25 Unique Uses for Pantyhose

The life span of your average pantyhose is, what, 2 months? I have actually had some pantyhose for years, but thats because I only wear them a couple times a year.  So lets say you get 5 good uses out of a pair of pantyhose - what else can you do with them?

I did a little research and found a bunch of ways to reuse your old, tared, lots 'o runs pantyhose.

Step 1 Arm Tattoos

I love this little trick.  My friend was as basketball player for halloween and wanted need fake tattoos to complete her costume.  She didn't want to draw on her arm so she drew her designs on a pair of nude pantyhose and wore it on her arm.

I tried this and tried to trick my roommates.  I drew a flower on the pantyhose then put it on my arm.  When I showed it to each of my roommates they were like, "thats great you drew a flower on your arm....".  When I pulled down the pantyhose they were like, "WOAH I TOTALLY THOUGHT YOU DREW THAT ON YOUR ARM".  True story - and it worked on 4 different people!

Comments

[Phil B]

Years ago I read about some college students on their way home in a small car when the fan belt broke. A female passenger removed her pantyhose while the guys looked the other way. One of the guys slipped them over the pulleys in the pathway of the broken belt and tied the feet together in a knot. He adjusted the tightener pulley a bit and they were able to drive to a garage for a real replacement belt.

[juntti]

Finding alternate uses for pantyhose is a national sport in my country. I think it all got started years ago with a bunch of tech students sending pantyhose tips to a magazine that has a section for household tips (they pay for the best ones). Tips range from drying lettuce quickly in pantyhose to DIY hands-free thingy for mobile phones...

[jpnagle59]

juntti-- hey there! Could you explain the DIY hands-free thingy for mobile phones? I'm wondering what it might be???

[juntti]

Sure. Cut off one leg of the pantyhose, roll it up and put it on your head much like a headband (sweatband) and stick the phone in between the band and your ear. ;) You can use the same band to fasten your head to the car seat's neck support to prevent slouching while sleeping in the car. Keeps those nasty back and neck pains away. Handy!

[jpnagle59]

@juntti...thank you...I did 100's of thousands of miles driving over the span of 21 years in the US, mainly Texas and southern states with highways 100's of miles long...wish would have thought of your idea to 'strap the head' with pantyhose, not a bad idea at all...
I saw on TV the other day, one of those commercials of inventions that people have thought of and are selling. The commercial had what looked like a headphone headband with the speakers removed, and they showed it to keep your phone strapped to your head. I think it was called a Go-Joe? Not sure. But the idea was the tension in the 'headband' kept the phone plastered to your head/face. Did not seem too bad once you thought about it...I thought of your project with the pantyhose, and had to tell you about it...

[sherna1]

Another use, for those of us who have ceiling fans.
Slid a single stocking onto each blade. Keeps them clean for ages, and saves heaps on time and energy cleaning them.
Use singles not pantyhose, because it needs to have the 'band' around the top to hold onto the fan blade.
Use white stockings on white blades, etc.

[upstaterNY]

Hi former upstate New Yorker. I am a current upstate New Yorker and have been suffering from cold legs in the winter too. I have tried wearing thermals under my dress pants, but they are too thick (and itchy).

Your pantyhose idea sounds great. My problem, I am a single guy, and don't currently have a girl friend to ask. I am too embarrassed to buy them or to ask any girls I know.

Women, If I were your boyfriend, or even just a close friend, would you think it odd if I were to ask your and explain why?

[Shut Up Now]

You can stretch pantyhose over a frame made from a wire coat hanger to make a great pop filter for recording vocals!

[blodefood]

This is fantastic!!!

[blodefood]

Fill with a handful of rice, barley or small beans and you have an anti stress squeeze ball.

[sheilamommy]

I use the legs from old pantyhose (ph) to store opened boxes of spaghetti pasta when I have only used a bit of the pasta.

Also, I agree, ph are very strong for binding and toting items. When moving I bundled books in groups of fifteen with pantyhose. Made easy burdens for children to transport. Also I rolled up, tied and stored a 9 X 12 ft rug with ph. Have used them countless times for anchoring items to roof rack of car.

[liveleezgl]

Oh ! Hey ! Maybe filled with rice and placed in front of door to block the drafts... I'm going to try it !!!

[-max-]

do do this, just play around with the contrast level (make it lower) sharpness, color sateration, and brightness levels on the camera in the settings.

[sconner1]

This is the best one.

26. Fill the foot with climbers hand chalk powder and tie it to your belt for easy access while on the ropes. Just give it a squeeze with one hand at a time.

[sconner1]

And this is also good to wick moisture away from your skin to keep warm in the cold weather too. The outdoor stores sell thin, stretchy synthetic fiber undergarments for unspeakable prices to do the same thing.

[sconner1]

An embroidery hoop will hold it better than tape in the water and be sturdier than the wire.

[sconner1]

Scouts use this method out camping at the wash station. Hang the soap in a hose and it wont get lost or dropped. Just wet your hands and rub the soap "dispenser".

[sconner1]

If I want this effect, I just use a disposable camera with slow film and a scratched lens in a dim room.

[sideways]

I use sections of a leg as a pre-filter for my shop vac. It helps keep the expensive filter from getting clogged as fast. I just take a section of leg and slide it over the filter cylinder.

[sconner1]

This works to protect engines from abrasive volcano ash in the air too, I hear.
Wrap hosiery over your car air filter and get out of there.

