I love being able to repurpose things I have lying around the house, and my collection of paper clips just got a bunch of new assignments after I learned about all these great ways to use them. When you find out some of the things you can do with this simple office supply, I’m sure you’ll be as amazed as I was!
13 Creative Uses For Paper Clips
1. Secure Wrapping Paper
Do your rolls of wrapping paper seem determined to unroll and unravel whenever you turn your back? A couple of paper clips can help you keep your stash of gift wrap much tidier—just add a paper clip at each end of a roll to secure the edge of the paper and prevent it from unraveling.
2. Clean Hair From A Brush
An unfolded paper clip can be a handy tool for cleaning things, including your hairbrush. Slide the edge of an unfolded paper clip under the hair wrapped in the bristles of your hairbrush and lift it up to remove the hair. (This works well on brooms too.)
3. Clean Small Spaces
Another handy use for an unfolded paper clip is to clean tight spaces. Just wrap a paper towel around the end of a paper clip and use it clean gunk out of the smallest nooks and crannies.
4. Unclog Shakers And Sprayers
Anything that has a sprayer or a shaker top can get clogged up in the course of regular use. But in many cases, an unfolded paper clip is all you need to dislodge whatever is blocking up the holes to get it working properly again.
5. Keep Bags Closed
Lost the twist tie from your loaf of bread? Grab a paper clip and use it to secure the bag closed. You can also use paper clips to keep bags of chips, pretzels, and other snacks closed.
6. Open A Letter
When you receive a nice letter or invitation, you may want to keep the envelope intact so you can save it. If you don’t happen to have a letter opener handy, just unfold a paper clip and use it to open the envelope without tearing it open.
7. Put On A Bracelet
If you’re trying to put on a bracelet and there’s no one around to give you a hand, grab a paper clip! First, grab the smaller hook of the paper clip and bend it the opposite way so that the clip forms an S shape, then slip the ring of your bracelet (as in the ring you attach the bracelet clip to) over the hook on one end of the paper clip.
Hold your arm out with your palm facing up, and position the paper clip so the bracelet ring is at the center of your wrist and the other end of the paperclip is resting on the heel of your palm. Curl your fingers to hold the paperclip in place, then grab the bracelet clip with your free hand, hook it onto the ring, and you’re done!
8. Create A Temporary Hem
Whether the bottoms of your pants are a bit too long or your skirt hem has started unraveling, you can use a few paper clips to secure your hem temporarily wherever you’d like it to go. You can also use a paper clip to hold up the sleeves of a long sleeve shirt so you don’t get them wet while doing dishes or washing your hands.
9. Mark The End Of Tape
When you’re using painter’s tape, duct tape, or packing tape, stick a paper clip to the sticky side of the end of the tape roll before storing it away again. The next time you go to use the tape, you won’t have to search around for the end or spend several minutes trying to pry the end up from the rest of the roll.
10. Attach To A Key
Need to give a friend a spare key to your house, but don’t have a spare keychain around? Hook the key onto a paper clip instead. They’ll still be able to use it to attach the key to their own keyring.
11. Wire Flowers Together
Florist wire can be expensive, so why not use a few unfolded paper clips instead? They’ll work in much the same way as florist wire and you’ll save a fair bit of money on your DIY floral arrangement.
12. Make A Bookmark
Need a way to mark the page in the book you’re reading? Thread a length of ribbon through the end of a paper clip to make a quick and easy makeshift bookmark.
13. Hang Up Photos
And finally, you can use paper clips and a damage-free way to hang up photos. Just push a pushpin into your wall where you want the photo to go, slide a paper clip onto the top of the photo, and hook the other side of the paper clip onto the end of the pushpin.
What other uses for papervclips would you add to this list?