Escape from zip-ties
Should you ever be unfortunate enough to find yourself with your hands zip-tied together, you can use your shoelaces to escape. Loop your shoelaces around the zip tie and then knot the ends together, before alternately extending your legs to generate friction.
After a minute or so of repeating this with sufficient vigour, the zip tie will snap, freeing your hands and allowing you to make your escape. This is significantly easier if your hands are tied in front of your body, but it’s still possible even if your hands are tied behind your back.
Retrieve jewellery from drains
There are few more heartbreaking situations than dropping a piece of beloved jewellery, only to watch it disappear down a drain or plughole. Fortunately, in most cases, the jewellery won’t have fallen too far and will be sitting at the first bend in the pipe.
To get it back, tie a magnet to a shoelace and gently dangle it down the drain until you feel it connect with the ring, necklace or whatever it was you dropped in the first place. Then you should be able to use the connection to gently, carefully and slowly pull it out.
Stop a dripping tap
As anyone with a leaky tap will know, the relentless dripping sound can quickly begin to drive you mad. To save your sanity, tie a length of shoelace to the top of the tap, making sure that it loops over the area where the water is dripping out.
This will mean the droplets soak into the shoelace, which will gently guide them to the bottom of the sink, taking care of the incessant dripping until you can implement a more permanent fix. It won’t stop the flow of water, but it will dampen the noise.
Measure unevenly shaped objects
Tape measures are incredibly useful tools, but the material they are made from – which tends to either be fibreglass or very thin steel – isn’t particularly good at wrapping around curves, which can make it difficult to measure flexible or oddly shaped objects.
To solve this problem, wrap a shoelace around the object, and mark the point that needs to be measured with a pen. Then, simply use a tape measurer to measure the distance from the start of the shoelace to the point that you’ve marked.
Stop venom from spreading
Depending on where in the world you are, getting bitten by a snake can be incredibly serious, and – in extreme cases – even life-threatening. When treating a snakebite, the priority is to slow the spread of venom from the site of the bite, giving you longer to get the victim to a hospital before their major organs are affected.
If you – or someone you are with – has been bitten by a snake, tie a shoelace as tightly as you can just above the wound, which will constrict the veins and reduce the venom’s ability to travel. This is definitely a temporary fix, but your improvised toniquet is better than nothing.
Make a cat toy
Cats famously enjoy playing with string, and you’ve probably caught your pet attacking cushion tassels or other things they shouldn’t be playing with. To make a toy that your cat will love, simply tie a bunch of old shoelaces together, using one to make a loop which you can hold.
Not only will this give you a fun way to play with your cat, but it will also distract fiendish felines that might otherwise be tempted to mangle the laces of your favourite pair of shoes. Of course, it might just train your kitty to attack any and all shoelaces on sight – sorry!
Upgrade your hoodie strings
If the strings of your hoodie are starting to look a bit frayed or tattered – or if you just fancy upgrading to something a bit more colourful – you can easily swap them out for a shoelace. This should stop you from throwing away both old shoelaces and hoodies you’ve fallen out of love with.
All you need to do is tie a shoelace to the end of your hoodie string, then drag the string through the hood until just the shoelace is inside the fabric. Then, simply untie the old hoodie string, throw it away and you’re good to go.
Make a belt
If your belt breaks just before you head out for the day, fret not (or should we say, knot). Since they’re basically just a length of string, shoelaces can easily be used to craft a makeshift belt, saving you from the embarrassment of your trousers falling down in public.
If a single shoelace doesn’t cut it, you can always tie two or more together until you have the necessary length. If you go with a boldly coloured lace, people might even think it’s a fashion statement, although this will depend on how stylish you are in general.
Keep your glasses on your face
If you wear glasses, you’ll know that if the arms are too tight you’ll end up with a headache. On the flip side, if they’re too loose your glasses will be prone to sliding off your face every time you lean forwards.
By tying a shoelace to the end of each of your glass’s arms, you can keep them loose enough to prevent pain, while also ensuring that you don’t have to constantly pick your spectacles up from the floor. Of course, this might also make you look a touch nerdy – but who cares, really?
Make a book carrier
If you need to transport some books – but don’t have a bag – you can easily create a book carrier using a couple of shoelaces. All you need to do is tie one lace over the top and bottom of the book, and the other lace from side to side.
If you’ve got them to hand, you’re better off using the flat kind of shoelaces that are common with skater shoes, as this will give you better stability, but any lace will suffice in a pinch. This technique also stops paperback books from getting creased.
Hang up photos
For some cute, DIY interior design that will definitely impress your friends, attach a shoelace to your wall with some pins, tape or Blu Tack, and then use clips to hang up photographs. This works particularly well with small photos, like the kind that come out of Polaroid cameras.
