Never Lose Your Garbage Can Lid Again

No More Flying Garbage Can Lids

Are you tired of losing your garbage can lid? “Hinge” it to the barrel with zip ties. Drill 1/4-in. holes for the ties and double them for extra strength. The lid will flip open and stay attached to the barrel. You’ll never have to search for your lid again! — Don Tyler. Smart, right?! Now check out our 56 most brilliant PVC hacks for around your home.

Improvised Caulk Gun

Over the years, I have accumulated quite the collection of caulk guns because I’m always forgetting to bring one along to the job site. This time, I improvised a caulk gun instead of buying yet another one. I zip-tied the tube of caulk to the bar of a trigger-style clamp and stuck a wood scrap in the tube’s end to act as a plunger, dispensing caulk as I squeezed the clamp’s trigger. — Frank McDonough Check out our expert caulking tips to get perfect results every time!

Zip-Tie Phone Stand

When referencing projects plans or a photo for inspiration while working on a DIY project, most of us use our phones to display images or instructional videos. The only problem with this method is that our phones don't prop themselves up, making it difficult to see at the images while working. You can make a smartphone stand out of just about anything these days, but it doesn't get much simpler than looping zip ties around your phone (2 on each side). All you have to do is tighten the zip ties until they are snug to the phone with the zip-tie heads facing down and near the edge of your phone. Now you can watch video instructions or look at project drawings without having to hold it in your hands the whole time. Plus, the next time you are charging your phone in the car you better think twice! Learn why you should stop charging your smartphone in your car.

Family Handyman

Simple Bathroom Sink Drain Cleaner

When my bathroom sink gets clogged, I don’t reach for chemicals. Instead, I use a long zip tie. I cut several notches on the zip-ties end. It’ll hook the hair clog, allowing you to pull it out. Problem solved. The size of the eye of the zip tie prevented me from inadvertently pushing the tie past the stopper.  — Rick Holmen

Stay-Put Cord

Zip ties are great to have on hand for quick repairs and fastening jobs around the shop. I like to zip-tie one end of an electrical cord so it stays with the cord reel. I keep the connection loose enough that I can pull out enough cord to reach an outlet. — Oliver Rodriguez

Control Your Climbing Plants with Zip Ties

Getting my vines to run up just how I want tricky. To direct the vines, I fasten zip-ties around the stalks, strapping them to anything stable. Don’t strap the vines too tightly. They need to be able to move and grow. — Craig Sullivan

Fix a Screwy Electrical Box

I recently had to deal with a loose receptacle inside a plastic electrical box. It turned out the screw holes in the box were stripped. To fix the problem, I slipped small zip ties into the stripped holes, which allowed me to tighten the screws until snug. — Stan Stegelman. Plus: Check out our top tips for DIY electrical wiring.

Easy Knob-and-Tube Insulation Fix

The insulation on knob-and-tube wiring gets brittle with age. When you’re working with it, the insulation may just crumble in your hands. You can easily re-insulate a section using a length of the plastic jacket from a piece of nonmetallic sheathed cable (often referred to as Romex) and secure it with a zip-tie. Buy Romex on Amazon.

Keep Round Tools from Rolling

To keep my X-Acto knives from rolling off the table and stabbing me in the foot, I put zip ties around them. This trick also works great for preventing short pencils from getting stuck down in narrow tool belt pockets, and carpenter’s pencils from falling through the cracks when used as spacers between deck boards. — Justin Mitchell. You can also use painter's tape—here's how.

Hands-Free Light

I was working under the kitchen sink and couldn’t see what I was doing, so I used zip ties to attach mini flashlights to a pair of safety glasses. Now I use this pair whenever I climb into the attic or do any repairs in unlighted spaces. Everywhere I look is illuminated. — Nathan Rodgers. Plus: Safety gear every DIYer should own.

The Family Handyman

Safe Fluorescent Bulb Storage

Safely store extra fluorescent bulbs in jumbo-sized vinyl-clad storage hooks in a handy location near your fixture in the shop, garage or basement. Cut the hooks off one end of a couple of mini Bungee cords and use zip ties to attach the severed ends to the top of two vinyl-clad steel storage hooks. Store several fresh bulbs and mark your bad bulbs with a marker and store them until it’s time to recycle. Many thanks to Ken Stobnicki for this bright idea. Plus: How to repair fluorescent lights.

The Family Handyman

Store Zip Ties on a Pegboard

Faithful reader Raymond Hudon sent us a tool storage technique for all those slender tools and shop accessories. Cut short lengths of PVC pipe (1-1/2- and 2-in.-diameter pipes work well for most items) and slide them over pegboard hooks. Then load them up with files, hacksaw blades, zip ties, pencils, stir sticks . . . you get the skinny.

Spotlight for Woodworking

Focus a bright beam of light on your layout lines when you’re doing fine work on a band saw or scroll saw. All you need is a 1-1/2-in. round base magnet with a hole in the center ($3 at home centers and hardware stores), a Mini Maglite flashlight ($10 for the AA-cell model) and a 1/8-in.-thick steel rod ($1). Bend an eyelet in the end of the rod and bolt it to the magnet, then strap the flashlight to the other end with zip ties. The setup will stick to any steel or cast iron surface, so you’ll see what you’re sawing! Our thanks to Gary Brandhorst for this tip.

Make a Tool-Protecting Pouch

If you store your toolbox in a non-climate-controlled garage or shed or in the bed of your truck, rust prevention is very important. You could collect a few of those tiny silica packets that come with a new pair of shoes, but it could take months (or years!) to have enough to protect your tools from excess moisture. Instead, make your own rust-preventing pouch using a generous scoop of silica crystal kitty litter, a piece of breathable fabric (we cut off a piece of an old t-shirt) and a zip tie. Toss the pouch inside your toolbox to keep your tools rust-free. You can make several pouches with one bag of kitty litter. Heck, make some extra pouches and gift them to your friends. Plus: Build this simple tool holder with a PVC pipe.

Quick, Secure Clamps

To repair split chair rungs or spindles, inject glue into the split, and then clamp it together with electrical tie-wraps ($1.30 for a bag of 20). Grip the tie-wrap with two pairs of pliers to cinch down on the workpiece. Slip a chip of wood under the wrap to increase the pressure, and simply cut off the wrap when the glue’s dry. Tie-wraps are also great for wrapping wood strips or dowels in bundles, and for fixing a loose connection between the flex hose and the nozzle on your shop vacuum. Thanks to reader Rodger Ahlberg for this versatile tip. Plus: 5 knots to know

Recycling Zip Ties

Whenever I buy something that’s wrapped with zip ties, I don’t cut them off and toss them. Instead, I remove the ties by inserting the tip of my pocketknife under the ratcheting mechanism of the ties and pulling the end out. I can reuse the ties and never worry about overtightening one because I can reposition it. — Phil Kuhns.

The Family Handyman

Alternatives to Zip Ties

Extension cord coil keepers Here are three easy ways to keep cords tightly coiled, even when they fall off the hook or get shoved into a toolbox:

• Velcro strips. Buy a pack of 10 precut, pre-slotted strips ($2 at a home center) or pick up a roll of hook-and-loop material at a fabric store and make your own.
• 3/8-in. dia. rope. Attach to the end of the cord as shown, then tie up the coiled cord.
• Elastic ponytail holders that secure with plastic balls on the ends work great on coiled extension cords too.

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