The humble straw: a simple tool that aids in sipping drinks, but their elongated shape lends them to several other specialized uses. Practical uses, too -- we're going well beyond launching spitballs and amusing cats.
1. Bendy buffet-style bar
Purchase mixers in large plastic bottles and use a knife to poke a straw-sized hole in the bottle cap. Put three bendy straws together in a chain, secure with a slightly loose rubber band, and you're all set! Guests need only give the bottle a gentle squeeze to disperse the mixer into their glass, and you've got the coolest do-it-yourself bar in town!
Purchase mixers in large plastic bottles and use a knife to poke a straw-sized hole in the bottle cap. Put three bendy straws together in a chain, secure with a slightly loose rubber band, and you're all set! Guests need only give the bottle a gentle squeeze to disperse the mixer into their glass, and you've got the coolest do-it-yourself bar in town!
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2. Firestarter kit
Insert two matches, a piece of sandpaper, and a cotton ball smeared with petroleum jelly into a straw. Seal the ends with a lighter, and you have a lightweight, waterproof fire starting kit. Pack several the next time you go camping!
Insert two matches, a piece of sandpaper, and a cotton ball smeared with petroleum jelly into a straw. Seal the ends with a lighter, and you have a lightweight, waterproof fire starting kit. Pack several the next time you go camping!
3. Single-use spices
Also great for camping: single-use spice packs made in straws. Put the desired amount of spice into a straw (a transparent straw is recommended so that you can see the spice) and seal the ends with a lighter. Cut open when needed and discard when empty -- no need to pack spice bottles!
Also great for camping: single-use spice packs made in straws. Put the desired amount of spice into a straw (a transparent straw is recommended so that you can see the spice) and seal the ends with a lighter. Cut open when needed and discard when empty -- no need to pack spice bottles!
4. Cork fisher
The next time you're caught with embarrassing bits of cork floating in your wine, Wonder How To recommends using a straw to fish them out. Just put one end of the straw over the floater, then cap the other end with your finger to create enough vacuum to grab it. Pull it out, then go get the next one -- no one will ever know.
The next time you're caught with embarrassing bits of cork floating in your wine, Wonder How To recommends using a straw to fish them out. Just put one end of the straw over the floater, then cap the other end with your finger to create enough vacuum to grab it. Pull it out, then go get the next one -- no one will ever know.
5. Cherry pitter and strawberry corer
Pitting and coring small fruit is a tedious chore, often resulting in crushed cherries and squashed strawberries. Never again, with this technique! Simply push a straw through the fruit and let it do the work neatly and cleanly. For cherries, push the straw from the top; for strawberries, start from the bottom.
Pitting and coring small fruit is a tedious chore, often resulting in crushed cherries and squashed strawberries. Never again, with this technique! Simply push a straw through the fruit and let it do the work neatly and cleanly. For cherries, push the straw from the top; for strawberries, start from the bottom.
6. Cake stabilizers
If you suffer from chronic cake collapse, Diply suggests holding the layers of your cake together with straws. Measure the height of your cake and cut milkshake straws to size (milkshake straws are thicker and more stable than regular straws), then insert into the layers. Decorate with confidence.
If you suffer from chronic cake collapse, Diply suggests holding the layers of your cake together with straws. Measure the height of your cake and cut milkshake straws to size (milkshake straws are thicker and more stable than regular straws), then insert into the layers. Decorate with confidence.
Do you have an unusual use for straws? Please SHARE these ideas and tell us yours in the comments below!
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