I like to keep a big bag of clothespins in my laundry room, and not just for hanging laundry to dry! They’re inexpensive, can be used all over the house, and are great to have on hand for crafts and DIYs.
I especially using them to display photos, cards, and announcements I receive in the mail. They always come in handy at Christmastime when I want to display all the photo cards I’ve received from family and friends!
So in honor of my very handy collection of clothespins, today’s post is all about exploring the many ways you can use them around the house. These 13 uses for clothespins tips may just be enticing enough to make you go out and buy a few if you don’t have any on hand.
13 Uses For Clothespins That Will Make Your Life Easier
1. Keep Accessories On Hangers
If you find that your ties, scarves, belts, and other accessories tend to slip off the hangers you store them on, a few clothespins can help. Pin each item over the bottom edge of the hanger to keep them in place, and they’ll have a much harder time slipping off in the future.
2. Organize Mail & Paperwork
Keep a few clothespins wherever you put your incoming mail, and consider labeling them with a few categories of documents and paperwork you commonly need to keep track of (like bills, coupons, homework, tax documents, etc.) When you bring in new mail, sort it right away into your piles and clip them together with the corresponding clothespin. That way, your mail will be pre-sorted when you’e finally ready to sit down and deal with it.
3. Hang Rubber Gloves
The best way to store the rubber gloves you use for dishes or cleaning is to hang them with the fingers pointing down, so that if they’re wet, the moisture can drip down instead of getting trapped and causing mildew issues. Create a place to hang your gloves by glueing a clothespin to the inside of a cupboard door.
4. Hold Lit Matches
If you’re using a match to light a candle in a jar, light the match then clip a clothespin to the end of it. The clothespin will help you light the candle without burning your fingertips in the process.
5. Keep Fingers Safe While Hammering
If you’re like me and your hand-eye coordination isn’t exactly your strongest suit, a clothespin can come in handy when you have to put a nail in a wall. Use a clothespin to hold the nail against the wall, which will keep your fingers out of the way and prevent a painful hammering accident!
6. Make An Instant Apron Or Bib
If you’re about to do some messy work in the kitchen and don’t have an apron nearby, use clothespins to clip a kitchen towel to your pants for an instant temporary “apron.” You can also use clothespins to attach a napkin to kids’ shirts when you don’t have a bib handy.
7. Secure Wrapped Cords
Keep charging cords and cables tidy by wrapping them up and securing them with a clothespin. You can even write the type of cord on the clothespin so it’ll be easier to identify later.
8. Wrap Up Thread Or Yarn
If you have some extra thread or yarn you want to keep for another project, wrap it around a clothespin to prevent it from becoming hopelessly tangled by the time you’re ready to use it. This can also help keep wired headphones from tangling up in your bag or desk drawer.
Organize thread, yarn or even a pair of headphones!
9. Keep Your Cookbook Page Open
I’ve found that certain cookbooks have stubborn pages that like to fall to one side or the other, making it impossible to keep the right page open while you’re cooking. But once I wised up, I started using a clothespin to clip the troublesome pages to their neighbors—it’s a quick and easy way to prevent cookbook pages from flipping and flopping around on you!
10. Clip Chips And Other Snacks
On game days or other snack-y occasions, bags of chips rarely last long at the Nystul house. When I’m sure the remainder of a snack is going to get consumed in the next day or two, I don’t bother with more secure methods of keeping the snacks fresh—I just clip the bag closed with a clothespin.
11. Prop Up A Pot Lid
If you’re cooking something in a pot with the lid on it but need to give the steam some way to escape, place a clothespin between the lid and the pot. The pin will keep the lid propped open just enough to vent the steam without allowing all the steam to escape.
12. Take A Few On Trips
Bring a couple clothespins along when traveling. They really come in handy for clipping drapes closed when they don’t quite overlap enough to keep your hotel room as dark as you’d like.
13. Keep Lists Handy
Do your grocery shopping lists tend to get lost in the depths of your bag while you’re at the store? Use a clothespin to clip your shopping list to the inside of your purse so it’s always at your fingertips.
Do you know of any other clever uses for clothespins around the house?
