Tennis balls are ubiquitous and inexpensive. They're great for tennis... for a little while. Then they lose that carefree, Tigger-like bounciness and become dog toys.* But what if you don't have a dog? What can you do with some tennis balls?
Go grab some balls from the bushes behind the local tennis courts. Intercept a lobbed ball at the local dog park. Begin training as a Wimbledon ball-boy. Do whatever you need to do to get a hold of these magical golden orbs.
*According to small, panicky corners of the Internet, tennis balls may be bad for your dog's health. That fuzzy yellow coating might be ruining Fido's teeth. They're choking hazards for large dogs. They could randomly explode.
- Laundry? Yeah, tennis balls.
- Household cleaning? Yep.
- Parking? Got you covered.
- Sensual self-massage? You bet your felted fluorescent balls.
Go grab some balls from the bushes behind the local tennis courts. Intercept a lobbed ball at the local dog park. Begin training as a Wimbledon ball-boy. Do whatever you need to do to get a hold of these magical golden orbs.
*According to small, panicky corners of the Internet, tennis balls may be bad for your dog's health. That fuzzy yellow coating might be ruining Fido's teeth. They're choking hazards for large dogs. They could randomly explode.
Step 1: Protect Your Floors
Refinishing a floor is a messy, time-consuming, and expensive task. It sucks, and you probably don't want to do it. I've done it professionally and it's not even fun when you're being paid for it.
Protect your precious floors by capping chair legs, walker feet*, and pirate pegs that might need to consistently slide or tap across your floor.
Just cut an X into the top of a tennis ball and insert the offending leg into the warm embrace of the tennis ball. Done.
*You've probably seen this trick at the local senior hang-out. Probably alongside a rousing game of shuffleboard or aqua-robics. Walker feet covered in tennis balls facilitate safe sliding and are easier to replace/cheaper than little rubber caps.
Protect your precious floors by capping chair legs, walker feet*, and pirate pegs that might need to consistently slide or tap across your floor.
Just cut an X into the top of a tennis ball and insert the offending leg into the warm embrace of the tennis ball. Done.
*You've probably seen this trick at the local senior hang-out. Probably alongside a rousing game of shuffleboard or aqua-robics. Walker feet covered in tennis balls facilitate safe sliding and are easier to replace/cheaper than little rubber caps.
Step 2: Laundry
I like my towels to be fluffy and absorbent, but I hate the smell and texture of clothes that have been laundered with fabric softening dryer sheets. In an attempt to ditch the dryer sheets, I decided to just go without. My clothes were fine, but my towels just weren't fluffy enough.
To fluff those towels, I decided to toss in a tennis ball. Or three. Just to see what would happen. Would they have the same effect as those made for TV dryer balls? Would they destroy the dryer? Would my neighbors complain about the thunking noises?
Turns out, tennis balls make a GREAT replacement for dryer sheets with regard to fluffification. Static prevention and scent, not so much. But those aren't necessary for my towels. Or comforter. Or any of my other giant linens that require fluffiness.
To fluff those towels, I decided to toss in a tennis ball. Or three. Just to see what would happen. Would they have the same effect as those made for TV dryer balls? Would they destroy the dryer? Would my neighbors complain about the thunking noises?
Turns out, tennis balls make a GREAT replacement for dryer sheets with regard to fluffification. Static prevention and scent, not so much. But those aren't necessary for my towels. Or comforter. Or any of my other giant linens that require fluffiness.
Step 3: Garage Penetration Indicator
Sometimes it can be difficult to pull into one's garage without crashing into the back wall. Even with daily practice, pulling into the garage can be a nerve-wracking experience. Sure, it's not landing an F-16 on the deck of an aircraft carrier, but it can be a tricky maneuver. Particularly for guest drivers. Or teens. Or anyone else who is secondary on your insurance forms.
To keep those fragile boxes full of Christmas decorations and 6th grade soccer participation trophies safe, why not dangle a tennis ball from your garage ceiling to mark where you should stop?
Here's a way to do it*:
*You could also make a dowel/tape/nail contraption to stick the string to the ceiling all in one go. Or just send a lanky friend onto the roof of your car. Or tie a string to a spear gun. There are other options, is all I'm trying to say.
