With Wimbledon fever in the air, we are bringing you our top 6 interesting ways to recycle tennis balls around the house.
The oldest tennis tournament is almost upon us. Yes, you guessed it, we are talking about the upcoming 2016 Wimbledon championships. With the tournament drawing near, the spotlight may on the tennis stars, but we’ve got our attention on the real stars of the game - tennis balls!
Don’t get us wrong, we definitely enjoy watching a tennis grand slam or two on the court, but what happens to the hundreds of used tennis balls once the tournament comes to a close and the champion is crowned?
There surely must be more we can do with these fluorescent spheres of felt and rubber than just volleying them back and forth on the court? We’ve mused over this problem for a while now and have dug up our top 6 nifty tricks and tips on how it can come in handy in your everyday living:
1. Protect your floors:
Refinishing your home’s floors can be quite a task, especially when there are so many other things to take care of around the house. Not only does it take up a lot of time, but it can also be quite costly and is indeed a messy job. But how do you avoid having to refinish your hardwood floors and protect them from unpleasant scratches, especially when you have to reshuffle furniture? Tennis balls is the ideal quick fix. Simply cap the legs of your chairs by cutting an X into the top of a few tennis balls and insert the legs of the chairs into them. This will ensure scratch-free sliding and maneuvering of chairs around the house which means you won’t have to refinish your floors anytime soon.
2. Childproof Corners:
Furnishing your home with sleek-edged fittings may look good but is not practical if you have kids. Toddlers can be overwhelmingly active, so ensuring a childproof home is a must to keep your little one’s bruises and bumps to a bare minimum. Avoid counter corner incidents from happening by covering up those dangerous edges around the house. It doesn’t have to be a costly affair - simply get creative by purchasing a pack of tennis balls. Cut an X into the balls and fit them onto any sharp edges that the kids are most likely bump into. It'll be sure to protect even the most self-destructive of blows and as a plus, it can offer a sportier look to your everyday home style.
3. Create your own jar opener:
We all have those few troublesome jars around the kitchen that are never easy to open, even with the help of a tea towel or some scalding hot water. No matter how strong you are or think you might be, there are just certain jar lids that refuse to budge, which is where this tip will come in handy. Slice a tennis ball into 2 and use one of the halves to effortlessly pop open those lids. The rubber inside the tennis ball offers a real strong grip and will ensure you are always a winner when it comes to the battle of the jars.
4. Keeping laundry fresh and new:
Nothing is nicer than wrapping yourself in a fluffy absorbent towel after a long bath, but it’s no secret that towels do start to lose their wooliness over time and can no longer feel as luxurious to the skin. Throwing a few scoops of fabric softener into your laundry can sometimes help but it won’t always promise a softer feeling towel. We’ve found that tossing in a tennis ball or two is a great way to fluff up your towels and help reduce unwanted static. It also works quite nicely with larger pieces of linen such as comforters and duvets.
5. Perfect Parking:
Parking is a tricky maneuver and pulling into the garage can be a nerve-wracking experience for many. For most homes, the garage is more than just a place to park your car. It is also a place to store the many unwanted items we hold onto, like unused toys and forgotten old furniture, which surely can’t make the parking process any easier? This is why we’ve found another great reason to put your old tennis balls to good use. Attach a piece of string to a tennis ball and hang it from the garage ceiling in line to where you think the ball would hit the centre of your car’s windshield. In doing so, you can use the ball as a guide to ensure you are always far enough into the garage and safe from hitting the front wall. It’s an ideal way to avoid any unwanted car damage and of course an embarrassing insurance claim.
6. Remove a broken light bulb:
Have you ever had a light bulb break in a fixture? Trying to remove the bulb can be quite a dangerous task. Instead of cutting your hand to pieces, carefully clear away any loose shards of broken glass and gently push a tennis ball against the light socket to twist and remove the bulb’s embedded stem. The furry material will grip right onto the broken bulb and will keep your hands safe from any unwanted cuts and bruises.
