13 Clothespin Uses That Will Make Your Life Easier

by admin May 11, 2023

uses for clothsepins - collage: clipping a chip bag closed, hanging a skirt, letting steam escape from a pot; holding a match to light a candle

New Uses For Your Old Clothespins

There are plenty of ways to use old clothespins — I keep a big bag of clothespins in my laundry room, and not just for hanging laundry to dry! They’re inexpensive, can be used all over the house, and are great to have on hand for crafts and DIYs.

One of my favorite things to do with clothespins is use them to display photos, cards, and announcements I receive in the mail. They always come in handy at Christmastime when I want to display photo cards I’ve received from family and friends!

So in honor of my very handy collection of clothespins, today’s post is all about exploring the many ways you can use them around the house. These 13 clothespin uses may just be enticing enough to make you go out and buy a few, if you don’t already have some on hand!

13 Uses For Clothespins That Will Make Your Life Easier

uses for clothespins - clipping a skirt to a hanger

1. Keep Accessories On Hangers

If you find that your ties, scarves, belts, and other accessories tend to slip off the hangers you store them on, a few clothespins can help. Pin each item over the bottom edge of the hanger to keep them in place, and they’ll have a much harder time slipping off in the future.

uses for clothespins - using labeled clothespins to organize paperwork

2. Organize Mail & Paperwork

Keep a few clothespins wherever you put your incoming mail, and label them with a few categories of documents and paperwork you commonly need to keep track of (like bills, coupons, homework, tax documents, etc.)

When you bring in new mail, sort it right away into your piles and clip them together with the corresponding clothespin. That way, your mail will be pre-sorted when you’e finally ready to sit down and deal with it.

uses for clothespins - hanging rubber gloves

3. Hang Rubber Gloves

The best way to store the rubber gloves you use for dishes or cleaning is to hang them with the fingers pointing down, so that if they’re wet, the moisture can drip down instead of getting trapped and causing mildew issues. Create a place to hang your gloves by glueing a clothespin to the inside of a cupboard door.

uses for clothespins - holding a match to get to a candle in a jar

4. Hold Lit Matches

If you’re using a match to light a candle in a jar, light the match then clip a clothespin to the end of it. The clothespin will help you light the candle without burning your fingertips in the process.

Uses for clothespins - holding a nail for a hammer

5. Keep Fingers Safe While Hammering

If you’re like me and your hand-eye coordination isn’t exactly your strongest suit, a clothespin can come in handy when you have to put a nail in a wall. Use a clothespin to hold the nail against the wall, which will keep your fingers out of the way and prevent a painful hammering accident!

uses for clothespins - pin a tea towel to your pockets for an instant apron

6. Make An Instant Apron Or Bib

If you’re about to do some messy work in the kitchen and don’t have an apron nearby, use clothespins to clip a kitchen towel to your pants for an instant temporary “apron.” You can also use clothespins to attach a napkin to kids’ shirts when you don’t have a bib handy.

uses for clothespins - labeling cords and keeping them tangle free

7. Secure Wrapped Cords

Keep charging cords and cables tidy by wrapping them up and securing them with a clothespin. You can even write the type of cord on the clothespin so it’ll be easier to identify later.

Uses for clothespins - winding thread or yarn around a clothespin to keep it from tangling

8. Wrap Up Thread Or Yarn

If you have some extra thread or yarn you want to keep for another project, wrap it around a clothespin to prevent it from becoming hopelessly tangled by the time you’re ready to use it. This can also help keep wired headphones from tangling up in your bag or desk drawer.

uses for clothespins - keeping a cookbook open to the right page

9. Keep Your Cookbook Page Open

Some cookbooks have stubborn pages that like to fall to one side or the other, making it impossible to keep the right page open while you’re cooking. Luckily, I wised up and started using a clothespin to clip the troublesome pages to their neighbors — it’s a quick and easy way to prevent cookbook pages from flipping and flopping around on you!

Uses for clothespins - clipping a chip bag closed

10. Clip Chips And Other Snacks

On game days or other snack-y occasions, bags of chips rarely last long at the Nystul house. When I’m sure the remainder of a snack is going to get consumed in the next day or two, I don’t bother with more secure methods of keeping the snacks fresh—I just clip the bag closed with a clothespin.

uses for clothespins - propping a pan lid to allow steam to escape

11. Prop Up A Pot Lid

If you’re cooking something in a pot with the lid on it but need to give the steam some way to escape, place a clothespin between the lid and the pot. The pin will keep the lid propped open just enough to vent the steam without allowing all the steam to escape.

uses for clothespins - clipping hotel curtains closed for privacy

12. Take A Few On Trips

Bring a couple clothespins along when traveling. They really come in handy for clipping drapes closed when they don’t quite overlap enough to keep your hotel room as dark as you’d like.

uses for clothespins- clipping a list to your purse zipper to keep it handy

13. Keep Lists Handy

Do your grocery shopping lists tend to get lost in the depths of your bag while you’re at the store? Use a clothespin to clip your shopping list to the inside of your purse so it’s always at your fingertips.

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.

Do you have any other clothespin ideas you’d add to this list?