[mbusby]

Big bronzed Lifesavers on Australian beaches have been using them for years to stop jellyfish stings. They also get strange looks but beats the hell out of being stung by a Box Jellyfish or Irukandji Jellyfish.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irukandji_jellyfish

[love4pds]

Pantyhose are great for tying up plants like tomato plants to stakes because the hose don't damage the plants because they are soft and the elasticity. :)

[kirnex]

Great ideas! A couple of other uses I've found for them:

1) As ties for delicate plants. They work great to help stake young trees, tomato plants, etc.

2) As hair-bun enhancers. A pair of stockings that match hair color are great when stuffed with a like-colored material (I buy cheap wigs and use the hair) for enhancing french-twists, chignons, even as a better alternative to those "Bump-its". They work great and are much less noticeable than many items sold for the same purposes.

3) I use knee-high stockings with our rechargeable pool vacuum. I find it collects much more debris than the filter the vacuum came with, and have happily noted that where all our neighbors have had to buy new vacuums each year and have their filters repaired regularly, we've had no such problems.

4) to stuff the tips of shoes that might not quite fit right. I, like many people, have one foot bigger than the other. Add to that the dilemma of having feet that grow a good size-and-a-half when I start back up my power-lifting routine, and it leads to a lot of cute shoes that don't quite fit so well. Tissue is a pain--especially if it's summer and your feet sweat. Stockings the color of the shoe or the stockings you are wearing are a perfect alternative.

Might have more if I think about it. :) Great start to a terrific forum!

[NaturalCrafter]

I loved reading all your tips. Please do add more.

[kf4nxs]

One impotant thing for pantyhose, If you break a belt on your car. When I drove over the road my truck broke an alternator belt, Leggs got me home 1200 miles.

[signoutloud]

You have GOT to write Leggs and let them know - soooo awesome :)

[signoutloud]

I need this idea so badly at my home - thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

[signoutloud]

I'll bet cotton balls (or tissue or paper towels) put INSIDE the pantyhose would work well, too? Hmm..have to try that sometime - thank you!!

[Wimzi]

Keep your skin soft by adding some oatmeal to the foot of an old pair of pantyhose and hanging it under the tap of the bath while filling it....soak up the ggodness while relaxing :)

[metqa]

I have a shoebox Worm Bin and no matter what I did,I'd be plagued by fruit flies and fungas gnats. Two things I've done to cut down on this in my most recent bin a) I freeze all my scraps and add them, still frozen, to the worm bin and
b) I enclosed the entire bin in the "butt" of a pair of panty hose and use the legs to tie down and secure the opening so any bugs inside can't get out and no bugs outside can get in and into the worms food. some how I still have crawly/winged creatures in there but none of them are fruit flys or gnats and they don't seem to be taking over like the flies and gnats do.

I used the Tatoo idea many years ago when I wanted to make my arms look like they were algea coverd ( I was a water fairy) I just put the knee highs in a bowl and dripped green food coloring on them. It ran and seeped in irregular patterns and when I put them on my arms, my own skin showed through in patches and the green looked like ti was growing up my arms.

I also have put the slivers of my favorite soap all together in a knee high panty hose to use in the bathroom. I never lose them down the drain anymore.

I had to use panty hose as a hair tie back because my afro was so big, and panty hose was the only thing long enough and gentle enough to not pull my hair out. It's great to use on children's hair, cause they have sensitive scalps and pulling out hair is no fun.

I think everyone has used pantyhose to tie up garden plants.

I'm gonna use the toe of panty hose to cover my kefir jar. let the air in , keep the bugs out. No losing and looking for rubber bands.

[sdhicks]

NY Jets quarterback Joe Namath did this in the NFL!

[askris]

I have very thin hair, like baby hair, and been using pantyhose scrunchies (black or color ones) for years to prevent my hair from breaking.

[PrismQuartz]

I thought I was the only person who dreads cotton balls (its like thousands of spiders scratching you) and I always hated how much toilet paper I'd have to go threw for my nails. This is awesome :D !!

[pzaleskin]

I cut up old pairs and use them as car mirror condoms. Seriously ... they keep the damn birds off the mirrors and either scratching the finish and leaving their droppings behind.

[the_butler]

I see you have the buffing shoes tip, which I use daily. The Household Cavalry use balled up nylons to remove scuffing from their bees waxed leather items and also have been known to wear pantihose under their britches, to keep warm on guard in the winter. I do have a rather odd use though. While on exercise with the Household Cavalry (armoured) We had an important guest visit us in the field. We provided a very good three course lunch but had run out of filters for our portable coffee machine. (oh how we rough it) I reached into my webbing and produced my nylon from my boot kit, found a clean(ish) bit and cut it off. It was a leg of a pair of pantihose. I filled it with the required amount of filter coffee and used it like a teabag in the coffee pot. I was later complimented for producing the best cup of coffee the guest had ever had in the field
http://a-butler-for-all-occasions.co.uk/

[CathyMik]

You're absolutely right! I worked for the British Army here in Canada for six years (1980-1986) and was always buying pantihose by the dozens for the soldiers - Household Cavalry (armoured) were some, many infantry and any of the others that had to be out in the "field". It gets very, very cold in Alberta! Very brave soldiers but not brave enough to buy their own pantihose! :-)

[TendoQueen]

Wow, how cool! You're like the Pantyhose Queen! :D

[kilbia]

That's brilliant! I never would have thought of this.

[CRaeJ]

I agree that this is a great idea! I've worn pantyhose under my slacks and jeans for warmth during cold weather for many years. I'll keep hose with minor runners and snags just for this purpose, it's a perfect way to get a few more wearings out of them. :-)

[princessdee222]

I'm liking that industrial.