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If you’re like most people, you probably think of clothes pins as those little wooden or plastic pegs that you use to keep your clothes from falling off the line in your backyard. But did you know that they can also be a valuable travel accessory? Today we will chat bout twelve reasons to pack clothespins when you travel next time.
What are clothespins?
Clothespins are fastener devices for securing clothes or other fabric items to a line or wire. How do they work? The spring-loaded mechanism inside the pin opens and closes as needed, allowing you to quickly and easily attach or remove items from the line. You can even get them at your local Dollar Tree store!
How many do you need to pack?
You’ll want to bring at least a dozen clothespins with you on your trip when you see our list of reasons to pack clothespins when you travel. I figure that one or two will break along my journey and I would rather have a few extra than not enough.
To dry clothes
Most places, like the Kalihari of the Wisconsin Dells, have those retractable clotheslines in the bathroom. Folding your wet clothes over the top of it takes longer for those items to dry because the wet fabric touches itself. This even goes for hanging up those wet swimsuits in your hotel waterpark room! Use the clothespins to hang them and avoid the foldover.
For the beach
Clip a towel to your beach chair or backpack while you are at the pool or beach. This way your towel won’t blow away in the wind and you can have a place to sit that is dry.
Privacy Please!
If you are staying in a hotel room with a balcony, you can use clothespins to clip up some curtains or a blanket to create a makeshift privacy screen. This is great if you are traveling with young children who need a nap or if you just want some alone time. I don’t know about you, but I hate being totally visible to anyone walking by on the beach when I just want my morning coffee and devotional time.
Hang it up
Not everything packs well in a suitcase. If you are going on a long road trip and plan to take a few nicer things, clothespins can be used to attach clothes to the hangers so they don’t end up in a tangled mess in your suitcase or on the floor of your car.
Chip clip anyone?
We all know it is less expensive to buy the larger packages of snacks but that humid Louisana Air isn’t crispy-potato chip friendly. Clothespins can be used on open bags of chips or pretzels or to close the bag after you have taken out what you want at that moment. This also works great for sealing opened boxes of cereal or crackers.
Mark the spot
To hold open a book or magazine while you are reading. If you are trying to read in a moving car or plane, clothespins can be used to keep the pages from blowing around or getting lost.
Seal the deal
We have all used Ziplock baggies while traveling and had that slider clip break! If you need to temporarily seal a bag or container, clothespins can come in handy. Just slide one over the opening and voila!
First aid
If you run out of bandaids or other first aid supplies, clothespins can be used as a temporary measure. Just be sure to wrap the fabric part with gauze or another sterile material to avoid introducing germs to your open wound.
Hair don’t care
If you are like me and have long, thick hair, sometimes you just need a way to keep it out of your face while you are cooking, cleaning, or otherwise busy. Clothespins can be used as impromptu hair clips!
Get some sleep
Have you ever been in a hotel room where the curtains don’t close all the way? It is even worse if there is a flashing sign outside! If you need to block out light, clothespins can be used to hold the curtains closed.
Keeper of the cords
It seems like we have a charger for everything these days: phones, laptops, Kindle, etc. Traveling with all of those cords can be a hassle. Clothespins can help! Clip one end, roll the cord around it loosely, then clip the other end in. No tangles between cords, and you are rolling in a way to help prevent the wires from breaking.
Clear the air
We have all been in that hotel room that had “that smell”. Spray the essential oil fragrance of your choice onto one or two clothespins and keep them in a snack-sized Ziplock bag. All you have to do is clip them to the air conditioner (or heater) vent in your room and breath easier in no time.
The sky is the limit
These are just a few of the ways that clothespins can be used while traveling. Use your imagination and I am sure you can come up with many more! Just don’t forget to pack them on your next trip.
Have you ever used clothespins while traveling? What are some of your favorite uses for them? Share in the comments below!
