Tidy Tip Tuesday - Clever Uses for Rubber Bands

Waitress: What can I get for you. sir?
Patron: Make me a rubber band sandwich and make it snappy!

Music teacher: Have you ever heard a rubber band? 
Student: Why no, I don't think I have.
Music teacher: They play the snappiest tunes!

Patient: Doctor, Doctor I think I'm a rubber band.
Doctor: Stretch yourself out on the couch there and talk to me! Snap to it!
 
Enough of that! Here are some handy tips for using rubber bands:

Stop sliding spoons
The spoon slipped into the pot, and now you have to fish it out of the hot soup. "Oh bother!" like Pooh Bear would say. After you rinse off the spoon, wrap a rubber band around the top of the handle to catch the spoon. No bother at all!

Secure your casserole lids
Secure the top of your casserole dish to the base with a couple of wide rubber bands to avoid spills on the way to the potluck.

Anchor your cutting board
To keep your cutting board from traveling around on the counter-top while you're chopping food, give the board some traction by putting a rubber band around each end.Be careful to keep your knife away from the rubber bands.

Get a grip on twist-off tops
Wrap the caps of beverage bottles (with twist-off lids) with a rubber band to save yourself the pain that the crimped edges of the bottle cap can cause.

Get a grip on drinking glasses
If it is difficult for you to grasp a drinking glass securely, wrap a couple of rubber bands around it to make it easier to grip. Works great for children also, whose small hands cannot safely hold a drinking glass.

Reshape your broom
Wrap a rubber band around a broom ( a few inches from the bottom) when bristles that have fanned out. Leave it for a day or so to get the bristles back in line.

Child-proof kitchen and bath cabinetsTemporarily childproof the bathroom and kitchen cabinets you don't want the grandchildren to get into. Just wrap the bands tightly around pairs of knob-type handles.

Keep thread from tangling
Wrap a rubber band around the spools of thread to keep the it from unraveling.

Make a holder for your car visorWrap a couple of rubber bands around the sun visors of your car to create a handy spot to slip toll receipts, directions, a favorite CD, maps, etc.

Thumb through papers with ease
Wrap a rubber band around your index finger a few when you need to shuffle papers. Be careful not to wrap it too tight, so that circulation will not be cut off to your fingertip.

Extend a button
When the top button on a shirt doesn't allow enough breathing room, pull a small rubber band through the buttonhole, then loop the ends over the button. Put on your tie and relax.

Use as a bookmark

Wrap a rubber band from top to bottom around the part of the book you've already read. You won't lose your place, even if you drop the book.

Cushion your remote control
To protect your fine furniture from scratches and nicks, wrap a wide rubber band around both ends of the television remote control. The remote will be less likely to slide off a table and be damaged also.

Secure bed slats
Do the slats under your mattress sometimes slip out? Wrap rubber bands around their ends to make them stay in place.

Tighten furniture casters
If furniture leg casters have become loose with wear, tighten them up by wrapping a rubber band around the stem and reinserting.

Gauge your liquids
Snap a band around the liquid containers of paint, etc. in your garage to indicate how much solution is left in the can. Just a glance and you'll know how much is left.

Wipe your paintbrush
Using the side of a paint can to remove excess paint from your brush, creates a mess on the side of the can and a puddle in the groove around the rim. To avoid the mess wrap a rubber band around the can from top to bottom, going across the middle of the can opening. After filling your brush with paint, just tap it against the rubber band and the excess paint will fall back into the can.

A sliced apple keeper.
Put the wedges of a sliced apple back together and with a rubber band wrapped around the apple. This will hold the apple together and stop the wedges from yellowing or drying out.

A bag sealer.
Keep bags of frozen veggies inside their opened bags by folding the top of the bag over and then wrapping a rubber band around the whole thing. This is good for any bag that needs to be resealed.

A bottle holder.
To get a grip on shampoo and conditioner bottles, wrap a large rubber band around each bottle. This also works on any other bottle in any room of the house, and is very useful for people who have trouble gripping, especially those with arthritis.