pixel-form masterpiece like a favorite hero or villain from a video game.
Likewise, you can use the non-stick surface of duct tape to provide the setting for a wondrous sculpture. Simply unroll and place as soon as you are ready.
Emergency First Aid
Nobody wants to have a health emergency away from necessary supplies. However, if you’re out and about and suffer a sudden injury, duct tape is there for you.
In a pinch, you can use duct tape for everything from cuts and scrapes to blisters and sprains. Simply add a layer of gauze, if available, and secure the area with duct tape. For a splint, twist the duct tape until you form a rope that fits around the injured arm and your neck.
Seals for Home Repair Products
Nobody really ever uses up an entire tube of glue or caulk on a home improvement project. But instead of throwing those valuable items away, you can save what remains with a strategically placed piece of duct tape.
Too often, we waste home materials because we think we are done with them and will never need them again. However, you can secure these items in your home with a piece of duct tape over the nozzle. The materials inside will be saved from oxidation and drying.
Bags for Your Things
We humans carry around a lot of stuff. From phones and wallets to laptops and notebooks, there is always something in our arms and distracting us from our journeys.
Duct tape can provide the best possible solution to needing a bag but not wanting to go out and buy one. Simple follow online directions or measure to your own specifications to lay sticky sides on other stick sides to construct a gorgeous tote bag with your own special colors, designs, and preferences.
Easy Luggage ID
If you have a common brand or style of luggage, it can be difficult to identify your belongings among hundreds of other people’s when you arrive at your destination.
Make sure your suitcase stands out from the crowd by making a quick duct tape luggage ID tag. You can use your favorite colors, patterns, and styles — just as long as you can easily identify whatever you might attach to your bag. Make it loud and proud so that no one mistakes your bag as theirs!
Patch for Broken Glasses
If you rely on glasses to see, read, and otherwise go about your day like normal, then breaking them would be a nightmare. You don’t have to kiss your whole day goodbye, though, if you do suffer a break.
Simply repair the broken part with duct tape. You may not like the look of it, but duct tape can hold your glasses together and get you through the rest of your day until you can get to your optometrist for a replacement set of glasses.
Help a Turtle Out
Turtles are surprisingly fragile creatures — even with that shell we all know so well. If you see a turtle who has been harmed by either natural or manmade things, such as cars, you can rest assured that a little duct tape will help them stay safe.
If you encounter a turtle with a broken shell, know that they are vulnerable and in need of assistance. Use your duct tape to hold the broken shell pieces together, then work to get the turtle to an emergency veterinarian or wildlife authority as soon as possible.
Slip-Proof Shoe Grip
So you just brought brand new shoes. However, the first time you’re trying them out in the space you’re going to wear them, you notice that they have absolutely no traction whatsoever. Duct tape is here to help!
All you need to do is to take a piece of duct tape, adhere it to the sole of your shoe, and then use scissors, a knife, or another sharp object to score the duct tape. This surface will give you maximum security on a slick floor.
Weather-Proofing Boots
If you’re in an outdoor situation or hiking when the weather suddenly turns, make sure you have duct tape in your pack to make the necessary adjustments. When applied properly, duct tape can be waterproof and weatherproof.
Duct tape offers the perfect addition to your boots when the weather isn’t cooperating. Say you planned a hike during temperate weather. However, a cold front moving in suddenly can spell rain. Simply tape up the vulnerable parts of your boots for an enjoyable journey.
Impromptu Drink Holder
We’ve all been there — drinking a beverage with nowhere to put it. However, duct tape is here to help. The majority of duct tape rolls are the perfect size to fit a glass, bottle, or can of your favorite beverage.
The side of the tape is tacky enough to stay put no matter where you may be. Rest assured that your drink is held well with a roll of duct tape. Your drink holder comes with the added benefit of being good in an emergency!
Gift Everlasting Roses
Bouquets are wonderful presents — until they wilt. Now, you can make roses and other blossoms last forever as long as you make them with duct tape. Duct tape is a versatile material that can make anything possible — including everlasting bouquets.
Depending on the pattern, you can even add different types of flowers to your eternal bouquet — including customizing the pattern and color. Your bouquet made out of duct tape can be a lasting present to whomever you make it for.
Pet Hair Remover
Anyone who has a dog or cat as a pet can attest to just how much hair they both can shed no matter what time of year it may be.
Instead of vacuuming at every sight of hair, take some of the pressure out of your house cleaning with duct tape. Duct tape is an easy and straightforward way to remove pet hair from couches, chairs, bedspreads, clothes, carpets, and much more. If you only have a few moments to get things looking nice, use duct tape!