To keep those fragile boxes full of Christmas decorations and 6th grade soccer participation trophies safe, why not dangle a tennis ball from your garage ceiling to mark where you should stop?
Here's a way to do it*:
- Hang a string from where you think it will hit the center of your windshield or the spot right in front of the driver.
- Park better than you ever have before.
- Using a stick, laser pointer, friend, or your eyeballs, determine where you should hang your tennis ball.
- Put a screw into your sweet spot, then tie on the string.
- Attach the string to the tennis ball.
*You could also make a dowel/tape/nail contraption to stick the string to the ceiling all in one go. Or just send a lanky friend onto the roof of your car. Or tie a string to a spear gun. There are other options, is all I'm trying to say.
Step 4: Pool Cleaner
Now that the summer swimming season is just about winding down, I can share this little fact with you: Swimming pools get nasty. The more people who swim in them, the thicker and more disgusting the slick of human grease that floats to the top of the pool. Those kids who are retrieving various weights from the bottom of the pool? They're avoiding the BP* oil sheen at the surface.
Tennis balls can help absorb some of that people oil. The felted surface collects the nasty goop from the surface of the water. Toss in a few balls if your private pool is looking a little shiny.
This will not help in giant, public pools. Unless you make your own tennis ball floaties. (Which you might want to do, just in case you are afflicted with a case of prose-inspired hypochondria.)
*Buttery people.
Tennis balls can help absorb some of that people oil. The felted surface collects the nasty goop from the surface of the water. Toss in a few balls if your private pool is looking a little shiny.
This will not help in giant, public pools. Unless you make your own tennis ball floaties. (Which you might want to do, just in case you are afflicted with a case of prose-inspired hypochondria.)
*Buttery people.
Step 5: Remove Floor Scuff Marks
Any school janitor worth his salt knows that there's no need to scrub the floors like Cinderella just to remove some scuff marks. There's an easier way. A faster way. A better way.
In the irony of ironies, tennis balls remove scuff marks. I know! I'm sure you've been playing a match at the local courts and have seen the signs that say, "No black-soled shoes." The signs are there to prevent the court from looking like aflat, green skate park, police academy driving range, or something else that is all scuffed up.* And to think, the tools to remove those scuff marks are RIGHT THERE.**
To remove those scuff marks, just put a tennis ball on a stick. Rubbed vigorously on top of a scuff mark, tennis balls act as an eraser. The felt has a good texture for removing the scuffs: rough without being too abrasive and gentle enough for special surfaces. Just like a school janitor.
*Ran out of similes.
**Well, maybe. If any budding David Foster Wallace***-types want to write up an explanation of the scuff-removal qualities of tennis balls, I'm sure we'd all appreciate it.
***I'm open to other suggestions of literary tennis players. Or tennis-playing literati.****
****Sorry this was so self-referential. No po-mo.
In the irony of ironies, tennis balls remove scuff marks. I know! I'm sure you've been playing a match at the local courts and have seen the signs that say, "No black-soled shoes." The signs are there to prevent the court from looking like a
To remove those scuff marks, just put a tennis ball on a stick. Rubbed vigorously on top of a scuff mark, tennis balls act as an eraser. The felt has a good texture for removing the scuffs: rough without being too abrasive and gentle enough for special surfaces. Just like a school janitor.
*Ran out of similes.
**Well, maybe. If any budding David Foster Wallace***-types want to write up an explanation of the scuff-removal qualities of tennis balls, I'm sure we'd all appreciate it.
***I'm open to other suggestions of literary tennis players. Or tennis-playing literati.****
****Sorry this was so self-referential. No po-mo.
Step 6: Massager
After a long day of pushing a giant rock up a hill, I imagine that Sisyphus gets tired. Maybe he could use a massage. But he's doomed to an eternity of solitude. What's a lonely man to do if he needs some immediate relief in his sore muscles?
Grab a tennis ball, Sissy. Rub it over your boo-boo till it feels better. In fact, you can even lie down on that tennis ball to get a great back massage. Carleyy demonstrates this significantly better than I can in her Tennis Ball Back Massager instructable.
