# Objects useful for purposes other than what they were made for **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 1, 2016, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/objects-useful-for-purposes-other-than-what-they-were-made-for/753640 "2016-05-01T22:27:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2016, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/objects-useful-for-purposes-other-than-what-they-were-made-for/753640/41 "2016-05-02T21:53:19Z")
Palm to head - hemostats, of course! They are indeed the be all and end all of multi-use items. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2016, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/objects-useful-for-purposes-other-than-what-they-were-made-for/753640/42 "2016-05-02T22:13:04Z")
> [@Alley\_Dweller](#): > > Screw drivers and duct tape. > > Besides driving screws, screw drivers can be used to pry things open, pound nails, scrape things, open bags, conduct electricity, test for live wires, fish stuff out of tight spots, hang things, weigh things down, self-defense, and billions of more things. I bet you could have a whole thread dedicated to stuff you can do with a screw driver. > > And has anyone here ever actually used duct tape to tape a duct? OK, I realize the original name was duck tape, so have used ever used it to tape a duck? > > Old joke: You only need two thing, duct tape and WD-40. If it moves, but it’s not supposed to, use the duct tape. If it doesn’t move, but it’s supposed to, use WD-40. Actually, a friend of mine was proud of having redone his heating/AC ducts and took me down the basement to show me. The duct tape he used was hanging all over and he admitted that, no, it didn’t stick well once the heating season started. Good for cementing ducks together though. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2016, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/objects-useful-for-purposes-other-than-what-they-were-made-for/753640/43 "2016-05-02T22:18:16Z")
Just the other day I used a Jeep to go to the supermarket. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2016, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/objects-useful-for-purposes-other-than-what-they-were-made-for/753640/44 "2016-05-02T23:33:17Z")
> [@quiltguy](#): > > Dental floss IS a multi-use product: > > -Slices cheesecake with no crumbling or sticking. > -Great for sewing on buttons. > -Helps to slide off a ring stuck on your finger. > -Emergency shoelace. > -Makes a terrific teeny tiny lasso to catch mice(I have a lot of time on my hands) 😃 > > and all for a buck! It also works great when the outside flush lever handle part that connects to the plastic rod inside the top toilet tank has somehow come loose from the chain that holds that little floaty thing in that suction water-hole. It’s water-proof and thin and strong, which is great b/c you have to have the right length exactly before you thread the needle and make a tiny knot on the floss so the water-hole doesn’t seal too soon and you don’t get enough toilet-bowl water, or too late and it runs forever because the chain blocks the floaty thing’s suction so it runs. Note: I am not a licensed plumber. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/objects-useful-for-purposes-other-than-what-they-were-made-for/753640/45 "2016-05-03T00:29:33Z")
Large split-ring key rings work well when used as large paper clips. My dad ingeniously used them to clip an FM converter (remember those?) to the bottom of the dash of his Chevette. ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/objects-useful-for-purposes-other-than-what-they-were-made-for/753640/46 "2016-05-03T00:37:38Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > I had to go and look up the piece of kit you were referring to, because the [P-38](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walther_P38) I’m familiar with wasn’t designed with tin opening in mind. well, I would contend that it is, just not in the same manner or the same _types_ of cans. The P38 you were thinking of probably doesn’t slice bread very well either, so much as obliterate it.😃 ---
**Author:** ![spamforbrains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@spamforbrains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spamforbrains)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/objects-useful-for-purposes-other-than-what-they-were-made-for/753640/47 "2016-05-03T01:01:39Z")
> [@](#): > > OK, I realize the original name was duck tape, so have used ever used it to tape a duck? I used some once to temporarily repair a chicken coop and one of the birds got stuck to it. Had to practically pluck her to get her free. Sticks really well to birds. One of my favorite tools are those rubber bendy gear ties. Endless number of uses for temporary repairs or even permanent constructions. The dog containment section of my van prominently features bendy gear ties in its construction. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/objects-useful-for-purposes-other-than-what-they-were-made-for/753640/48 "2016-05-03T02:31:09Z")
