Earth Day has passed, but we want to continue to recycle,
repurpose and up cycle. Many dental products – including most dental
floss and floss containers – aren’t recyclable in the traditional fashion, but
there are plenty of clever ways to re-purpose these items around the home,
saving our lovely planet from unnecessary waste. In fact, here are 10 uses for
floss that don’t involve your teeth at all!
1. FLOSS IN THE GARDEN CAN DETER PESTS AND TRAIN VINES: Irish Springs soap smells great to us, but it is a strong
repellent to deer and effective at keeping those nuisances away from your trees
and out of your garden all year long. Cut the soap bar into quarters, use a
skewer to poke holes through the soap chunks, and thread dental floss through
the holes. After that, hang the “soap ornaments” from tree branches or stakes
placed near plants deer like to munch on. As for vines, tie floss fairly loosely
along the vine stems to train them to wind up your trellis. Floss is a
resilient and weatherproof material!
2. FLOSS CAN BE USED TO PERFECTLY CUT THROUGH SOFT FOODS: Besides being practical, doesn’t this alternate use for floss
look fun? Whether you’re simply trying to avoid dirtying a knife,
or you love it when slices of food are perfectly symmetrical, use floss to
easily glide through soft solid foods like blocks of cheese, tubes of cookie
dough, burritos, or even cake! *Tip: It’s probably a good idea to use unscented
floss…unless you like minty cheddar!
3. FLOSS CAN HELP CREATE UNIQUE EASTER EGGS: Easter has passed us by, so you’ll have to wait a whole year to
show off these beautiful eggs. After you’re finished hard-boiling, drying, and
cooling your eggs, tie multiple pieces of dental floss around the outer shell.
You can keep the patterns horizontal as shown above right, or randomize the
patterns as shown above left. Submerge the eggs in colored dye as usual, and
when you remove them from the dye and slip off the floss, you’ll be left with a
very cool effect!
4. FLOSS MAKES GREAT GARLAND STRING ON FESTIVE OCCASIONS
Waxed dental floss is especially perfect for creating festive
holiday garlands since its slippery coating helps candy, food, or balloons,
glide, making the threading process a breeze! Popcorn, cranberries, and gummy
candies are just a couple of ideas – you can use floss and a needle to string
up almost any material that can be pierced. Pom-poms, pretzels, doilies,
marshmallows…the possibilities are endless.
5. FLOSS IS A HANDY ALTERNATIVE TO PICTURE WIRE: Every once-in-a-while you get a hankering to hang art, and those
times rarely coincide with the instances when you have picture hanging wire
on-hand. Not to worry, dental floss is a great substitute- plus, it won’t
scratch the paint off of your walls like wire tends to do! Wind the floss
several times between the two hooks on the back of any lightweight artwork
(leaving a bit of slack), knot the end, and you’re ready to hang your masterpiece
on a nail.
6. FLOSS IS A HARDY SUBSTITUTE FOR THREAD WHEN MAKING
REPAIRS: Did a handle fall off of your favorite tote bag? Did a metal
spoke tear through your umbrella fabric? Has a naughty button popped off of
your blouse? Don’t throw away the things you love, thread some floss on a
needle and fix them up! Floss is a hardier alternative to traditional thread
when it comes to emergency repairs and can mend shirts, bags, pants and even
shoes. Store some unwaxed floss just for this purpose.
7. FLOSS CAN BE TRANSFORMED INTO A MINIATURE BOW AND ARROW
SET: It may be tiny, but this clever
contraption can shoot Q-Tips 15-20 feet! Perfect for kids to use outdoors, and
perfect for grownups to brandish during cubicle wars, this craft is sure to
provide hours of entertainment. Carve small notches into both ends of a
Popsicle stick, and submerge the stick in a bowl of water until it is
malleable. Wrap a length of floss a few times around one end of the stick, pull
the floss across to the other side and wrap it there, making sure the floss is
taught. Ready, aim, fire at will! (Just don’t shoot your eye out, kid.)
8. FLOSS CONTAINERS MAKE PRACTICAL CATCH-ALLS
Floss containers make great catch-alls for things that are
notorious for turning up in various places throughout your house or vehicle!
Bobby pins, antacids, spare change, hair bands…this is such a smart and simple
organizational tool.”These cartons also make perfectly portable emergency
sewing kits. Remove the plastic spool from the container, wrap thread around
it, and re-insert. You’ll be able to conveniently use the metal piece to cut
your thread! There will even be additional space in the container for a few
safety pins, a needle, and a button or two. They’re so handy, you may want to
make multiple kits – keep one in your car, and one in your purse.
9. MAKE A FISHING ROD: If you don't have a
fishing rod, us dental floss and a pole.
10. MAKE A SHELTER: Use floss
to make a lean-to with a tarp or blanket. Just thread the floss through the
holes of the tarp or the corners of the emergency blanket. If you need a
larger shelter, use your dental floss to lash branches together so you can
build one. If you already have a shelter, use floss to make it a little
sturdier.
Benefits of
Flossing
Even though we’ve covered lots of creative uses for dental floss
that don’t include your mouth, our recommendation is to first
and foremost use floss as intended. According
to the Academy of General Dentistry, flossing is the single most
important weapon when it comes to fighting plaque. Floss removes food
trapped between the teeth and removes bacteria that forms on the teeth before
it has a chance to harden into plaque. Brushing your teeth alone cannot
clean effectively between these tight spaces, and plaque that is not removed
can harden into tartar. When this happens, brushing and cleaning between
teeth become more difficult, and gum tissue can become swollen or may bleed.
This condition is called gingivitis, the early stage of gum disease. If you have questions about brushing or
flossing, talk with Dr. Morrison or your Dental Hygienist at your next cleaning
and exam. Is it time for you to schedule
one? Give our office a call at 919 755
3450!
Do you have some other uses for dental floss? Let us know in
the comments below.
Sources:
http://www.ada.org/en/science-research/ada-seal-of-acceptance/product-category-information/floss-and-other-interdental-cleaners
http://urbansurvivalsite.com/27
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