9 Smart Uses for Bread Clips: Creative Ideas for Reuse
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Pete Ortiz - Last updated:
If it’s one thing that seldomly crosses our minds during our daily life, it’s bread clips. We don’t think about them. We don’t care how they’re made. We only hope that we don’t lose them while we still have loaves of bread in the bag. Right?
But what if instead of just tossing them in the trash when you’re done with your tasty loaves, you turn them into a useful device? Is this even possible, you ask? Yes, it is. In this article, we’re going to show you 9 awesome ways that you can repurpose those used bread clips and it won’t cost you a penny.
The 9 Clever Uses for Bread Clips
1. Label your Electrical Cords
We live in a world of advanced technology, which, for a lot of homes, means bundles of appliance cords lying around. Bread tags can come in handy if you want to separate and plug in different electronics and electrical devices, such as a cell phone, laptop, fan, and speaker.
Doing this will ensure that you don’t lose track of which wire is which. You can simply write the names down using a marker and either group the cords with the tags or label them individually. This can save you time from having to play the “what’s this chord?” game the next time you need to move things around or have a power outage.
2. Fix Your Tangled Headphones
Tangled headphones are not something that anyone likes to see–especially if you’re a self-admitted “neat freak”. Ultimately, the cords will grow shorter and shorter, which is no fun. In order to make your life a bit easier, you can simply use your old bread tags to roll up your headphone cords and neatly tuck them in the center.
3. Temporary Fix for Sandals
If you own a pair of flip-flops, then you know that they’re prone to breaking. Here is where bread tags can come to the rescue again. If you’re on the beach or out on the town and your flip-flops suddenly snap at the thong, you can simply place a bread tag at the joining portion until you get back home or location where you can purchase a quick pair of shoes. So this means it helps to have a few clips in your car’s “clothing emergency” bag–if you have one, that is.
4. Organize Extra Keys
If you live in a home with over three doors or have a job that requires you to have a lot of keys, you understand the hassle that comes with it. Spare keys can make it difficult to remember which key belongs to which store or padlock. And if you’re prone to forgetting this bit of information (especially if many of the keys look similar), there is a simple and easy way to fix it. Ready for it? Bread tags. Simply mark the bread tags with a marker pen and clip them between key rings or multiple keys.
5. Organize Your Rubber Band Collection
There are so many different uses for rubber bands. You can use them to tie up your hair. They’re great for tying off plastic bags. And they have countless uses around the home. So, if you’re someone who has loads of rubber bands hanging around, consider using bread tags to help arrange them.
You can group all of the rubber bands together and then house them together using a single bread tag. This not only keeps the rubber bands from tangling, but it keeps you from wanting to pull your hair out trying to detangle them when you need one.
6. Stand-in Guitar Pick
Some people use their fingers. Some people use a plectrum. Any guitarist who’s ever been in a pinch knows about the bread tag pick stand-in. Similar to most picks, bread tags are made of simple plastic that offers a bright resonating sound when scraped over metal guitar strings.
To use it, you simply need to hold the clip in the same manner that you would a regular guitar pick (between your thumb and index finger), and then just strum away. So, next time you’re in a bind or happen to lose your pick, know that a viable solution may be just a few rooms away.
7. Use It for Other Bags
This one may seem obvious, but it’s something you may not even think of right away. As soon as you’re done with the bread, simply house the plastic tag in a kitchen drawer until you’re ready to use it for another plastic bag. This can be a bag of rice, beans, or loose tea.
8. Make Simple Art
If your family consumes bread on the regular, then chances are it’ll take no time for you to accumulate quite a few bread tags. And what’s more fun than giving your kids an activity to do while you rest? Consider using your bread tags to create a little art project for your kids. This can mean painting the bread tags and adding them to pieces of wood or other materials for random DIY projects (i.e. bird houses, Christmas trees, school projects, etc.)
9. Melt Them
If you’re looking to get creative with those unused bread clips, you don’t have to keep them in the same form. If you really want to spice things up on a Saturday night, consider melting the tags (along with other pieces of plastic) to create fun toys and devices that you can use around the house. No doubt that you will want to do this with caution, and you’ll want to be specific about the plastic that you can use, as some can give off toxic fumes.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, there are numerous ways that you can repurpose those used bread tags, and it doesn’t cost you any money to do it. In fact, you may find yourself saving a few bucks from having to purchase a device or use some other method to accomplish simple daily tasks. They simply work wonders for anyone looking for a few organizational hacks. Who knew that a small piece of plastic could be so useful?
Featured Image Credit: Francois Lariviere, Shutterstock