> [@guestchaz](#): > > well, I would contend that it is, just not in the same manner or the same _types_ of cans. The P38 you were thinking of probably doesn’t slice bread very well either, so much as obliterate it.😃 Well, if you hold it up just right at the very tipitty tip of the prop as it spins, it should work. Holding it up NOT quite right is discouraged, as it tends to sticky up the tarmac. . . What they are really supposed to look like: [http://www.lockheedmartin.com/content/lockheed/us/100years/stories/p-38/\_jcr\_content/center\_content/image.img.jpg/1418140188897.jpg](http://www.lockheedmartin.com/content/lockheed/us/100years/stories/p-38/_jcr_content/center_content/image.img.jpg/1418140188897.jpg) Marshmallows. Originally a yummy treat just to be eaten, plain, as they come from the bag. They are used for so many different recipes now, everything from fudge to full-on sugar sculpture. But eating one plain from the bag is a shameful, degraded activity to be accomplished only while skulking behind the pantry door. . . ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/objects-useful-for-purposes-other-than-what-they-were-made-for/753640/49 "2016-05-03T08:51:51Z")
> [@Penfeather](#): > > If you attach cheese graters to your trousers they stop dogs humping your leg. There’s a Top Tip if I’ve ever heard one 😃 ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/objects-useful-for-purposes-other-than-what-they-were-made-for/753640/50 "2016-05-03T10:30:40Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > Marshmallows. Originally a yummy treat just to be eaten, plain, as they come from the bag. They are used for so many different recipes now, everything from fudge to full-on sugar sculpture. But eating one plain from the bag is a shameful, degraded activity to be accomplished only while skulking behind the pantry door. . . My _only_ use for marshmallows is as raccoon bait for the havahart trap. Raccoons love them, cats do not. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/objects-useful-for-purposes-other-than-what-they-were-made-for/753640/51 "2016-05-03T10:42:42Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Bic pen cap for cleaning out ear wax. Good for cleaning under your nails, too. Cocacola as a cleaner and de-ruster is a classic. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2016, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/objects-useful-for-purposes-other-than-what-they-were-made-for/753640/52 "2016-05-09T23:51:01Z")
Had to defibrillate thread for this: Apparently Drano corrodes drains, so I brilliantly came up with the idea of buying a toilet plunger, and gave it a go on my clogged kitchen sink, and yeah - it works, alright. (made sure to label it in large letters “For kitchen sink only!” and is kept under the kitchen sink.) (fuck I wish spellcheck could somehow get disabled - defibrillate was spelled perfectly correctly. Those red underlines are really starting to bother me.):mad: ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2016, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/objects-useful-for-purposes-other-than-what-they-were-made-for/753640/53 "2016-05-10T00:01:33Z")
> [@Eddie The Horrible](#): > > (fuck I wish spellcheck could somehow get disabled - defibrillate was spelled perfectly correctly. Those red underlines are really starting to bother me.):mad: In Firefox, right-click. You can add it to Firefox’s dictionary. ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2016, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/objects-useful-for-purposes-other-than-what-they-were-made-for/753640/54 "2016-05-10T00:57:25Z")
> [@Eddie The Horrible](#): > > Had to defibrillate thread for this: > > Apparently Drano corrodes drains, so I brilliantly came up with the idea of buying a toilet plunger, and gave it a go on my clogged kitchen sink, and yeah - it works, alright. > > (made sure to label it in large letters “For kitchen sink only!” and is kept under the kitchen sink.) > > (fuck I wish spellcheck could somehow get disabled - defibrillate was spelled perfectly correctly. Those red underlines are really starting to bother me.):mad: you know, they sell “mini-plungers” which are actually [sink plungers](https://www.google.com/search?q=sink+plunger&biw=1455&bih=692&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=0ahUKEwjvkMHhps7MAhVH0GMKHfvXCVAQ_AUIBygC#imgrc=mz8iQNzmU7Q3LM%3A). ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2016, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/objects-useful-for-purposes-other-than-what-they-were-made-for/753640/55 "2016-05-10T01:47:29Z")
