Zip ties have been around since the 50s, and they’ve been absolutely ubiquitous ever since. And why wouldn’t they be? They’re dirt cheap and they have all kinds of practical uses. Now originally, zip ties were invented to hold together cables and wires, but there’s actually way more to these little plastic fasteners than meets the eye! For example, they can help you organize your life in a major way and fix little problems around the house that would otherwise go untouched. Here are 7 zip tie hacks that’ll knock your zocks off!
1. Broken Zipper Fix
If your zipper puller has come loose from the zipper, there’s no need to throw your pants away, donate them, or even get the sewing machine out. Just attach a zip tie to the zipper, cut the end to the desired length, and you’ll be able to close your pants again just like before.
2. Paint Mixer
If a bucket of paint sits around untouched for a while, a thin layer of liquid usually settles on top of the paint, which then has to be stirred. The easiest way to do this is by screwing a pencil into a drill, wrapping 2 zip ties around the pencil, and cutting the ends to fit easily into the bucket. Now you can stir the paint back to its ideal consistency.
3. Bouquet Holder
Zip ties can also be total lifesavers when it comes to flower arrangements. If the bouquet falls apart in the vase, you can just tie a zip tie around it and bring it into the right position.
4. Paper Organizer
If your desk looks like a cluttered mess of loose sheets of paper, you can just stack them, punch holes in them, put 2 zip ties through the holes, tie them together, and cut off the ends.
5. Cable Organizer
Cable clutter behind a TV or computer can throw off the feng shui of your space like you wouldn’t believe. It’s just not very soothing knowing there’s a tangled mess like that around you at all times, so here’s a solution to your cable clutter problems: loosely tie all the cables together with a zip tie, then divide the individual cables with more zip ties. Repeat this at regular intervals for longer cables and say goodbye to cable clutter forever.
6. Water Bottle Attachment
On the go and you want a sip of water from your reusable, eco-friendly bottle? Not a problem, if only there wasn’t the issue of having to rummage around in your backpack. Thankfully that moment of impatient desperation can be avoided in the future with this quick fix: attach a zip tie to the bottleneck and another one around the zip tie itself, cutting off the ends if they’re too long. Once that’s taken care of, just attach the construction to your backpack with a small carabiner.
7. Storage Space
Closets are never really big enough, are they? However, a couple strategically-placed zip ties can actually add a ton more storage space to your closet. Just connect several zip ties to form a chain and cut off the protruding ends, then hang the zip tie chain over a hanger. Now you can hang multiple hangers at different levels!
And there you have it – the 7 most convincing reasons ever to always have a bunch of zip ties on hand!