How to “Tie Up” Spare Dental Floss

 If you are like me, you don’t finish the dental floss that the dentist gives you (for free) before the next time you visit him.  This creates, at least at my house, a bit of a surplus.  Today’s post explains a bit about how to use some of the surplus–instead of just throwing it out, like all the “normal” people out there.

I use dental floss for projects where the stitching is hidden (and where the minty smell isn’t as obvious or is a nice addition).  My favorite use for the extra floss is when I make journals.  When I’m done making the book, the floss is hidden (unless something has gone terribly wrong) and the minty smell is either gone, or makes the book “minty fresh.”

Some tips for using dental floss:

1. Remember, dental floss comes in several varieties–that means that if your dentist is cheap (or charges fair prices, and thus makes less money than the others) he may be handing out floss that is adequate for you to pick your teeth, but not to sew things like leather.  To test the strength of the floss, pull a length and try to stretch it.  If it stretches, it is likely to be a plastic of some sort.  If not, it may be real thread!
2. You can substitute floss for most projects that would normally call for waxed thread or string.  After all, that is what dental floss is, well, the good stuff.
3. Most projects will probably need NEWfloss.  Even if no one will know, you probably don’t want to reuse floss that’s been in someone’s mouth.

If any of you have already used floss in a way other than it was intended, comment–I’ll see if I can’t make a list of uses for floss another time.  In the meantime, have fun “flossing!”