Guard Against Sanding
Contractors, construction workers, and people who believe in DIY are always at risk of hurting themselves with power tools. Take care of yourself, especially when you are sanding a work or a piece of wood, with duct tape.
Simply wrap the duct tape around the fingers that you suspect may come in contact with the sander, and sand away. It’s better to be safe than sorry, and duct tape is here to keep you safe no matter what project you may be working on.
DIY Wart Remover
Did you know that duct tape can help remove warts? All you need to do is apply duct tape to the problem spot for a number of days. In time, the wart will soften and weaken.
When you take the piece of duct tape off, all you need to do is soak the wart and then rub at it with an abrasive material, such as a pumice stone that you might use on your feet during pedicures. The wart should come right off!
Garden Guru Repair
For some gardeners, plants can be almost like pets — or children. You never want to see one fail, especially when you have taken plenty of time caring for them and tending to them.
If you have a tree branch that breaks, you might think that you have to resign yourself to writing the branch off as a loss. However, some gardeners have discovered that duct tape can help hold a branch together as it heals. Give it a try and hope for the best!
Keep Your Car Customized
Are you one of many people who share their car with other drivers? It can be a real pain to adjust everything back to your specifications when it’s your turn with the car — and that’s where duct tape comes in.
All you need to do is cut a thin strip from the duct tape roll and use it to mark where your preferred driving position is in your seat. Simply reference that strip when the car is yours again and easily adjust to whatever you need to get you on the road again.
Emergency Car Repairs
Emergencies happen to everyone, even when they’re driving. That’s why it’s always important to keep a roll of duct tape on hand to make sure you have the tools you need to get to safety.
If you’re driving and run into an animal or debris that partially shatters your windshield, don’t panic. Even if you’re in the middle of nowhere, you can quickly patch up you windshield with duct tape to hold until you get to the next town — and the next repair shop.
Footwear in a Pinch
Are your feet killing you in your dress shoes? Or perhaps you don’t have any footwear and you desperately need them. Duct tape works well in these emergency situations, providing easily accessible footwear patterns for no matter what your needs may be.
Quickly construct a pair of slides, or some cute sandals, to protect your feet from having to walk on the ground. There are plenty of footwear patterns to follow as long as you have a roll of duct tape on hand.
Box Fan Double Duty
With current concerns about air quality, we might be wary of what, exactly, we’re blowing into our faces with our box fans. However, duct tape is here for the rescue.
You can enjoy cool, fresh air — filtered to perfection — with this simple hack. All you need to do measure the dimensions of your box fan and purchase an air filter with the same measurements. Use the duct tape to secure the air filter on to the box fan to ensure that the cool air you are enjoying has been filtered.
Easy and Durable Wallets
You rarely notice your wallet until it’s ready to give out. Don’t stress about springing for something brand new — and expensive. You can easily construct a customized wallet using only duct tape.
Simply pick your favorite colors, the design you’d like, and get to it. Match sticky sides to sticky sides to make pockets and folds in your new duct tape wallet. Your cards and cash will be secure in your new wallet — and plenty of other people will love to know how you made it.
Bicycle Modifications and Adjustments
You never know where you’re going to end up on your bicycle. In fact, you might get so into your ride that you don’t even notice that it’s getting dark. Modify your bicycle for whatever weather or time of day you may be riding with duct tape.
Simply attach a couple of flashlights onto your handlebars with a healthy allocation of duct tape and stay safe in dim lighting. You can also use duct tape to attach things like books, horns, and other belongings so you don’t have to worry about them as you ride.
Make a Grip For Your Tools
Many jobs are hands-on and require a lot of manual labor. We often need to use tools for these jobs and this can be tough on our hands with time. In order to ensure that your hands don’t suffer in the long term, you might want to use duct tape.
In this case, you should wrap a couple of layers around the grips of your tools. These include the likes of hammers and pliers, amongst others. This will ultimately prevent blisters.
Make a Sewing Mannequin
There are plenty of people out there who like to make their own clothes and dresses. In this case, you could do with a sewing mannequin. However, these can be pretty expensive to acquire. One way to do get one on the cheap is to make your own, and you can do this with duct tape.
It’s not that easy, but if you succeed in making one, you can also make individual ones for your friends and family. You will need someone to help you wrap all of that duct tape around you though.
A Stretcher Could Come Handy
This is one of those hacks that we don’t want anyone to have to rush to make any time soon. However, if you do have one at your disposal, it could prove to be very useful given the situation.
Basically, you will need two wooden rods and then you need to tie them together using duct tape. Use the following pattern and you will be more than read to save many lives with this do-it-yourself stretcher.
