13 Surprising Uses For Safety Pins, Other Than Sewing

The safety pin has been helping our lives ever since 1849. Whether we use them while sewing, or fastening babies’ diapers back in the day, they’re an efficient invention. But, did you know safety pins can be used for a lot more things, outside the sewing or baby’s room?

Below are 13 unconventional ways to use safety pins. Perhaps you’ve used some of them, or will start to now.

1. Decorate A Cake

Are you the type of person who likes to make homemade birthday cakes, and you hope you write out your friend’s name correctly in bright pink icing (and don’t run out of space like last time)? Well, enter the safety pin.

You can use the pin to write out the name first, then retrace it with the frosting.

2. Decorate Clothing

A new sweater of mine once got caught on something and ripped from the shoulder down to the wrist. I loved the sweater—I had gotten it abroad and it was one of a kind. I didn’t want to get rid of it, so I bought some oversized safety pins and used about a half-dozen to loosely close up the arm.

Everywhere I went, people loved it and asked where I bought it. Little did they know… So, get creative and fix up clothes you thought were lost causes!

3. Redecorate Your Headboard

This one is so easy, you can have a new headboard cover every few weeks if you so choose! Even if you have a metal bed frame, like Sypsie Designs did, all you need is a cloth shower curtain, some picture hanging strips, and a couple safety pins. And it all costs less than $20! Worth a try, for sure!

4. Zip Up That Stubborn Dress

If you cannot zip up the back of your dress yourself—unless you like the struggle and acrobatics it takes—all you have to do is tie a piece of dental floss to a safety pin, then affix the pin to the zipper. Problem solved.

5. Find A Drawstring

Don’t you hate when you’re about to tighten your favorite hoodie, then realize one of the strings is lost within the hood? Well, your friend, the safety pin, can help you guide the string back to where it’s supposed to be. You can watch how to here.

6. Use In Place Of A Clothespin

I grew up with my grandmother, and instead of a dryer, we had a clothesline. When she’d run out of clothespins, she’d use safety pins (just be sure to put the pin in a part of the clothing where you don’t mind a tiny hole).

7. Keep Pairs Of Socks And Gloves Together

Tired of mixing and matching your socks after washing them? If you safety pin the pairs together before tossing in the wash, you should never have this issue again. Try it with gloves, too!

8. Pin Sheets To Your Camping Mat

Campers, safety pins are perfect for keeping your sheets attached to your camping mat (if you’re a sheets-while-camping person, that is).

9. Use As A Fishing Hook

Yep, safety pins can be used as fishing hooks! Enough said.

10. Keep Loose Buttons Together

I constantly lose the spare buttons that come with jackets and sweaters, and have now adopted this tip. Of course, I make sure to keep said safety pin in a place I’ll remember!

11. Clean Out Your Garlic Press

The garlic press is an amazing invention, isn’t it? But if you don’t clean it right away, getting out the excess garlic is no fun. However, all you have to do is grab a safety pin and the press will be as good as new!

12. Getting Rid Of Static Cling

It’s happened to the best of us—static cling. But, if you attach a safety pin to the seam of your item of clothing, like your pants, the static will be gone! Magic!

13. Prevent Pickpockets

I love this one. If you safety pin your purse’s or bag’s zipper to their fabric, it’ll make it tougher for someone to unzip your bag and steal your wallet. See? We just saved you money!