I am in the process of painting the interior of my house. There are quite a few areas that need a little sealant as part of the preparation. I am trying to be economical (financially and environmentally) and not throw out mostly full but cured tubes of sealant.

This Intractable is my method to reusing not only the remaining sealant but also the single nozzle that comes with your tube.

Step 1: What You Need

Aside from the tube of sealant and the nozzle, you will need a thin plastic bag, a pair of scissors and your caulk gun of choice. Additionally you will need something long and thin, like a kebab skewer.

I am using freezer bags as they are thin, strong and slippery.

Step 2: Prepare the Nozzle

Cut the corner from the bag in an arc a little longer than the nozzle length.

Place the cut corner over your skewer, I use the blunt end. Then gather the bag around the skewer and push through the nozzle. One through leave the skewer in place and splay the tail of the bag out around the thick end of the nozzle.

Step 3: Attach Nozzle to the Tube

Place the nozzle on the tube and screw down. During this step I have found that I have better results by only turning the nozzle and not the bag as well.

Once tightly in place, trim the small corner of the bag protruding from the thin end of the nozzle.

Step 4: Get to Work

The tube can now be inserted into your caulk gun and used as normal.

Once finished, I seal the tube straight away. Unscrew the nozzle and the bag should remain in place. You now have a clean nozzle for reuse! Use the bag to break the sealant as close to the tube as you can.

I now use the remaining part of the freezer bag to place over the tube and reattached the nozzle to seal the tube. In this condition I have been using the same tube for three weeks in pretty hot weather.