Pantyhose: More Than Just for Wearing

In today’s economy, we are more consciences than ever about our spending habits. Clothes cost more. Food costs more. Gas is rising again and everyone is cutting corners. When I retired and decided to move from a house to an apartment, I had to find ways to store things I once had room for in my garage. Since I no longer needed all those pantyhose, I got creative and came up with several ways to store a lot of stuff in a small place using pantyhose.  Even if you don’t live in a small apartment, you will find these storage tips very useful around the house.

Picking Up Small Objects

If you’ve lost or dropped something very tiny on your hardwood floor or on your carpet, you can use your pantyhose and vacuum cleaner. Just cut a leg off of the pantyhose, place it over the hose of the vacuum cleaner and turn it on. It will suck it up without going into the vacuum bag. Once you’ve located what you were looking for on the floor, simply turn off the vacuum and remove the object and pantyhose. This is also very useful for picking up broken glass.

Storing Vegetables and Fruit

You can also use pantyhose to store your onions and potatoes. Onions and potatoes need good air flow to keep them from rotting, so this is a great way to store them. Simply hang the crouch area of the pantyhose on a nail or hook. Fill each leg with potatoes or onions. Be sure not to store potatoes and onions together (that is, in one pair of pantyhose) because they will rot quickly if placed together. When you are ready to use a potato or onion, simply cut a small hole in the bottom of the leg and pull out the potato or onion. You can use a twist tie to secure it shut. You can also do this with other types of vegetables or fruits that don’t require refrigeration.

Removing Deodorant Marks From Your Clothes

If you have a deodorant mark on your clothes, it can be removed by taking a piece of panty hose (preferably one of the legs) and bundling it in your hand. You can then whip away those undesirable deodorant marks in a jiffy!

Drying Sweaters and Other Garments

If you have a sweater or other garment that can’t be dried in the dryer; you can use a pair of pantyhose to dry it. By using the entire pantyhose, just place the arms of your sweater in the legs and use the crotch for the neck of your sweater. This will hold everything in place without stretching the fabric and losing its shape. Then you can hang the legs of the pantyhose (which are now holding the arms of your sweater) by pinning it to a clothes line or lay it flat on a drying rack. If you prefer to hang it on a clothes line, be sure not to hang the sweater by the fabric. If you do so, you will end up with clothes pin marks. If you prefer to hang it on a clothes hanger, be sure to use the type of hangers that have clips on them and just clip the panty hose only, not the fabric. This method works quite well. (If you don’t want to use pantyhose for this drying method; hang your sweaters and stretchy tops on a clothes hanger but be sure to hang it inside out while it is still damp. This will prevent that hanger look at the shoulders.)

Storing Umbrellas

To store your patio umbrella, just put the top of your umbrella in one leg and tie the other leg or the crotch area to a nail or hook. If you have other umbrellas, you can use both legs and then store it out of site. You will be surprised to find out how strong pantyhose fabric really is.

Storing Curtain Rods

To store unused or extra curtain rods, simply slide your rods in the legs of the pantyhose. If you are storing metal curtain rods, it is best to place the bent end of the rod in the leg first to prevent tearing. Then use the crotch area of the pantyhose to hang from a hook or nail in your storage area.

Storing Items with Long Handles

To store items with long handles, such as a ceiling fan cleaner; a hand duster with a long handle; extra vacuum extensions or dryer vent cleaner, you can use both legs of the pantyhose. Simply use the crotch area to hang on a nail or hook and then slide the handles into the legs. If the item has a really long handle, just cut a very tiny hole in the bottom of the leg and slide the handle through the hole. The rest of it will stay in the leg.

Storing Toilet Paper Rolls and Paper Towels

If you have large quantities of toilet paper or paper towels to store, you can slide the rolls in each leg. Simply hang the crotch area on a nail or hook and place one roll at a time in the legs. When you need a roll, just cut a hole at the bottom of the leg and pull the roll out. Then use a twist tie to secure it shut until you need another roll.

Storing Baseballs, Bats and Similar Items

To store baseballs and bats, just use one leg for the baseballs and the other leg for the bats. Hang the crotch area on a nail or hook first and slide the items in the legs. For this method, you can just take the pantyhose off the nail or hook and remove the baseballs and bats until you’re ready to store them again. This is also a great way to store tennis rackets and balls.

Storing Light Bulbs

To save space, remove the light bulbs from the cardboard container. Hang the pantyhose from the crotch area on a nail or hook and gently slide the bulbs into each leg. The next time you need a bulb, just cut a small hole at the bottom of the leg and remove your bulb. Then use a twist tie to secure it.