If you want to elevate the idea, you can use different shoelaces for different groups of photos, for example dedicating one shoelace to your favourite snaps from a recent vacation, and another to photos from a special event like a wedding or Christmas.
Create portable insect repellers
Depending on where you live, mosquitos are either a year-round menace or something you only have to contend with when you go on vacation. In either case, keeping the sinister blood-suckers away from you is always a good idea, especially in light of the fact that they can carry potentially fatal diseases.
To make a portable mosquito repellant, soak shoelaces in either citronella or a commercially designed formula, and then tie them around your wrists and ankles, which are the areas mosquitos are most likely to target. This should keep you safe and bite-free!
Make a tourniquet
Tourniquets are life-saving devices that can reduce blood loss after a catastrophic injury, by constricting the veins, blood vessels and arteries around a wound. If you don’t have a specially designed tourniquet to hand, you can improvise with a belt, tie or rope.
Since they’re so thin, shoelaces aren’t the best choice, but in a dire situation they can (and should!) still be used to reduce bleeding. Just remember that tourniquets are temporary solutions, and severe bleeding always requires urgent medical treatment.
Learn how to tie knots
Shoelaces are designed to be tied, and this makes them perfect for practising knots. Even if you’re not particularly interested in activities that require knot-tying – such as sailing or rock climbing – it’s still a good idea to be able to tie a few basic knots, since you never know when they’ll come in handy.
The most useful knots to learn are the square knot, the bowline, the clove hitch and the taut line, and all of these can be practised with nothing more than a pair of shoelaces. This is also a great way to keep young kids entertained on a long drive!
Replace the string in your sweatpants
It’s incredibly frustrating when the string in your sweatpants breaks or frays, but you can easily fix the problem with a shoelace. If the original string is still in your sweatpants, you can tie the shoelace to the end – just like the hoodie-string hack above – and use it to pull the shoelace through.
If the original string has already come out, you can use a safety pin to help you pull the shoelace through, although you’ll need a little patience and may need to start over and retry a couple of times. Nothing is more frustrating than losing the thread half way through, but you’ll get there!
Use it for fishing
If you’re on a fishing trip and your line breaks, you can use shoelaces as an alternative. It should go without saying that – since shoelaces are significantly thicker than fishing line – you won’t be able to reel your catch in using your rod like you normally would.
You will, however, be able to easily attach a hook with some bait, which can then be tossed into the water and manually hauled back in once you get a bite. This is far from an ideal solution, but if you’re stranded on a desert island with nothing but your shoes, you’ll at least be able to eat!
Tie gifts
Tying a gift-wrapped present with some ribbon is always a nice touch, but if you don’t have any available you can always make do with a shoelace. In fact, shoelaces are actually significantly easier to tie than ribbon – which often has a slippery coating – meaning you’ll probably be able to get a neater bow.
You can also customize the present more easily, for example by choosing a shoelace based on their favourite colour or pattern. This is an especially useful hack idea if you plan on gifting someone shoes for Christmas or their next birthday!
Hang a hammock
In addition to being incredibly comfortable, hammocks allow you to sleep above the ground, which – if you’re in an environment with potentially dangerous animals – can be literally life-saving. Hammocks are normally suspended from tree branches with ropes or cable ties, but in times of need you can use shoelaces as a substitute.
Ideally, you’ll want to use multiple laces at each end of the hammock, to reduce the risk of them breaking and sending you crashing to the ground while you sleep. However, if you like living life on the edge – just one pair of laces will do!
Use one as a bookmark
Unless you’re in the habit of folding the corner of a page to indicate where you’ve got to (which really, really upsets some people), you probably use a bookmark to help you keep your place when you read. While bookmarks made of card are convenient and easy to carry, they also tend to get pretty battered, especially if you’re putting your book in a bag.
Shoelaces, on the other hand, are thin enough to make great bookmarks, and you never have to worry about them bending or breaking. Of course, the people with you on the bus or train might wonder why there are shoelaces sticking out of your commuting novel.
Make a splint
When treating broken bones, the first priority is to set the break as soon as possible, which will minimize further damage to the bone itself as well as reduce the risk to the surrounding tissue. To create an improvised splint, find two sturdy branches and then use a shoelace to tie them as tight as possible on either side of the broken bone.
If the break is particularly severe, you’ll want to use multiple shoelaces to ensure that the splint is as tight as possible, although you also need to be careful not to completely cut off circulation. Plus, you’ll need to make sure you’re not in any danger of tripping over without laces in your shoes.
Make a trap
While it might sound like something Wile E. Coyote would use in an ill-fated attempt to catch the Road Runner, a box propped up with a stick does actually work as a trap, and it can be a good way of catching small animals to eat in survival situations.
