By Peter Urban, Published September 30, 2022 Updated July 29, 2024 AARP
Dental floss is most likely to be used to remove food debris stuck between our teeth, but you’ll want to keep a spool in your pocket once you see all the creative and handy ways dental floss can be used. Here are 11 ways that it’s become the new duct tape
1. Remove skin tags
It’s best to check with a doctor first, but Susan Massick, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, says small skin tags can be removed painlessly with dental floss. These small outgrowths of regular skin attached to a thin stalk, or base, are usually harmless and often appear as we age. Tie dental floss tightly around the base of the skin tag, and within a few days it should fall off. However, if this is painful, remove the dental floss right away.
2. Remove a ring from your finger
If you have a swollen finger, it may be difficult to remove a ring, but dental floss may help it slip off, according to the American Society for Surgery of the Hand. Here’s what to do. Begin by lubricating the finger with liquid soap or cooking oil, then wrap it in ice and raise your hand overhead for five or so minutes. Grab about a foot-long piece of dental floss and thread it under the ring so that about four inches extends toward your wrist. Then wind the longer length of floss around your finger to compress the swelling, starting at the top of the ring and moving up and over the knuckle. After that, pull the shorter length of floss over the stuck ring and, using that end, begin unwinding the floss to hopefully pull the ring up and over the knuckle.
3. Cut food
Slicing hard-boiled eggs, a wheel of Brie or even cheesecake can be accomplished with ease using a piece of tautly held, unwaxed floss. It’s also a perfect way to divide a cake into layers, according to Condé Nast’s Epicurious website. Position the floss around the outside edge of the cake, hold the ends tightly with both hands, then pull through. A couple of toothpicks placed along the edges halfway up the cake can act as a guide.
4. Save old photos
If you find a photograph stuck in a frame or an old photo album, you can use floss to remove it without tearing. Starting at one corner of the photo, place the floss between the picture and the surface it is stuck to, then carefully pull the floss between the two surfaces until the picture is freed, according to Flintlock Dental in Liberty, Missouri.
5. Hang a picture
Instead of using braided wire, which can mar your wall, tie dental floss across the back of a lightweight frame and then hang it on the wall, according to This Old House.
6. Seal connections
If you don’t have Teflon tape on hand, wrap dental floss around the threads on a leaky connection and then screw it back into place.
7. Detach sticky cookies
Similar to separating a picture stuck to a photo album, shimmying floss under each cookie will release it from the baking sheet or wire rack without losing the bottom crust, according to Epicurious.
8. Replace a broken shoelace
If you’re out on a hike and you break a shoelace, dental floss can serve as a substitute. It’s not perfect, but it should be strong enough to keep your shoes on your feet temporarily, according to Kauai Hiking Tours.
9. Make a fishing pole
If you don’t have a fishing pole, you can make a quick one out of floss and a branch, Kauai Hiking Tours claims. Just fashion a hook and tie it to the end of the floss line, which should be strong enough to pull in most fish you’ll find in a pond or stream.
10. Use as tinder
Waxed dental floss burns easily, so it can be used to start a fire if you ball up the thread into a bundle. Or use waxed floss to tie together small dry twigs for kindling, Kauai Hiking Tours suggests.
11. Fix your glasses
If the frames of your eyeglasses break, a piece of dental floss can be used to lash the separated pieces together. You can also use a piece of floss like a necklace. Just tie the floss around the earpieces so you can carry your glasses around your neck without losing them, according to online magazine LifeHacker.
Editor's Note: This story, originally published May 11, 2022, has been updated to reflect new information. Peter Urban is a contributing writer and editor who focuses on health news.