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Your dentist may remind you to use floss after every meal , but there are plenty of other reasons to keep a roll handy — particularly the unwaxed, unflavored kind that shoppers often pass over at the pharmacy or grocery store.
Dental floss has been commercially available since 1882, when the Codman and Shurtleft Company of Randolph, Massachusetts, made it out of unwaxed silk. The switch to nylon came during World War II, and wax-coated floss also debuted in the 1940s, according to toothbrush manufacturer Oral-B. Nowadays it is everywhere — a recent market study, from Global Industry Analysts, estimated that in 2021 U.S. consumers would spend $1.1 billion on the lightweight, stretchy and surprisingly strong floss.
Most is likely used to remove food debris stuck between our teeth, but you’ll want to keep a spool in your pocket once you see all the creative and handy ways dental floss can be used. Here are nine ways that it’s become the new duct tape.
Slicing hard-boiled eggs, a wheel of brie or even cheesecake can be accomplished with ease using a piece of tautly held, unwaxed floss. It’s also a perfect way to divide a cake into layers, according to Condé Nast’s Epicurious magazine. Position the floss around the outside edge of the cake, hold the ends tightly with both hands, then pull through. A couple of toothpicks placed along the edges halfway up the cake can act as a guide.
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If you find a photograph stuck in a frame or an old photo album, you can use floss to remove it without tearing. Starting at one corner of the photo, place the floss between the picture and the surface it is stuck to, then carefully pull the floss between the two surfaces until the picture is freed, according to Flintlock Dental in Liberty, Missouri.
Instead of using braided wire, which can mar your wall, tie dental floss across the back of a lightweight frame and then hang it on the wall, according to This Old House.
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If you don’t have Teflon tape on hand, wrap dental floss around the threads on a leaky connection and then screw it back into place, recommends This Old House.
Similar to separating a picture stuck to a photo album, shimmy floss under each cookie to release it from the baking sheet or wire rack without losing the bottom crust, according to Epicurious.
If you’re out on a hike and you break a shoelace, dental floss can serve as a substitute. It’s not perfect, but it should be strong enough to keep your shoes on your feet temporarily, according to Kauai Hiking Tours.
If you don’t have a fishing pole, you can make a quick one out of floss and a branch, Kauai Hiking Tours claims. Just fashion a hook and tie it to the end of the floss line, which should be strong enough to pull in most fish you’ll find in a pond or stream.
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Waxed dental floss burns easily, so it can be used to start a fire if you ball up the thread into a bundle. Or use waxed floss to tie together small dry twigs for kindling, Kauai Hiking Tours suggests.
If the frames of your eyeglasses break, a piece of dental floss can be used to lash the separated pieces together. You can also use a piece of floss like a necklace. Just tie the floss around the earpieces so you can carry your glasses around your neck without losing them, according to online magazine LifeHacker.
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