In order to set up the trap, all you need to do is tie a shoelace to a stick, use said stick to prop up some kind of box, add some bait and then wait while staying very still. When an animal wanders under the box, yank away the stick with the shoelace, and you’ve caught yourself some dinner.
Build a shelter
If you find yourself stranded in the wilderness, your first priority should be building yourself a shelter to protect you from exposure and wild animals. Emergency shelters can be crafted out of whatever you have available – such as tree branches, random debris or tarp.
Once you have gathered your materials, you can use shoelaces to tie several parts together, which will make the entire structure stable. To be able to do this effectively, you’ll need to know some basic knots, which is why it’s always a good idea to learn a few.
Create a tripwire
Shoelaces can be used to create tripwires that will warn you of intruders, sending them tumbling to the ground as an added bonus. For this to work, you need to set the tripwire up somewhere where intruders will have to pass through, such as a corridor.
To create the tripwire itself, simply tie a shoelace between two stakes which are fixed to the ground, aiming for the lace to be just below knee-height. To make the tripwire more effective, add some bells or chimes, which will make enough sound to wake you up if someone triggers the trap.
Secure yourself to your friend in a blizzard
If you’ve ever been caught in a blizzard, you’ll know that visibility can drop to zero in seconds. Combined with the loud sound of wind, this makes it incredibly easy to lose others in a white-out, and getting separated from your group can be incredibly dangerous.
If you’re unfortunate enough to be outside when a severe snowstorm strikes, tie a couple of shoelaces together and then use them to secure yourself to a friend. This will ensure that you don’t accidentally wander away from each other in the blizzard, allowing you to help each other stay alive.
Light fireworks safely
Shoelaces are flammable, but relatively slow burning, which makes them ideal fuses for fireworks if you’re nervous. Granted, you’re unlikely to find yourself in another situation which requires you to improvise a fuse, but it’s not entirely inconceivable that it might come in handy one day.
It’s also possible to turn a shoelace into an even slower fuse, which might come in handy if you need to set off some particularly scary fireworks. Firstly, you’ll need to wash the shoelace in hot soapy water. Once it’s dried, soak it in a solution of hot water, granulated sugar and potassium nitrate. Let it dry again, and you’ll have an extra slow-burning fuse.
Make a slingshot
A slingshot is a simple weapon that can be effectively used to hunt small animals in survival situations. To make one, all you need to do is attach a square of fabric to a shoelace. While any piece of fabric will theoretically do, medical face masks provide the perfect choice because they already have strings which make it easy to connect your shoelace.
It’ll take a bit of practice to develop accuracy, but once you’ve achieved proficiency you’ll be able to use your sling to fire small stones with lethal precision. Or, y’know, you could stay away from situations that would require you to hunt small game without specifically-designed equipment.
Help you climb trees
If you’re lost in the woods, climbing a tree can be a great way of getting an overview of the surrounding area, potentially allowing you to spot the way back to safety. This is a lot easier if the trees around you have plenty of branches, but if they don’t you can use your shoelaces to help.
All you need to do is tie your shoelaces together while you’re still wearing your shoes, and then hug the tree trunk and shimmy up using your legs. The friction between your shoelaces and the tree will give you additional purchase, making it significantly easier to propel your way up the trunk.
Make a headband
Your long, luscious locks might be your pride and joy, but they can also be a source of extreme irritation if they keep getting in your face and eyes. If you haven’t got a headband to hand, you can fashion one from a shoelace by tying it tightly around your head and using it to keep your hair from falling forward.
It might look vaguely bizarre, but it can come in handy when you’re in a situation – such as driving a car – where you really don’t want your hair obscuring your view. Plus, if you happen to have particularly snazzy shoelaces, it could work as a fashion statement with enough confidence!
Clamp an umbilical cord
In 2019, 38-year-old Dan Sparrow found himself having to deliver his baby himself after his wife unexpectedly went into labour at the couple’s home. Sparrow was coached through the procedure over the phone by medical experts, who advised him to find something to clamp the umbilical cord with, rather than risk cutting it himself.
Displaying quick thinking, Sparrow quickly pulled the lace out of one of his trainers, before tying it as tightly as he could around the cord, where it remained until paramedics arrived on the scene. Hopefully, you never need to implement this hack, but now you have the information you need just in case!
Hang food from trees
When you go camping, properly storing your food is one of your top priorities. If you’re in bear country, you’ll want to make sure you’re storing your supplies in smell-proof packaging some distance from your campsite. Even if there’s no danger of bears, however, you still need to keep your food out of the jaws of foxes, rodents and ants.