A tennis ball against the wall works for me. Just place it near the epicenter of pain, then wriggle around until it feels like I am no longer in jeopardy of suddenly separating into two halves like an earthworm. An earthworm with aspirational vertebral issues.*
(This also works on other muscle groups. It will not, however, work as a "personal" massager. Unless you are WAY into tennis.)
*Chordata ain't all it's cracked up to be, my little friend. Unless you have tennis balls.
Grab a tennis ball, Sissy. Rub it over your boo-boo till it feels better. In fact, you can even lie down on that tennis ball to get a great back massage. Carleyy demonstrates this significantly better than I can in her Tennis Ball Back Massager instructable.
A tennis ball against the wall works for me. Just place it near the epicenter of pain, then wriggle around until it feels like I am no longer in jeopardy of suddenly separating into two halves like an earthworm. An earthworm with aspirational vertebral issues.*
(This also works on other muscle groups. It will not, however, work as a "personal" massager. Unless you are WAY into tennis.)
*Chordata ain't all it's cracked up to be, my little friend. Unless you have tennis balls.
Step 7: Childproof Corners
There are few scenes scarier than seeing a child bleeding profusely from the face. Especially if that child is rapidly losing blood in YOUR home.
If you're going to be hosting toddlers, or anyone else prone to running into sharp corners with the tender parts of their heads, try putting tennis balls over the nastier corners. If there's a bit of pipe jutting dangerously into your living space, pop a tennis ball on there. It'll deflect all but the most self-destructive of blows, and it'll give your home that "tennis pro" look that never goes out of style.
If you're going to be hosting toddlers, or anyone else prone to running into sharp corners with the tender parts of their heads, try putting tennis balls over the nastier corners. If there's a bit of pipe jutting dangerously into your living space, pop a tennis ball on there. It'll deflect all but the most self-destructive of blows, and it'll give your home that "tennis pro" look that never goes out of style.
Step 8: Sand Curves
Under most circumstances, sanding is a necessary but unpleasant task. When you're sanding a curve that needs to stay curvy, try wrapping a tennis ball with sandpaper. It'll prevent the flat spots and unevenness that you might get if you only sanded by hand.
Pros can generally sand any shape without sanding down corners or otherwise permanently affecting the shape of their project. If you're failing to get a smoothly rounded shape, try a tennis ball.
Pros can generally sand any shape without sanding down corners or otherwise permanently affecting the shape of their project. If you're failing to get a smoothly rounded shape, try a tennis ball.
Step 9: Jar Opener
Has this ever happened to you?
You've just finished a particularly sweaty tennis match, and you reach into your bag for a delicious and refreshing jar of pickles. But the lid seems to be glued to the jar. Not even He-Man (nor the other masters of the universe) could get that thing open. No pickles for you!
Not so fast. A tennis ball cut in half can easily pop those lids off. Just cut along the seam of the tennis ball. That'll leave you with a bulbous little green friend, coated with rubber on the inside. You can get a great grip just by using the modded ball to get a handle on the lid.
Big thanks to fungus amungus for this awesome use of tennis balls. Check out his full-on Instructable for this use here.
You've just finished a particularly sweaty tennis match, and you reach into your bag for a delicious and refreshing jar of pickles. But the lid seems to be glued to the jar. Not even He-Man (nor the other masters of the universe) could get that thing open. No pickles for you!
Not so fast. A tennis ball cut in half can easily pop those lids off. Just cut along the seam of the tennis ball. That'll leave you with a bulbous little green friend, coated with rubber on the inside. You can get a great grip just by using the modded ball to get a handle on the lid.
Big thanks to fungus amungus for this awesome use of tennis balls. Check out his full-on Instructable for this use here.
Step 10: Photo Mount
Your pictures are probably wobbly. It's not your fault. You're a full-sized human being operating a camera the size of a pack of gum with a super-sensitive image sensor. If you breathe, you've ruined the shot. And you like breathing. So much so, in fact, that you will do it even while performing photography.
Like any good Instructaballer, you know that a tripod will make a world of difference. Perhaps you, like me, do not own a tripod. Perhaps you have a surplus of tennis balls. Perhaps you do have a tripod, but require a counterbalanced ball mount for steadiness off the 'pod.
