If recycling or reviving your tennis balls appears like a hassle, no sweat. We have a few more ideas of how to prevent those tennis balls as landfill destinations in today’s Where Can I Wednesday (part II).
10 fun & easy ways to repurpose tennis balls in your home:
Dry your laundry faster. By throwing a few tennis balls into the dryer with comforters, fluffy pillows or towels, you can cut drying time in half AND beat your laundry into shape. NOTE: Be careful. The neon dye on the tennis ball could stain your sheets if it doesn’t withstand the heat.
Clean cobwebs. Just cut an X into the top of a tennis balls and place it on the handle of a broom for those stubborn hard-to-reach corners and ceilings.
Clean your pool. Essentially,the tennis ball’s velvety surface absorbs oils left behind on the water’s surface. NOTE: replace the tennis balls often.
Photo: Mardis Coers
Create floor protectors. By cutting an X on the top of tennis balls and place them on the bottom of chair/stool legs to create a nice floor grip to the floor. Help reduce noise, prevent scratching the floor and from getting stuck between floorboards on decks or patios.
Bug repellent. Coat tennis balls with Vaseline and hang from a nearby tree or railing to repel gnats and flies.
Photo: Simone Preuss
Open jars like magic. Cut a tennis ball in half along the white rubber lines with a Xacto knife and use it as a grip. The outside of the tennis ball provides a good grip for your hands while the rubbery inside easily grips the lid, making you a jar-opening magician.
DIY? Make a toddler toy. Create a slit in a tennis ball in order to open, insert some beans or bells, and seal it closed with glue or rubber cement. Give it to a toddler to play with as a musical instrument. NOTE: if you don’t reseal the ball you can use it as a great way to hide or store items like loose change.
Photo: Jennifer
Create? Make a squirt gun. Simply puncture a hole along the white rubber lines. Squeeze the ball and hold it under a faucet to allow it to fill up with water. Next: Point and squeeze. If you squeeze hard enough you can hit targets 10 feet away.
Reduce your water footprint.Insert used tennis balls into the tank of a toilet to reduce the amount of water used per flush.
Therapeutic back massage. Cut tennis balls in half and attaching them to a bed frame or chair to relieve back pain while you sit or sleep.
Although we listed only a few, there are hundreds of more ways you can reuse tennis balls.
Readers, what have you done with old tennis balls? Tell us in the comments.
Grace Rieck
Originally from Rochester, New York, Grace studies Communications at Saint Joseph’s University. Green from birth, she grew up wearing reusable cloth diapers and eating co-op vegetables. She's always been conscious of humanity’s impact on the environment. She hopes to eventually form a career as a way to advocate her ethical & sustainability principles.
