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7 Unexpected Ways to Use Duct Tape: Tips from a MacGyver Dad
When my daughter was an infant and learning the subtle ways of diaper escapism — we used to call her Houdini — there were nights I dreamed about gently placing her down to sleep, kissing her forehead and sending her off to sleep land … but only after I completely shellacked her diaper in duct tape.
And then … it happened. One night, I just figured, why not?
No, I didn’t make the diaper completely out of duct tape, but I did add a strip here and a strip there, strategically locking the diaper straps in place. And it worked! It took her ten minutes to escape, not the usual 5 seconds.
Duct tape, truly, can do everything. Including give harried, sleep-deprived parents an extra 9:55 minutes of sleep, which seems silly now. But then? It was a miracle. All hail duct tape.
But oh, there is so much more it can do.
After the post about homemade MacGyverisms, I started looking into duct tape and was surprised to learn, well, it’s actually not even used on ducts. In fact, it’s illegal to use duct tape on ducts in California and a few other states. Apparently it was created in World War II to help soldiers create watertight seals on ammunition, and it started out being called Duck Tape. (So now I feel bad for getting all pissy with people: “No, duct tape. Duct. Not duck.” Thanks for blowing my mind, Wikipedia!)
Over the years, duct tape has been used to hurricane-proof windows, give race cars a quick fix (not joking), give astronauts a chance to make it back home (Apollo 13 anyone?), and basically help any household tinkerers fix just about anything possible. But wait! There’s more!
Here’s my list of the Best Parental Uses for Duct Tape (either with the kids or … to them):
Photo credit: Gearculture.com
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11 Comments
Jennifer Lachman commented on Jan 14 12 at 9:47 amMy household has been huge duct tape fans for a long time. We even used it to hold a bumper on our truck back when we were just starting out and we couldn’t afford fancy things like trucks that stay together on their own. But we have recently discovered something even more awesome. Gorilla Tape! It has been an essential part of winter proofing our house.
Margaret Bell commented on Jan 14 12 at 3:35 pmI use duct tape to fix the kinks in my oxygen tube.
Leah commented on Jan 14 12 at 3:50 pmlol…I got such a kick out of this article…have always been a big fan myself…from holding mufflers on cars…to fixing axles on trailers moving back to Indiana from Florida…both hrs apart…first one in Georgia…other in Kentucky….true story…to holding a wheel on the stroller while going to the fair…love duct tape…awesome invention..!
Mary Beth commented on Jan 14 12 at 4:21 pmFunny… I bought and used some today to patch an upholstered chair in the playroom so the kids won’t get hurt!
joan lindsey commented on Jan 14 12 at 4:32 pmNeal would hem up his painters pant
s with it.Fix hoses on the car.Nothing he couldn’t fix with a roll of it!
melina commented on Jan 19 12 at 1:07 amThis article is outrageous! How can you suggest (and moreover find it as an amazing idea!) to use duct tape as “child sealant” or even as a “babysitter”? Do you know that the very same “babysitter” picture is from a child abuse case? And the sealing your child’s mouth with duct tape is demeaning and abusive. Please be more careful with what you’re posting.
Heather Hadley commented on Jan 19 12 at 9:46 amPlease believe me when I say this; Duct tape also helps warts disappear!! My daughter gets warts caused from some kind of virus which means she’s been to the doctor quite a bit for them!! The freezing wouldn’t work, the acid wouldn’t work. I read in a home remedy book that if you soak the wart in warm water with epsom salt, file it with a fingernail filer (it’s really all about irritating the wart), dry it, then apply duct tape to the wart for 2 weeks (applying fresh tape as needed) and the wart will come off with the tape! After having that wart for almost a year, about 2 weeks into the duct tape remedy, we pulled the tape off to change it, and viola!!! There was the wart with root and all stuck to the duct tape!!! With that being said; she still gets warts, but when she does…we pull out our trustworthy duct tape and banish those suckers!! We have more fun with it now that they make the pretty duct tape! I hope this helps!
Heather Hadley commented on Jan 19 12 at 9:51 amMelina, anyone can use any kind of picture and put it with any kind of video with a very elementary photoshop. I don’t think Mike meant any harm. I think it was more to do with a sense of humor, and anyone who has kids can relate with that kind of humor. Also my point about the photoshop is, someone used that picture for a child abuse video on youtube and included that particular video. If you go to snopes you will know that it’s a picture from a video sent into America’s Funniest Videos way back when. I just thought you should know so you won’t be TOO upset with Mike! ;) I hope this helped!
MrsK commented on Jan 19 12 at 10:07 amI used it on a houseboat vacation to tape my mothers broken toes together.
mikeadamick commented on Jan 19 12 at 2:28 pmHa! I didn’t see that until now. Thanks for the save Heather! But yeah, I was being totally serious. Unless the duct tape wants $20 an hour. Or freezer privileges. Because then I think you could just use electrical tape. It charges less and doesn’t always need a ride home.
mikeadamick commented on Jan 19 12 at 2:29 pmAnd yes! Wart removal. My doctor actually prescribed it! I’m actually not joking with this one. She “froze” a wart with a freeze gun thingy and then told me to use duct tape for the week. It worked!
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