SPECIAL SECTION
FOR YOUR OFFICE
BY STEVE FISHER
WE TEND NOT to think about office products until we need them. Paper clips, rubber bands and so on all have a place in our
desks or storage cabinets, but you might be
interested in ways to use them other than
those they were originally intended for.
Rubber bands
Brainjet.com offers 21
uses for rubber bands you
never thought of ( goo.gl/
VuRulK).
• You might scoff at
the use of selfie sticks as
straying to the dark side
of human behavior. Until,
of course, you find yourself in a situation where a
selfie stick would come in
handy. That’s when you want to
have a rubber band or two to attach your
cellphone to some stationary object for a
makeshift stick.
•If drinks are always getting mixed
up at your parties, set out a handful of colorful rubber bands for guests to wrap
around the glasses as markers.
• If you find yourself with a temporary
expansion of your waistline and you don’t want to
spend the money on larger
pants, put a rubber band
through the buttonhole and then
through itself to create an anchor, then
wrap the other end around the button, to
provide a small extension. Yes, this looks
tacky, but a belt will cover it. Then, forgo
that doughnut or ice cream for a few days.
Sticky notes
While sticky notes are a great way to
post loving and encouraging notes for
family members, they have other creative
uses. I found these at goodhousekeeping.
com (search “post-it notes”).
•Computer keyboards and remote
controls have a way of picking up dust,
food and pet hair that may prove a chal-
lenge to remove. The adhesive side of
sticky notes is great for lifting those inva-
sive particles without being too harsh. You
might want to attach a whole pad of them
to your cat to be able to clean up after it
waltzes across your QWERT YUIOP.
•Drills are handy, but the dust they
create ain’t dandy. This is especially true
when you’re adding a hole to a wall. Fold a
sticky note at the adhesive line and attach
it to the wall under the drill spot, sticking
out from the wall horizontally. The sticky
note should catch the dust to make cleanup
a little easier.
Clips
Clips of varying kinds and sizes are
remarkably versatile little whozywhatzits.
Check out these ideas listed on onegood
thingbyjillee.com (search “paper clips”)
from Costco member Jill Nystul.
• Bend a paper clip into a handy dipper
for coloring eggs. Unbend it from its clip
form, then bend one end into a loop.
•Binder clips come in handy if you
want a makeshift stand for your cellphone
for viewing cat videos or something more
intellectual. (Not dissing cats; see the Member Connection story on page 146.)
• Binder clips can be used for safety,
as a shield for a razor that doesn’t have a
protective cap. Simply put the clip over
the blade with the handles down along
the shaft.
• Use a small binder clip to hold the tag
on a teabag onto the side of the cup. I have
to keep spitting tags out as they get stuck in
my teeth. Am I doing something wrong?
• Paper clips are great for a number of
other uses, such as keeping an open roll of
wrapping paper together or holding the
end of a roll of tape. You can also make little hangers for doll clothes. C
THECOSTCOCONNECTION
Costco and Costco.com carry a wide
variety of office products for intended
(and surprising) uses.
The secret
life of office
products
Surprising uses
for everyday items
SHARE WITH US
DO YOU have any surprising
uses for office items? Share your
discoveries by sending an email to
connection@costco.com with “Alternate
uses for office products” in the subject line.
©
M
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