The Clips that Bind: Inventive Ways to Use Binder Clips
Binder clips abound in my apartment. Whether they are remnants from schoolwork or stowaways from the office, I can pretty much count on finding binder clips in every room. With so many clips, I started figuring out new ways to put the little guys to good use.
The Amazing Money Clip – Ok, I’ll admit it, my wallets become abused more often than not. The corners fray, the stitching rips, and nothing is worse than feeling in your pockets or purse only to find money missing. So when I go out, I clip my money together, and then clip again to the inside pocket lining of my jeans or bag.
Organize Cords – My apartment screams tech junkie, and binder clips are perfect for separating the cords of my electronics. Game consoles are bound with one clip, computer cords use another, and the home entertainment system gets one too. Finally, no more snake nests of cords to sort through all of the time.
Fix Finicky Clothing – Loose clothing, such as long belts or flowy tops with too much fabric, can be held in place using binder clips. Simply hold down the pieces of clothing you want to bind together and place the binder clip. For making fashion statements, try using colored binder clips that match the outfit.
Get Every Last Drop – Living on my own, I don’t go through truckloads of toothpaste at a time. Halfway through the bottle, the toothpaste always slides back to the bottom. Try rolling up the tube and clip the rolled section for easy to dispense toothpaste.
Makeshift Drawing Pads – Do you have artists at home that seem to use and endless amount of drawing notebooks? Talk about pricey, but an alternative exists to help cut costs. Clip together multiple sheets of paper to a hard backing like smooth cardboard for an instant art book. Kids can even design the cover themselves.
The “Never Lost” Bookmark – Paper and plastic bookmarks have a way of wiggling from pages, especially when I fall asleep reading. Binder clips stay in place, and multiple sizes are available depending on the length of the book.
Fridge Bottle Stacker – Some refrigerators have bar shelves much like a cooling rack for cookies. Stacking and balancing bottles of water, coffee, or juice can be tricky depending the distance between each bar. Attach binder clips on the bar to the left of where you want to begin stacking and form a pyramid shape with the bottles tipped horizontally. Your drinks will stay in place and leave more room on the other side of the shelf.
Tea Bag Guardian – Rogue tea bags in your cup got you down? Never fear, simply use a (clean) binder clip to hold the bag in place until it is finished steeping.
Protection from Razors – Missing caps means exposed razors, something than can be very dangerous, especially in a home with children. Use a binder clip over the blade to prevent injury.
Express Your Organizational Side – Many couponers adore binder clips for organizing their coupons in folders or binders. Colored clips can also be used to separate large filing systems with crowed folders. Different colors can represent various sections while being easy to spot amongst neutral folders.
Dry Kitchen Sponges – Wringing out sponges after use removes most of the water, but the leftover molecules reside in the sponge. Clip the end of your sponge and move the handles upward to stand the sponge on the counter for an even dry.
Grocery List Holder – I find it frustrating flipping through my coupon binder and back to my grocery list all of the time while shopping. To solve the dilemma, I clip the list to the basket near the handle of the cart.
Rags to Mops – Sometimes sponges just won’t do to clean a huge mess. Even if your home is mopless, you can create the same cleaning tool from rags and binder clips. Lay rags on the floor radiating from a center point, much like the spokes of a bicycle wheel. Clip each rag to its neighbor near the central point. Duct tape the same central area to a pole or stick, and voila, instant mop. I know it’s not the easiest method, but it was still fun putting it together J
Check out Staples, OfficeMax, or your local office supply store for good deals on binder clips if you don’t have any hanging around. Personally, I love the pastel and neon binder clips; they just add a little life to their surroundings.
