REPURPOSING RUBBER BANDS – 11 CREATIVE IDEAS TO TRY AT HOME

Upcycling rubber bands, is that even a thing?  Oddly enough it can be.

I never thought I would write an article about rubber bands, but I once wrote an essay on my grilled cheese addiction for English class.  Nothing surprises me anymore.

If you are a broccoli lover in Canada, you’ve probably noticed at the grocery store that they are tied together with a rubber band to form a bouquet. What do you do with the rubber band then? Throw it in the trash?

While rubber bands can be recycled or thrown in the compost, it’s not the ideal quick fix solution.  Rubber bands take a long time to break down; roughly 50 years to decompose naturally.  Also, they aren’t all primarily made from natural latex which comes from the rubber tree.  Therefore, putting them in the compost might mean that they remain there for a really long time sitting at the bottom.  What a waste!

As for the recycling option, that’s great but in order for it to work and not create extra work at the recycling sorting facility, you’ll need to gather them in a separate bag. Who has time for that?

So, while you could choose one of the two options mentioned above, here is a short list of ideas on how to extend the shelf life of your rubber bands at home.

Donate your rubber bands

Personally, we started a while back collecting rubber bands as they have consistently come in handy at home.  In fact, we store them in a small jar in the kitchen.  Their sizes and width vary which makes it really practical depending on what we need them for. You’ll be surprised once you start doing that at how many rubber bands you come across in your day to day shopping/living.

You could start doing the same and/or if it gets too much, donate them to:

• Schools

Schools are always doing arts and crafts projects and in need of supplies.  Rubber bands can help hold books or writing material together, for example or help in an Easter egg painting project.

Drop off your bag or jar of rubber bands at your local primary school.

• Post office

Rubber bands to keep letters together is the mail man’s best friend. Why not drop yours at your local post office?

Now, if you want to repurpose the rubber bands for your personal use, here are some ideas on how to do so. As an extra tip: oil your rubber bands to make them last longer.

Open stubborn jar lids

This trick, my husband taught me. 

I often had a hard time opening my glass tomato sauce jars.  Wrapping it with a cloth didn’t always help.

Solution: Simply wrap a wide rubber band around your jar lid and twist.

I showed my mother who suffers from arthritis this trick and is now able to open her own lids.

Stand still Cutting board

Sometimes cutting boards like to slide around the counter when we are chopping herbs or garlic.  To make your cutting board stand still, wrap a wide rubber band around each corner. This will make it stay in place.

Hanger helper

Don’t you just hate it when your silk nightgown keeps sliding off its hanger in your closet?

To overcome this annoying issue, simply wind a rubber band on each end of your hanger to keep your clothes from falling off.

Reusable coffee or tea cup

Reuse the rubber bands from your veggies and create your own reusable coffee or tea cup.

This can be practical to use whether you are at home or out camping and not just for preventing you from burning your hand. The jar and the rubber bands can come in handy while you are out in the wild and used in different ways: storage, beverage, soup, tie things up in the trees, play games, etc.

Simply wrap your rubber bands around a glass jar, preferably one that comes with a lid.

Bookmark keeper

My mother loves to collect cute bookmarks from the places she travels to as she loves to read.  I, on the other hand, used to fold the corner of the page to bookmark my spot.  Nowadays, I use old receipts, tissues, paper clips, whatever I can get my hands on. It’s not always practical.

So if your bookmark keeps falling out making you lose your page, wrap a rubber band from top to bottom around the page you last read.

Rubber bands Motricity ball

Rubber balls can be used as motricity balls or help with anxiety issues.  For instance, by squeezing one you can strengthen your hand muscles.  Making them is easy and is a fun activity to do with kids.

Steps to making a ball with rubber bands:

• Fold one thick rubber band over itself a couple times in order to create the centre of the ball. OR crumple a piece of paper or newspaper into a tight ball. The first option will make the ball bouncier.
• Wrap another rubber band around the center band a few times.
• Continue this process with as many rubber bands as you like or have.

Doggy or Baby proofing

Often on baby shower lists, you’ll see these white plastic ties.  They are to put on the knobs of cupboards so that your child won’t be able to easily open them.  If you have dogs, they might do that where the trash can lies.  Such is our case.

Instead of spending money, use rubber bands to tie around your cabinet knobs to lock them in place.  When it breaks, just use another one. It’s that simple!

Paint brush scraper

How do you get rid of excess paint on your paint brush? Chances are you scrape your brush on the sides of the can which ends up clogging it.

In order to prevent this little mishap, stretch a rubber band from top to bottom in the middle of the open can.  Excess paint can drip back into the can and you’ll lose less paint that way.

Hang flyers

If you’ve lost a cat or dog or simply are doing a yard sale, you’ll have to put a sign up on the telephone poles around your home.

Getting tape to stick to it is no piece of cake, especially if it’s raining or windy. 

Here is a simple solution:

Wrap rubber bands around the pole. Link them together with or without the help of paper clips.

Soap dish

Shampoo and hair conditioner bars are the talk of the town these days. They don’t come cheap either. In any case, you’ll need a soap dish to preserve them. Instead of buying one, why not make your own? In fact, I mention it in my article on DIY present ideas.

All you need is a jar lid and rubber bands and Voilà! Simply wrap enough rubber bands through the middle of the lid so that your soap can sit on it.

Now that you know how to repurpose your rubber bands, you won’t have to cringe when you finally decide to throw them away.

Do you have more ideas on how to repurpose rubber bands? Share them in the comment section below.