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I was terrible at flossing regularly before I got my beloved water flosser, but now I use it every single night, and I’m sure my teeth and gums are doing much better for it! But that also means that I now have several boxes of string floss gathering dust in my bathroom drawer, so I did some research to figure out how else I could use it.
As it turns out, dental floss can help you solve all kinds of everyday problems around the house! Who knew? Learn about 10 unique uses for floss below.
10 Surprisingly Practical Uses For Floss
1. String Up Popcorn
Dental floss makes a perfectly sturdy material for stringing up popcorn or cranberries during the holidays. You could also use floss to make Cheerio garland or necklaces, or any other craft that requires string!
Related: 10 Holiday Decorations To Deck Your Halls With This Year
2. Shoelace Substitute
If you find yourself with a broken shoelace, floss can help! Replace the broken lace with a length of floss to keep it tied. The sturdy floss will keep your shoe on until you can find a pair of replacement shoelaces.
3. Cookie Helper
Use a piece of floss to help separate cookies from the tray after baking. Just slide the floss underneath the cookies, and it will free them without causing any smushing or crumbling. (Use unwaxed, unflavored floss to prevent wax and flavor transfer to your cookies.)
4. Cutting Or Slicing
Use a piece of floss like a knife to cut fruits, cheeses, hard-boiled eggs, cakes, and more! You can even use floss to remove skin from fish. I always use floss when slicing cinnamon rolls before baking. It’s the best way to do it without smashing them! (Unwaxed, unflavored floss is a good choice here too.)
Related: How To Make Perfect Cinnamon Rolls
5. Start A Fire
You can use waxed floss to get a jumpstart on your next campfire! Just wrap a bit of waxed floss around some of your kindling, place it in your fire pit, and light. You’ll have a roaring fire in no time!
Related: 10 Easy Foods You Need To Cook Over A Campfire This Summer
6. Kitchen Twine
Certain recipes call for food to be wrapped with kitchen twine before cooking. If you don’t happen to have any twine on hand, you can use floss instead! Unwaxed, unflavored floss will work best, and you’ll get the same results as using twine. (And rest assured, it won’t burn or melt during cooking!)
7. Drip Silencer
Have a dripping faucet that’s driving you up the wall? You can use floss to silence the drip until you have a chance to get it repaired. Simply tie one end of a piece of floss around the end of the faucet, then guide the other end into the drain. As the water drips, it will cling to the floss and slide noiselessly into the drain. (How clever is that?)
8. Plant Support
Use floss to help provide support to climbing plants! Just use a short piece of floss to tie the plant gently to some kind of sturdy support, like a dowel or piece of rebar. Make sure to tie the floss loosely to allow room for movement and growth!
Related: The Best Houseplants For Cleaner Air (And How To Grow Them)
More Ideas You'll Love
9. Sewing Thread
Use a piece of floss as thread to fix a button, patch a hole, or for any other on-the-fly sewing job. Floss is much more durable than regular thread, so it’s perfect for reinforcing buttons that are susceptible to falling off. It’s also great for repairing torn screens, mesh, and more!
10. Fix Frizzy Hair
Frizzy hair driving you nuts? Try this hair floss hack: take a long piece of waxed dental floss and slide it down your hair from the roots to the ends. The floss will transfer just enough wax to your hair to keep it in place and frizz-free!
Looking For More Posts Like This?
- I’ve written dozens of blog posts about creative alternative uses for everyday items, and now there’s a quick and easy way to peruse them!
- Check out all of my “Uses For” posts here.
What other uses for dental floss would you add to this list?
