10 Things You Never Knew Rubber Bands Can Be Used For

Ever since I was a little kid, I took note of how my father was obsessed with rubber bands. Thick, thin, long, short, jumbo, or small, they all could be found in his desk. There would be large bags of jumbo rubber bands and small bags of thin rubber bands. It was a haven for all types and colors of rubber bands. Dad was an accountant pre email days, and documents had to be kept together rather than simply attaching them as a pdf to an email. That’s why there were so many rubber bands in his desk draw.

Today, we often associate rubber bands with office supplies, hair accessories, and other home uses. But did you know that there are things to make with rubber bands, like fun crafts, at home hacks, and extreme experiments. The ten cool things to do with rubber bands below work and are not misperceptions. For example, many sports fans want to know “Why do football players wear rubber bands on their arms”. Football players don’t wear rubber bands, but wear bicep bands, which function as a narrow soft sweat band made from a cotton material. The experiments and at home hacks, can be easily followed and may require a large amount of rubber bands. Here is a short disclaimer: the author takes no responsibility if the reader or anyone attempts any of the experiments or cool things to do with rubber bands below. Also, be sure to check out our rubber bands collection, including black rubber bands and more for these hacks!

# 1 Exploding a Watermelon with Rubber Bands

You are reading right; one can make a watermelon explode by continuously wrapping rubber bands around the center of the melon. The rubber band’s thickness and the size of the watermelon will determine how many rubber bands you will need to split the watermelon. In a viral YouTube video with 18,144,439 views, it took 400+ thick rubber bands to finally explode a medium size watermelon. This weird activity is done by people of all ages and is very popular in college dormitories. If you are going to attempt to try and explode a watermelon, make sure to wear old clothing and do it outside. Just be prepared because the flesh of the watermelon will fly everywhere. 

# 2 Keeping Glasses on Your Face with Rubber Bands 

Did you ever have a pair of glasses that are just not sitting right on your face? How about a pair of reading glasses which you use to read the morning newspaper? It’s annoying having to keep pushing up the bridge that is constantly sliding down your nose due to the poorly fitting frame. Try taking two rubber bands and wrap one around each of the temples at the perfect spot where you like those specs to stay. When the rubber hits the inside of the helix, your glasses will remain stationary. Now you can go on and continue reading all the news that’s fit to print.    

# 3 Painting or Doing a Staining Project 

DIY painting or staining seems simple. Go to the local hardware store and get some paint or stain and a few brushes. After opening the paint can, you dip the brush and start your first coat. What you find is that there is too much liquid on the brush making it difficult to spread the paint evenly across the area. Here is what you should do to prevent the over accumulation of paint or stain on the brush. After the lid is popped off, take a rubber band and wrap it from the bottom to top and have the rubber band suspended right down the middle. Now dip the brush into the can and as you pull it out scrape off the excess fluid on the rubber band. Thereafter you will have just the right amount of paint for the area you begin to paint. 

# 4 No More Fishing Out the Straw from a Bottle 

I am sure you might have lost a straw when drinking your favorite beverage from a bottle. Especially if it’s a carbonated drink, those plastic straws often sink into the great depths of your bottle. Before the plastic straw ban goes into effect, here is a quick hack to keep them from sinking. Wrap a rubber band around the neck of a water bottle and then use the extra bit to wrap around the straw. You will never have to go straw fishing again. It’s the rubber which holds the slippery plastic straw in place. It might be worth mentioning that this method can be used for both metal and paper straws as well. 

# 5 Opening the Lid of a Tightly Closed Jar 

Those who find themselves fighting with opening glass jars can try this rubber band hack. Wrap a rubber band around the metal lid and you will get just enough grip to open the jar. Having the rubber band atop the lid prevents the palm of your hand from slipping, giving you plenty of power to open the jar. Too bad your spouse is not going to look like muscle man anymore. 

# 6 The Ultimate Non Slip Hanger 

So, you have a cotton sweater that’s on a hanger in the closet which keeps sliding off the hanger and ends up on the floor all creased. The fine material does not allow for it to grip against the metal, plastic, or wood. Take two rubber bands and wrap them around both ends of the hanger. This will cause the sweater to hug the rubber band area which will keep it from falling off. 

# 7 Preventing a Chopping Board From Slipping on Your Countertop 

Did you ever find yourself cutting something big on a chopping board and it keeps slipping all over the place? Yes, you should have probably gone for the granite counter tops but you tried to be more economical. Well now you have got a board slipping and sliding all over the place and your vegetable cuts are far from perfect. Take  two jumbo rubber bands and wrap them each on the far side of the chopping board. This will cause a nice grip onto your countertop which will keep the cutting board stationary.  

# 8 Making a Rubber Band Ball 

Ever get stuck with the kids in the house on a cold or rainy day? Try giving them a large bag of rubber bands and have them make a rubber band ball. They will be busy with it for hours and maybe even days. Just start them off by making a small ball which will be the center of those hundreds of rubber bands. Take a single thick rubber band and fold it as many times as possible. Thereafter, begin wrapping another band around it and let the rubber band ball marathon begin. 

# 9 Keeping Your Fruit from Browning 

You have made a commitment to begin eating healthy and you begin to take a fruit for a snack. However, you, like many others prefer apples and pears when they are sliced and don’t like when they get all brown and sticky in those flimsy food storage bags. Once again, the rubber band saves the day! Cut your apple or pear into slices and put it back together and wrap a rubber band around it. The pressure from the rubber band keeps the fruit fresh and prevents browning. 

# 10 Backup Eraser for Pencil 

Since our kids are back to school you might want to just throw a few rubber bands into their supplies box. Yes, we have purchased plenty of number two pencils which come with erasers but very often they get worn down quickly. The last thing you want is for your boy or girl to be stuck taking a test (number two pencils only!) with no eraser. That’s when they dig deep into their school bag and find a rubber band looming there. Take it and wrap it around the top of the pencil and you have got yourself a brand-new eraser. The next day make sure to load their supply box with newly sharpened pencils. 

Beyond, at home or in school hacks, rubber bands can be used for many other different things like making a catapult, physical therapy for hand muscles, using them as a bookmark, keeping open chip bags fresh, and many other things. What's most interesting of all is that new ideas keep evolving through each individual’s creativity. With technology advancing at such a quick rate, people often forget about how useful rubber bands can be. Next time you're faced with a problem, try and think if a rubber band can help. People even use them for anger management and wear them around their wrists. Every time they are inclined to get mad, they are reminded to remain in control when they feel or see the rubber band. Next time you’re in a bad mood try this method. I guarantee that the people around you will appreciate it and it’s much more economical than going to a behavioral therapist. Next time you're shopping, purchase a large bag of rubber bands and store it some place you will remember. It might just be one of your greatest investments.