Summer is here and many of us head out to the tennis courts. When the tennis balls lose their bounce, we throw them away but there are creative ways to reuse tennis balls and keep them out of the waste stream. Here is a list of ways you can reuse tennis balls.
1. Fluff up down-filled comforters and clothing. Toss a couple of tennis balls into the dryer with down vests, jackets, pillows and comforters to break up clumps of down and restore loft to the items.
2. Make a curved sander when refinishing furniture. Wrap a tennis ball in sandpaper to create a sander that fits the hand comfortably.
3. Use tennis balls to dust in high places. Place a ball on a long stick and wipe those cobwebs away.
4. Float two or three tennis balls in the pool to absorb swimmers' body oils. Replace the balls every two weeks.
5. Keep outdoor pests away- smear some Vaseline on tennis balls and hang from trees or bushes.
6. Collect a load of tennis balls and bring them to a nearby dog shelter.
7. Use tennis balls as packing material when you ship cartons instead of styrofoam peanuts.
8. Hang a tennis ball from the ceiling in the garage so that it hits the car windshield when the car is in the exact parking position. This makes parking easy every time.
9. Prevent the kids' bicycle kickstands from sinking into the grass or mud. Make a slit in a tennis ball and put it over the end of the kickstand.
10. To stabilize a walker, cut an X into tennis balls and put them on the legs of the walker.
11. Create a "gym safe." Make a two-inch slit along the seam of a tennis ball and insert valuables in it while working out at the gym. Keep the ball in the gym bag with other sporting gear.