Here are some great options for the budding photographer and flagging tennis stars out there.*
*Agassi?
Like any good Instructaballer, you know that a tripod will make a world of difference. Perhaps you, like me, do not own a tripod. Perhaps you have a surplus of tennis balls. Perhaps you do have a tripod, but require a counterbalanced ball mount for steadiness off the 'pod.
Here are some great options for the budding photographer and flagging tennis stars out there.*
- Lftndbt put together this tennis ball camera stabiliser, the iSteadii 2.0, which uses a tennis balls and some hardware to deaden any movement fluctuations that'd ruin your pictures.
- iectyx3c made a simple tennis ball tripod that you can use as a sort of Gorillapod-type base that can be placed on a variety of surfaces for stability and support. Optional mounting holes allow you to incorporate velcro, bungee, or suction cup attachments.
*Agassi?
Step 11: Put Stuff Inside
Tennis balls are hollow and easy to cut into. This makes them perfect vehicles for intra-office correspondence, hiding precious valuables at the gym, or any other activity that might require ballistic containment.
Just cut a slit into the side of the tennis ball. Cram in your message. Hurl it to your intended recipient.
OR
Cut a slit into the side of the tennis ball. Cram in your cash. Stuff it under some dirty socks in your gym bag next to the Tinactin.
Just cut a slit into the side of the tennis ball. Cram in your message. Hurl it to your intended recipient.
OR
Cut a slit into the side of the tennis ball. Cram in your cash. Stuff it under some dirty socks in your gym bag next to the Tinactin.
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For posting another use and a pic, have 3 months of pro membership.
Just had a brainstrom/squall/fart.
To make the tennis balls disappear when you don't need them, rig them with string to the top of your (automatic) garage door. Lead the string through eyelets directly above where they should hang. When the garage door goes up, the balls come down automatically—then disappear up toward the ceiling when the garage door goes back down.
Might be tough to get the heights exactly right. A knot or other obstruction on the string, just upstream of the ceiling eyelet, would limit travel and get the hood-height just right.
Good idea about the garage door.
When I tie a tennis ball for a vehicle position indicator, I thread the paracord through the tennis ball 3 times so that I have 4 cord "legs" 90 degrees apart and then tie it back to the line going to the ceiling on the top side of the ball. Some people just pull it through once and tie a knot in the cord at the bottom, but it would be too easy for someone to pull the ball off the line using that method, so I over-engineer it a bit.
(In lighter cases, marbles do the trick, but some of us need harsher measures.)
I once was playing tennis and upon finishing I went to my car to realize that I had locked my keys inside. I took a tennis ball and cut a quarter-sized hole into it. I placed the hole over my car door key-hole and hit the ball with my hand sending a burst of air into the key-hole and watched as my door lock popped up. I was in my car in seconds.
This worked every time on my 1999 Toyota 4runner, I have not tried it on any other vehicles.
Would you post a video of you doing this without someone in the background operating a remote? I'd love to see this proved possible (but see Mythbusters). If you post your address, perhaps some local 'ibles members could come over and test the idea while you're asleep (better leave the car somewhere accessible). : ]
I'm of the opinion that this is a really, really unlikely means of opening one's vehicle. But I'd love to see it actually work. Because I'd like a '99 4runner and happen to have a bunch of tennis balls on hand.
Is it possible that the air may temporarily line up the tumblers in the lock? Maybe. It's far from likely, given that equal air pressure across all of them would push them all the way out, then they would spring back in at the same rate.
What is absolutely impossible is that the gentle breeze that would have been generated by her pressing in on the ball (or a blast of 200 PSI from an air tank, for that matter) would rotate the lock mechanism the 45 to 90 degrees necessary for the linkage to be moved. I'm not sure what they claim having power locks does... a power lock system is exactly the same as a non-power lock. On older vehicles that had power locks as an option, the linkage, latch, lock cylinder, etc. are usually identical whether or not it had power locks. With power locks, there is usually one extra rod and an actuator, that snaps into a clip that is there on the one without power locks. The only difference is that the lock actuator adds drag on the linkage, making this more likely to work on something without power locks. Except you need the power locks to make this look real... a hand on the inside pulling up on the lock would make this a much more obvious fake.