Tip of the week: Alternate uses for old tennis balls
Remove scuff marks, Open jars, and more
Remove scuff marks. Rub a tennis ball on a wood floor to erase scuff marks. Those stubborn black lines will transfer to the ball’s felt almost magically.
Open jars. Split a ball in two by cutting along the white line, then use each half for opening stubborn jars. The rubber interior provides an extra-solid grip.
Protect outdoor padlocks. Keep a lock from rusting from exposure to rain or snow by cutting a slit in a tennis ball and slipping it over the top.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Improvise a rubber mallet. For home projects that require a gentler touch than a normal hammer, slice an X into a tennis ball and push the head of the hammer inside.
Keep your bike upright. Poke a hole in a tennis ball, stick it on the bottom of the bike’s kickstand, and it’ll provide better support on surfaces like grass or gravel.
Source: Woman’s Day
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Anne Hillerman's 6 favorite books with Native characters
Feature The author recommends works by Ramona Emerson, Craig Johnson, and more
-
How Zohran Mamdani's NYC mayoral run will change the Democratic Party
Talking Points The candidate poses a challenge to the party's 'dinosaur wing'
-
Book reviews: '1861: The Lost Peace' and 'Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers'
Feature How America tried to avoid the Civil War and the link between lead pollution and serial killers