Your racket may be gathering dust in the attic, but don’t throw away its partners in crime. Read on to learn smart, alternative uses for an old tennis ball.
Erase scuff marks
With a utility knife, cut a slit in a tennis ball and slip it over the end of an old broom handle. Rub the ball over scuff marks on your wood floors and watch them magically disappear.
Remove a broken light bulb
Cut a tennis ball in half. Carefully clear away any shards of broken glass. Place the open end of the tennis ball onto the light socket, and then twist it to remove the light bulb’s embedded stem.
Protect little fingers
Cut one large and one small slit in a tennis ball. Place the large slit over the edge of a door and then stretch a piece of elastic through the small slit and around the door handles to keep the door from slamming closed on kid’s fingers.
Protect a padlock
Cut a slit in a tennis ball and slip it over an outdoor padlock to prevent water from getting into it and freezing.
Cushion the blow
Cut an X in a tennis ball. Push the head of a hammer into the opening in the tennis balls. One walls, wood, or other fragile materials where you may have left a scuff mark, use the hammer fitted with the tennis ball to cushion the blow.
Open a jar
Cut a tennis ball in half. Use the open end to grip and unscrew tight lids.
Install a parking guide
Staple a string to a tennis ball. Hang the tennis ball from the ceiling of your garage so that the ball touches the top left corner of the windshield when your car is properly parked. Now you’ll know how far to pull in each time you come home.
