Ladies, you dread it every month: your visit from Mother Nature, the hello from your Aunt Flo, your shark week, your blood moon, your crimson tide, your Carrie, your red wedding, or a code red! Worry not because you can make this time of the month a useful time of the month.
Whether you’re done with your tampons because you switched to pads or cups, or you’re just excited to see your tamps in a different light, you can make use of the following 20 DIY hacks to repurpose those little cotton rockets. Remember to always keep a few on hand, not just for biological emergencies, but for other handy uses as well…
1. Have you ever been to a ridiculously loud concert? Worked in construction? Been sick and tired of your coworkers yapping all the time? Use two tampons to plug your ears and keep your sanity in check!
2. If you celebrate Christmas, you probably break at least a couple ornaments once a year, and those aren’t easily replaceable. For your next Yuletide activities, try making a soft, unbreakable Christmas tree angel out of your Playtex Pearls.
3. Power outage and out of candles? Drop some oil into a jar, cut a hole in the lid, and connect it all with a tampon. For an extra long burn, use the Super Ultra size.
4. When you suffer from a nosebleed, you need to tilt your head back… or forward? To be safe, let’s just plug up our nostrils altogether. A small-sized tampon is perfect to plug a small nosebleed, but remember: the more fluid gets absorbed, the bigger this plug will get.
5. Going fishing? That’s the perfect time to recycle any leftover plastic applicators as bobbers! Just please, please make sure you get them out of the water when you’ve got your catch of the day.
6. If you’re ever stranded on an island without a Brita but with a Kotex, you could use it to sort of filter water. Place the tampon straight into a puddle and drink through it like a straw — if you dare. It will filter out most of the dirt and sediment, but not all. Only use this as a last resort.
7. If the tampon filter isn’t solid enough for you, you may want to boil your water. However, it could be hard to keep your matches dry. Place them within a tampon wrapper and find a way to seal it up to keep them safe.
8. Beauty companies are always trying to get you to buy more brushes, sponges, and puffs to blend in your foundation, but don’t buy into that: use a tampon! Maybe she’s born with it, maybe it’s Tampax!
9. If you have a pet, you know the ancient struggle: they won’t care about any fancy toy you buy them, but they’ll love your grocery bags, your delivery boxes, and your tampons. Cats in particular love attacking them like prey and knocking them to every corner in your house.
10. What’s the one thing no one will want to steal out of your purse? That’s right, an open tampon. Stick your money in the applicator for safe keeping. It can also be your backup cash for when you do hit that time of the month unexpectedly and need to restock… ASAP.
11. You went away for the night on a work trip and forgot your toothbrush but remembered the tampons. You see where this is going… in a bind yes, you can use the cotton interior to scrub your teeth.
12. When a rainy day sneaks up on you, and you’ve got kids going stir crazy inside, it’s time to deploy Operation Arts and Crafts. Look at how one crafty mom used her tampons to make a mobile.
13. Removing the nail polish from your toenails without messing up your fingernail polish is practically impossible… unless you have a tampon on hand. It’s the most precise cotton ball out there.
14. Make your own jewelry with tiny tampons. MSNBC host Melissa Harris-Patty actually did this on air as a form of political protest. She was fired from the network, but everyone was talking about her look.
15. Doing an at-home pedicure but out of toe separators? Fear not! Tampons are here to save the day. Simply put them between your toes and get ready for a clean, easy paint job.
16. Got sweat? Like it or not, everybody sweats. If you find yourself feeling overly warm in the armpit region, simply tuck a tampon under each arm. It will absorb the sweat like a charm.
17. A tampon can stop any leak, no matter the substance. If you notice that your sink has sprung a leak and the plumber can’t get there for hours, keep your floors dry by temporarily stopping the leak with a tampon.
18. In an emergency, you could unroll and flatten a tampon and use it as a bandage for scratches and wounds. You might want to think twice about this trick if you have a face wound, however.
19. For many pet owners, cleaning their dog’s ears is a real hassle. Luckily, it doesn’t have to be with tampons! Remove the cotton batting from the applicator, apply your favorite cleanser and get to work. Ol’ Fido will thank you.
20. Remembering when your period starts, ends, or how long ago you’ve missed your last one can be a pain in the butt, but it’s easier to remember with a beautiful tampon bookmark!
