For quick household repairs, it’s handy to have a roller duct tape to have on hand. With the powerful fabric tape, a wide variety of things can be glued together or repaired and thus avoid buying a new one. Here are five repair cases that you can quickly fix with Duct Tape – MacGyver would be proud of you!
Seal the water pipe and garden hose
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Be it the inlet or outlet of the sink or the pipe of a water-filled radiator: with waterproof duct tape, a leak or connection can be sealed not only provisionally, but even permanently. To do this, wrap the tape tightly around the pipe in several rounds and press on well so that the leak is sealed again.
The leaking garden hose can also be patched with duct tape and remains flexible thanks to the flexible fabric. This way you save water when watering, because not a drop is lost!
Mending camping and travel supplies
Tears and cuts in textiles such as backpacks and tents can be repaired with fabric tape instead of buying new accessories. It is best to generously cover the damaged area from both sides to make the tent waterproof again and the backpack viable again. Even a hard case that has been damaged during transport can be made functional again, at least temporarily, with duct tape. A roll with a remnant of duct tape in your luggage can save your vacation!
Tip: Sustainable camping not only saves money, but also a lot of luggage.
Repair rainwear
A rain jacket or pant repaired with waterproof fabric tape may not look particularly pretty, but it will withstand the rain again. Gloves, rubber boots and a rain hat are also part of the equipment, which is made weatherproof again with duct tape.
Tip: With fabric tape of matching colour, the repair area may not even be noticeable. If the tape is removed again and adhesive residues remain, they can usually be removed with alcohol that may be left over at home. For painted and sensitive surfaces, it is advisable to carefully heat up the adhesive residue with a hair dryer and scrape it off with a blunt blade or rub it off with warm water and a little washing-up liquid.
Repair laundry tub and toy box
The handle of the laundry tub has broken? Is a corner missing from the toy box? Duct tape can be used to repair plastic containers and at the same time to defuse sharp-edged or pointed breaks. A completely missing handle can even be replaced with a longer piece of twisted duct tape, which is extremely strong and capable of carrying quite a bit of weight.
restore drawer
Drawers of simple wooden furniture usually only have a solid front, while the sides and bottom are often made of chipboard, which are held together with wooden dowels. With heavy use, the connections can break out. If you don’t have the right tools or don’t have the time to repair it with wood glue or putty, you can use duct tape. Simply put the parts back together as closely as possible and glue them together generously from the inside and outside.
Tip: To repair a broken speaker, headphone or charging cable, it is better to use insulating tape or plasticine like Sugru, which are particularly suitable for this purpose. In the case of 230V power cables with exposed wires, it is better to call in a professional to avoid short circuits and electric shocks.
Cloth tape: duct tape, gaffa tape or duck tape?
Cloth adhesive tapes are available with different properties and designations. However, they are similar in use and are all good for minor household repairs. They are reinforced with a textile fabric and are very stable in the longitudinal direction. They can be torn off easily (with the help of a small incision) and are also mostly waterproof.
Duck tape was invented in the USA for military purposes, but later also used to seal heating pipes (ducts) and is therefore also referred to as duct tape. In German it is called Panzertape. It has a particularly strong adhesive power and is therefore particularly well suited for permanent repairs.
Gaffa Tape or Gaffer Tape originally comes from the field of lighting technology (gaffer = illuminator) and is used there to fix cables. It may have a slightly lower adhesive strength, but can usually be removed without leaving any residue. If you want to correct an “emergency repair” later, it is best to use such a gaff tape.
Designations such as power tape, industrial adhesive tape and power adhesive tape are also widespread. Unfortunately, colloquially, the terms are often confused and used for all types of fabric tapes.
Tip: Cloth tape made from predominantly bio-based raw materials is also available for repairs that require slightly less strong adhesion.
In many cases, repairs and other tricks can avoid buying a new one and thus avoiding a lot of (plastic) waste:
What else can you think of that can be repaired with duct tape or other adhesive tape? Complete our small list with your ideas in a comment!
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