Who would have thought that the humble paper clip could have so many uses? Like how to create necessary items, like a makeshift compass to find your way when you are lost.
Put the paper clip to use in cleaning the hard to get at areas in the house; and keep kids busy and entertained with arty projects based on paper clips.
Finding original uses for common items is a sign of a divergent thinker, according to researchers. We have listed 83 ways to use paper clips.
There are articles out there with lots more uses, but we thought we would hone it down to the more useful tips. Always have a few of the smaller and a couple of larger paper clips on hand in EDC. They are so small, but they may save the day at some point.
1. Create magnetic stationery
Wrap straightened out paper clips around pens and pencils and attach them to a magnetic strip on your fridge or at your desk (just not close to your computer). This saves going out and buying expensive magnetized stationery.
2. Rattle snake eggs/scuttling cockroaches
Watch this to see how a soda cap, paper clip, and a rubber band can be placed inside a card. When the person starts to open the card is rattles.
Usually, people don’t get to open it fully as they throw the card and run. It can be labelled as rattle snake eggs that have hatched, or cockroaches scuttling inside the card. It provides some priceless photos of the recipient’s reactions.
3. Chinese hair sticks
To secure a bun, straighten a large paper clip and stick it through the hair to keep it in place.
Ok, they aren’t decorated but they will keep hair up and out of your face while you work.
4. Box opener
Straighten a paper clip and slice through packing tape on boxes instead of pulling and tugging. Box tape is sooo hard to remove if you can’t slice through it, and usually when you need it a Stanley knife or ordinary knife don’t happen to be around.
5. Fidget toys
The first example on this video shows how to make a fidget toy out of colored paper clips. Use it the next time you are waiting in a doctor’s office.
The second one on the video shows how two sewing machine bobbins and a paperclip make an easy fidget toy. Kids will love this one:
6. Cleaning gun
Watch the video that shows how to use a paper clip to clean stainless-steel gun barrels here:
7. Escape handcuffs
Watch this to see the first hack showing how to shape the paper clip to unpick handcuffs. There are 10 hacks here – showing how to make fishhooks, a makeshift lamp wick, safety pins and a whole lot more:
7. Cleaning around taps
That hard to get at ring around water taps in the kitchen and bathroom can be cleaned by bending open a paper clip into an S shape then straightening one end and using it to gently remove the gunk around taps.
If…