thanks, **running coach** and **guestchaz** ignorance thrown into a headlock and wailed on! also: approximately 145 times better than a wheelbarrow - I fill up two of these: > **[Rubbermaid Commercial Plastic 44-Gallon Brute Garbage Can, Legend "Brute",...](https://www.amazon.com/Rubbermaid-Commercial-Plastic-44-Gallon-Garbage/dp/B002ZF9C48)** > > Rubbermaid Commercial Plastic 44-Gallon Brute Garbage Can, Legend "Brute", Round, Gray: Office Waste Bins: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific … then stack’em and haul’em away in a hand-truck. Much larger volume, and easier to transport. ---
**Author:** ![somepumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@somepumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/somepumpkin)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2016, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/objects-useful-for-purposes-other-than-what-they-were-made-for/753640/56 "2016-05-10T01:51:57Z")
Does using clothes pins or binder clips as _chip clips_ count? I have a bunch of both of these in the kitchen drawer; they’re used to re-seal many types of kitchen bags. Almost forgot (and it’s probably a lost art at this point in history) but there’s no better paper for cleaning glass/windows than newsprint. ---
**Author:** ![Nefario](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/59ef9b/32.png) [@Nefario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nefario)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2016, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/objects-useful-for-purposes-other-than-what-they-were-made-for/753640/57 "2016-05-10T01:53:58Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Cocacola as a cleaner and de-ruster is a classic. White vinegar is a good cheap de-ruster; submerge parts in it. It can be saved and reused. Lye-based oven cleaner and purple Super Clean will strip paint from many plastics without damage to them. Simple Green sorta works sometimes. ---
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2016, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/objects-useful-for-purposes-other-than-what-they-were-made-for/753640/58 "2016-05-10T02:04:06Z")
I use scissors to cut pizza into slices, and use a pizza cutter to cut up pancakes for small children. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2016, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/objects-useful-for-purposes-other-than-what-they-were-made-for/753640/59 "2016-05-10T02:45:39Z")
In sort of a strange twist on the paperclip theme… I am into [locksport](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Locksport), though with no real skillz. This means that I have a bunch of professional lock picks in a Tupperware container on my desk. Those thin little hooks with comfortable handles (like [these kits](http://www.thinkpeterson.com/picksets.html)) are amazing for tearing apart plastic and tape, opening CD/DVD boxes, and other annoying things that have lots of bits of plastic that needs ripping apart. They are better than a knife because they are very thin, controllable, and unlikely to cut you. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2016, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/objects-useful-for-purposes-other-than-what-they-were-made-for/753640/60 "2016-05-10T02:48:26Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > When I lived in Ontario, we had bagged milk. Plop a one-liter bag in a specially-designed pitcher, cut the corner of the bag, and pour. > > Since I moved to Alberta, where we do not have bagged milk, the pitcher has been repurposed as a cat food scoop. I buy 20-pound bags of dry cat food, dip the pitcher into the bag, and serve. All of my cats can enjoy a meal from whatever food bowl they like. Here’s a suggestion, since I do the same thing differently, and a milk pitcher seems like a large item to use as a scoop in 20-pound bag … I feed my dog all kinds of people food and even barbecue for him, but I always use dry dog food as a base, that I buy in large 40-pound bags. The system I’ve been using for years is to just use a plastic scoop to fill a big plastic airtight food container that holds about a week’s supply, and then roll up and seal the big bag with a couple of large alligator-style paper clips\*. That way the base for the daily meal can be just poured out of the handy smaller container that I keep in the kitchen cupboard. Convenient, and minimizes food deterioration from excessive air exposure. \*a very useful multi-purpose item – also useful for sealing potato chip bags, soda crackers, and many freezer items. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/objects-useful-for-purposes-other-than-what-they-were-made-for/753640.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/objects-useful-for-purposes-other-than-what-they-were-made-for/753640.md?page=4)