11 Useful Home Hacks for Basic Zip Ties

Zip ties are just one of those things that seem to have an infinite amount of uses. Obviously, they’re good for tying groups of things together, but that can mean so many things. Once you read these 11 uses for zip ties, you’re probably going to want to buy a huge stash to have on hand.

You know how your shower drain only gets clogged on Monday mornings when you’re already running late for a meeting and didn’t shower all weekend? Chances are, you’re more likely to have zip ties on hand than a drain snake in this scenario. To turn a (preferably long) zip tie into a drain snake, simply cut a series of diagonal slits along each side. Stick the zip tie as far down your drain as you can and pull up to reveal the huge hair monster of your nightmares.

I personally prefer when everyday chip clips are easily removable (because CHIPS), but if you’re transporting easily spillable snacks, tie them off with a zip tie instead to ensure a tight seal and save a Ziploc bag.

If you’re short on space, you want your monstera deliciosa, ficus elastica, or other climbing plant to grow upward instead of outward. Add a stake, trellis, or moss pole to your plant for support and zip tie the stems to said object to train the plant to grow up, like a good plant parent.

It’s not just picture perfect perennials that make master floral arrangers like Kelsey Gaynor and Layered Vintage achieve Instagrammable arrangements. Finding good florals is merely a starting point in floral arranging 101. After you’ve arranged your perfect bouquet, group blooms together with strategically placed zip ties to ensure all of the stems stay in place until the bitter end.

If you have a staircase, headboard, or railing-like fixture in your home, dress it up for the holidays with zip tied garland. Using zip ties to affix your seasonal swag gives you more control over how and where the garland swoops and dangles, making your staircase/headboard/railing look the prettiest and most festive one on the block.

We’ve already gushed about the efficiency and style that comes with a good pegboard wall, and zip ties are just one piece of the puzzle. Slip the ends through the back of a pegboard to affix any vessel (i.e. repurposed canisters, mason jars, wire basket, etc.) for storing whatever loose goods need a home. While something like twine or ribbon will work for this as well, zip ties ensure a nice tight fit that won’t come loose over time.

Sure, most brooms and dustpans and tools already come with a hole on the end for hanging on a utility hook, but there are two common problems here: 1. The hole always seems to be in the wrong orientation, making your tool stick out too far against the wall; and 2. Each hook only fits one tool. Enter: zip ties. Simply loop a zip tie around the end on your tool to change which direction it faces, or slip multiple zip-tied tools on the same hook to maximize space efficiency.

It almost seems like cheating to add “cable organization” to this list, because it seems so obvious… unless you’re building the ultimate pegboard cable organizer. Sure, you can wind up loose cable and zip tie them to clean up your floors, but how do you get them off the floor entirely? Pick up those neatly wound cables and loop your zip tie into a pegboard before tying it off. House the pegboard in a discrete and convenient place where cables tend to collect (like behind your desk or media console).

There’s no denying the genius of IKEA’s storage rail system. DIY your own version with a towel rod and zip ties. Zip tie two corners of a basket to a towel rod and start stashing stuff.

Balloon clusters are continuing to have a moment (i.e. this Geronimo beaut in NYC last year). If you didn’t already guess, you can make your own with zip ties! Next time you want to decorate for a celebration (perhaps, the Celebration of Learning How to Cluster Balloons), just pierce the base of the balloons with zip ties and build your own eye-catching creation.

Sometimes you just need to childproof a cabinet ASAP. Wrap a zip tie around two adjacent cabinet knobs and pull tight to secure the contents inside and keep grubby little hands and paws out.

Like we said, the possibilities for zip tie uses is potential infinite. We stopped at 11, but please chime in with your favorite zip tie secrets!