One of the best ways to do this is to hang your supplies from tree branches, which you can easily do using some carrier bags and shoelaces. This simple trick will stop you from waking to discover your breakfast bacon has been dragged off into the trees, never to be seen again…
Fashion a sling
In addition to creating splints, shoelaces can also be used to create a sling for broken or otherwise damaged arms. To fashion a sling, find some fabric – a torn-off section of a shirt will work perfectly – and then attach a shoelace to each end. This can be done by twisting the ends of the fabric, and then tightly tying the lace around the twisted section.
Finally, tie the other ends of the shoelaces together and loop them around the back of the neck. The piece of fabric can then be used to support the injured arm, preventing it from moving and causing further damage until you can get to a hospital.
Make letter jewellery
If you want to get expressive with your jewellery, a shoelace can come in handy. To create necklaces or bracelets with letters, all you need to do is buy some letter blocks with holes in them – these can be purchased from most craft stores – and find some shoelaces!
Then all you need to do is thread a shoelace through the beads, adjust the length by cutting off unnecessary string, and then tie the ends together. If you need inspiration, necklaces with loved ones’ names on them make fantastic, personalized gifts.
Start a fire
When it comes to skills that might just save your life, being able to start a fire without matches or a lighter is definitely up there as one of the most important. Thankfully, it’s easy to do with a few pieces of wood and a shoelace. To start, find a curved stick – referred to as a “bow” – and tie your shoelace to each end.
Next, wrap the shoelace around a straight stick. Finally, push the straight stick into a piece of wood on the floor and move the bow back and forth in a sawing motion. The shoelace will make the stick spin, generating friction and, eventually, a fire.
Use them as restraints
We’re certainly not condoning kidnapping, but there are some situations where restraining someone is a valid – and possibly even lifesaving – course of action. While zip-ties or ropes are ideal choices, if you haven’t got any of these to hand, you can use shoelaces as a last resort.
Since shoelaces aren’t generally made of the strongest material, you’ll want to make sure that hands are tied behind the back, as otherwise the restraint can be bitten through fairly easily. However, the laces should buy you enough time to think of a non-violent solution to your problem.
Make a clothesline
If you’re heading out camping, you’re going to want a way to dry your clothes out in the event that they get soaked. An easy way to do this is to tie together a bunch of old shoelaces before you head out on your trip, which can then be used as a makeshift clothesline.
Then, if you get caught in a downpour, all you have to do is wait for some sunnier weather before attaching either end of the line to a tree – making sure it’s taught – and hanging up your clothes to dry. This same line can be used to hang a tarp to create a dry area beneath.
Create a handle for your cabinet
Depending on the design of your cabinet, if the handle breaks or falls off, there’s a good chance you won’t be able to open the door anymore. To solve this extremely frustrating problem, all you need to do is drill in a screw eye – which is basically a small, metal screw with a loop on the end.
Then all you need to do to finish the job is attach a shoelace to the new screw to make a temporary handle. Just make sure you drill in the screw eye where the handle is meant to be, so that when you attach a new handle it covers the hole.
Build a raft
Since settlements are often built next to water, heading down a river can increase your odds of finding your way back to civilization if you get lost in the wild. While walking alongside a river is the preferable option, sometimes bad terrain will make this impossible. In this situation, you’ll need to build a raft.
This can be done relatively easily with some branches, some flotation aids – empty plastic bottles will work perfectly – and some string to lash the entire contraption together. If you don’t have any on you, you can use your shoelaces as a last resort.
Improvise a rope
Even though they’re thin, shoelaces are capable of supporting a considerable amount of weight. This means that you can tie a number of laces together to form an improvised rope. This can come in handy in a number of situations, for example by allowing you to haul heavy items up a ledge or support yourself while descending down a steep slope.
You can also tie objects together, which will be useful if you’re pulling your supplies on a sledge. Never use a shoelace string to abseil, however, as any breaks could easily prove fatal. A shoelace is an incredibly useful bit of kit, after all, but it’s not magic.
Use it to mark where you’ve been
Getting lost in the wilderness is an incredibly dangerous situation, and your best chance of survival is getting found by rescue workers. As a result, your best course of action is generally to remain in the place where you realized you were lost, but you might have to leave this spot to look for water or other resources.
If this is the case, you need to leave a visual marker which will tell emergency services that you were there, confirming that they are looking in the right area. A brightly coloured shoelace is ideal for this, and you should tie it securely to a branch at eye level.
Make a keychain
Because of the strong, slightly elasticated material they’re made from, shoelaces are perfect for making braids. One way you can take advantage of this is by making a keychain. To start, get two different shoelaces and then use a lighter to melt the ends together.
Next, tie the other ends into a loop, and then slip the melted-together part through. Finish by tying a knot that prevents the melted part from slipping back through, and then cut off excess material. The result is a brand new stylish keychain!