The Ultimate Sun Protector
The sun seems to be getting stronger with each year and it is becoming increasingly important to keep our heads covered. However, some hats just don’t provide enough protection. If you have a material that deflects sun rays well, then you have a better chance of staying protected.
A good option is to cover a hat in shiny duct tape. It requires precise wrapping, but if done correctly, you will have yourself a hat that both looks cool and is the ultimate sun protector.
A Hammock – Why Not?
This is one of those duct tape hacks that aren’t absolutely necessary but it is certainly a cool thing to have in the home. Ever felt like kicking back in a hammock on a pleasant summer’s day? Well, no need to buy one when you can make your very own.
Make sure that you have more than one color of duct tape to create your desired pattern. Then, overlap the strands of duct tape to create the following pattern, tie them around two wooden rods and you’ll be relaxed in no time.
Make a Belt
It’s amazing how quickly belts can wear and tear. Why spend tons of money on belts every few months when you can simply make your own? After all, you are probably going to wear something that hides the belt anyway so does it really matter what it’s made of?
At the end of the day, we need to keep our pants up from falling down. If you’ve got some duct tape lying around, you can easily make a makeshift belt out of it.
Secure the Dust Pan to the Floor
Don’t you just hate it when you are sweeping and you can’t seem to get all of the trash onto the dustpan? It can be really frustrating, especially after you have smashed something and you don’t want to leave any sharp pieces on the floor.
Surely enough, duct tape has the answer when it comes to solving this problem. All you need to do is fasten the tip of the dustpan to the floor with the duct tape and all of the debris will be easy to sweep onto it.
A Cover for Your Binder Pen
It’s always pleasant to have your very own pen to accompany your binder or your notebook. After all, it’s good to stay organize and to look cool in the process. Time and time again though, our pens can easily fall and get lost. With some duct tape though, that will no longer be an issue.
Simply take some duct tape, preferably with a cool color or pattern, and create cool little pockets that will allow you to store your pens or other accessories.
Water Resistant Pillows
It’s nice to have pillows on our patio seats to keep us comfortable during those pleasant summer nights. But what happens if it starts raining out of the blue and your pillows become soaked because of it? That’s a situation that no one wants.
Do you know what you can do? That’s right folks, either make a pillow out of duct tape or wrap a pillow up with duct tape. Either way, you now have a pillow that is both comfortable and water-resistant.
Fix Those Shoelaces
So many times, we have to deal with the ends of shoelaces getting messy and frayed. More often than not, the small plastic sheath keeping everything together (known as an aiglet) will fall off. But why buy new laces when you can simply fix them using duct tape?
Take a tiny piece of duct tape and wrap it around the loose ends of the lace and it will practically be as good as new! Sure, you can eventually buy new laces, but this will keep you going for the time being.
Get Every Drop of Toothpaste
Have you ever seen those infuriating videos where they cut apart a tube of toothpaste and show us just how much we are wasting when we throw away a tube we thought was finished?
Use duct tape to ensure that you squeeze out every last drop of toothpaste in your tube. Roll from the bottom and keep all the paste secured toward the top of the tube with a strategically placed piece of duct tape. You might just find your savings increasing!
Tent Quick Fix
If you’re out in the wilderness and away from any camping supply store, it can be a real nightmare to discover that your tent has a leak — especially when it’s in the middle of a downpour. Thankfully, you’ve probably thought ahead and stashed a roll of duct tape in your supplies.
Especially when you are out and away from civilization, duct tape can be a lifesaver in many different ways. Simply slap a piece of tape over the leak in your tent to enjoy a good night’s sleep — and many fun days to come!
Quick Splinter Remover
Splinters are the worst. Whether you’ve gotten them from a rough piece of wood on a chair or deck surface, or you regularly work with wood or are a gardener, splinters can be a real pain.
If you don’t manage to remove them, they can cause more trouble than they’re worth with infections and pain. However, you can simply place a small piece of duct tape over the entry site of the splinter. Pull hard and the sticky surface of the duct tape will remove the splinter!
Ready-Made Wardrobe Enhancers
In need of a tie? There’s duct tape for that. What about a dress? Duct tape! An entire ensemble of duct tape fine wear apparel for prom? Done — and with stunning results from many dedicated students.
The point is that you can make anything out of duct tape — including clothing items you might need for a special occasion or just in the nick of time. There are plenty of patterns and instructions to help you complete whatever you may need!
Catch Pesky Bugs
Do you suspect that your house is infested with bugs you would much rather see outside? Duct tape can help! Simply lay out a few strips sticky side up to catch whatever might be ailing your space.
You can rest assured that the insects in question will be caught. In the morning, you can check your duct tape traps and decide what steps — if any — you will need to take in the future to prevent more bugs from entering your space.
