8 practical tricks with straws

Whether it's an ice-cold lemonade by the pool or a cocktail at a party, many drinks simply taste that much better when you enjoy them using a straw. Yet beyond their intended function, there are so many other ways you can use drinking straws in everyday life. Take a look for yourself...

1. Drink dispenser

You'll need:

  • 1 plastic bottle
  • several straws (with a bend)
  • 1 elastic band

Here's how:

  1. Begin by inserting the straws inside each other.
  2. Next, drill a hole in the bottle top and thread the straws through it. Half of the straw chain should be inside the bottle, the rest stays outside.
  3. Use an elastic band to hold the part of the straw chain outside the bottle in place. If you now carefully squeeze the bottle, you'll be able to fill your glass without any trouble. 

2. Bag seal I

You'll need:

  • 1 open bag
  • 2 straws (without a bend)

Here's how:

  1. Cut one of the straws open lengthways.
  2. Place the second straw just below the bag's opening and roll it up.
  3. Now slide the cut-open straw into place on top.

3. Soup tureen seal

You'll need:

  • 1 soup tureen
  • 1 straw (with bend)

Here's how:

  1. Trim the straw just above and just below the bend.
  2. Next cut the bendy part open lengthways.
  3. You can now seal the edge of the tureen using the bendy part of the straw.

4. Small liquid holder

You'll need:

  • 1 wide straw
  • 1 set of pliers
  • 1 lighter

Here's how:

  1. Use the pliers to clamp one end of the straw and fuse the two ends together using the lighter.
  2. Use a funnel to fill the straw with liquid.
  3. Fuse the other end of the straw together as you did before.

5. Bag seal II

You'll need:

  • 1 open bag
  • 1 straw (without bend)

Here's how:

  1. Bend the straw in half at its center and cut away the corners at the bend on the left and right.
  2. At the bend, there should now be two "bridges" in between the gaps. Remove the lower one.
  3. Next, cut the bottom half of the straw open lengthways. The two halves can now be snapped into place to seal the bag.

6. Vacuum packing

You'll need:

  • 1 sealable freezer bag
  • 1 straw

Here's how:

  1. Fill your freezer bag with food as you usually would. Insert a straw in the bag and seal it. The straw still needs to be protruding from the opening though.
  2. Now keep hold of the straw around the opening and suck out the air from the bag. Seal it as soon as you remove the straw.

7. Cable binder

You'll need:

  • 1 utility knife
  • 1 straw (without bend)

Here's how:

Use the utility knife to cut the straw lengthways in a spiral shape. You can then wrap the "snake" you've created around loose cables. 

8. Compass

You'll need:

  • 1 straw (without bend)
  • 2 ice pop sticks 
  • 2 ballpoint pens

Here's how:

  1. Cut the straw into several equally-sized rings.
  2. Stick the rings together using hot glue so that they form a straight row.
  3. Hold the row of rings in place by gluing the ice pop sticks to the outside.
  4. Insert a ballpoint pen into the first ring. This will be the compass needle. You can now insert the other pen into one of the other rings, depending on how large you want your circle to be.

So there you have it — straws have a whole host of practical uses apart from the obvious. Do you have any more ideas? 

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