11 Reasons You Need to Buy More Tennis Balls

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Fluff up feathers

Throw one or two tennis balls like these into the dryer the next time you dry down-filled items like pillows, comforters, and jackets. They’ll ditch the flat look they get from the washing machine and puff up again. You’ll also love these 11 brilliant cleaning shortcuts lazy people use.

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Relieve sore feet

Take a load off your aching feet and give them a treat. Put a tennis ball on the floor. Remove your shoes, and place your foot on top of the tennis ball. Now roll the ball around with your foot.

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Massage your back too

Drop a few tennis balls into a long tube sock and tie the end shut. Now pretend the tube sock is a towel and move it across your back the way you would if you were drying off after a shower, just one of the natural ways to relieve pain without medication you can try.

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Make a mini toolbox

Cut a slit in a tennis ball and squeeze it to widen the split. Toss in some nails, then stop squeezing the ball to close up the toolbox. Carry it with you around the house or in the yard and squeeze it any time you need a nail. Genius!

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Save your socks

Don’t toss your sock just because it has a small hole in the toe or the heel. Place a tennis ball in the toe or heel (wherever it needs to be mended). The tennis ball will stretch out the surface of the sock so that sewing it will be easier.

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Keep your bike level

Help your bicycle’s kickstand do its job (keeping your bike standing) and prevent it from sinking into the grass or mud by using a tennis ball. How? Cut a slit in the ball and slip it over the end of the kickstand. If you ever find yourself at the beach with your bike, this trick will stop the kickstand from sinking into the sand too.

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Open bottles with ease

Twist-off bottle caps never seem to come off the way they should. To make it easier, cut a tennis ball in half, then cover the bottle cap with one half and twist it off without a problem. If it isn’t a twist-off, use these sneaky ways to open a beer without a bottle opener.

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Soften a hammer’s blow

Whether you need to gently nudge some woodwork back into place or tap a nail into soft wood, place a tennis ball with a slit in the middle over your hammer. The tennis ball will treat your job gently.

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Park perfectly

Parking your car in the garage is an art: You have to pull only so far forward (but far enough!) and only so close to each wall (but not too close!) Take the guesswork out of the equation by hanging a tennis ball on a string from the ceiling or rafters of the garage so that it hits the center of your windshield when you park correctly. You’ll never have to guess where the car goes.

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Sand curvy furniture

Voluptuous furniture is pretty but refinishing it can be an ugly job. Make it easier by covering a tennis ball in sandpaper and using the ball to sand the curves.

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Stop snoring

People who snore tend to do so more often when they sleep on their backs. Stop a back sleeper in his tracks by attaching a tennis ball to the back of a person’s pajama top (safety pin a sock on the PJs and insert a tennis ball, or sew a pocket in the back of the pajama shirt). When the snorer turns onto his back, the tennis ball will prevent him from getting comfortable and he’ll return to his side (where he may snore less). Find more extraordinary uses for everyday objects you already own.

More cheap and useful solutions

The book 99-Cent Solutions has more than 1,300 smart uses for everyday items, from grocery store staples to cleaning supplies to beauty products.

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