The dishwasher had a broken spot in the silverware tray. Utensils would fall down and make it so we couldn't pull the bottom tray out. Two zip ties solved the problem!
We have a gate around our woodstove to keep the little ones away. We weren't sure how to attach it to the floor until we thought of the handy dandy zip tie. We can cut it to vacuum up the debris and secure it back in place.
In my house, I am the official hanger of outdoor Christmas lights. Zip ties make it easy to attach things to the railing of the deck.
We use zip ties to attach our den flags and pennants to pvc pipe flag poles at day camp. Easy on and off and a great way to recycle the flag poles year after year. We just put two button holes on the edge of the den flag and they're good to go.
The license plates on our cars are held on by zip ties. The netting that encircles the trampoline is held on to the support posts with zip ties.
Zip ties also come in handy when I need to send something to school in William's backpack. The problem before was, while he was on the bus, he'd go through the backpack and things got lost. Now, everything is secure until his teacher gets the backpack and cuts the zip tie. Problem solved!
My favorite zip tie story is a long one. Our first mini van had a lot of miles on it and lots wrong with it but the price was right. Over time, Dode was able to fix everything except the lack of a emergency brake pedal. It had a manual transmission and we just left it in gear when we parked. Everything was great until a small metal clip that went on the bottom of the gear shift wore out. Sometimes when I'd shift, it would slip off and I'd be stuck in neutral. Dode showed me how to pop the hood and reach down beside the engine and get it back on. I practiced the manuever several times in the driveway and was reasonably proficient at it. When I'd go somewhere, I tried to avoid shifting on long bridges because I was worried I'd be dead in the middle of the lane, with my head in the hood trying to slip the piece back on. Due to the lack of the emergency brake, 6 year old Jacob would have to unbuckle and press down on the brakes while I slipped the piece back on and we'd be on our way. It was not an ideal situation. I remember one time where it happened on a hill and we had to do a ballet manuever to trade off who was pressing down on the brake. We had no money to replace the van so I just did my best to have a good attitude. The trusty zip strip came to the rescue. Dode stuck on on the shaft, holding the cable tightly against it and not allowing the metal piece to slip off. Problem solved with a 10 cent zip tie! We drove the van for several more years after that fix!
One thing I've learned with zip ties is, if you're using them for something temporary, leave some slop in the circle so you can slip your scissors in and cut it when you're done. Otherwise, you might cut something else that you don't want to (I've done it!)
i love zip ties! we use them all the time. they work great with our diving stuff!
ReplyDeleteI love them too! That was one thing I missed the most that I left in Nauvoo so I had to go buy more.
ReplyDeleteOkay, your post confused me at first. My boys wear zipper ties to church, instead of clip on ties. In my mind I thought, "How can she use ties all over her house?" I got to the first picture and had to chuckle. Imagine reading your post thinking of neck ties...
ReplyDelete