Tennis balls are pesky little things. The average tennis ball only lasts a month after being popped from the can. Some tennis balls might only last a game if you have a hard hit! For the casual tennis player, this isn’t such a problem. But for someone who wants to play tennis competitively or socially to get fit, this can be frustrating.
Here are six ways to use your old, flat tennis balls instead of chucking them out.
1. Chair sliders
You know when you slide your chair on a nice lino floor and it makes that piercing EEEEIIIII sound? That sound isn’t just unpleasant – it can also leave unsightly scruffs on your floor. Not the best look!
Simply slit a hole in your tennis balls and pop the chair legs in there.
2. Remove scruff marks from floors
I love sending the kids to their grandma’s and inviting the girls over. But sometimes I think they leave more mess than the kids! One particular meanie is high heel scruff marks on the floors. However here’s a little janitor’s secret I learnt: a tennis mark on the end of a broom can scrub away scruffs.
3. Tennis ball door handle
Another pet peeve of mine: when people swing open my doors. This small act of carelessness has left many, many dents in my walls. And it’s not something you can bring up with someone without them thinking you’re an obsessive spastic!
The solution? Slip an empty tennis ball over a door handle. This reduces the impact. It also keeps toddlers out of restricted areas until they’re only enough to learn to squeeze and turn door knobs. Genius!
4. Chuck one in a washing machine
Okay, okay, this one sounds weird, but trust me it works. Chuck a couple of (clean) tennis balls in with your laundry and see how try it becomes. Tennis balls help seperate large items so this is even more effective when washing multiple sheets. This means your washing will have had a lot more air by the time the cycle finishes – great for trying to dry clothes in winter.
5. Fluff your towels
Guess what? The same trick to make your sheets drier also works for fluffing your towels of all things! If you’ve ever seen dryer balls on TV, tennis balls in the washing machiens have the same effect.
6. Pool cleaner
If you own a pool, you know that pools can get a bit, errm, filthy. The more people that swim in pools, the filthier they get. Humans are greasy little things and that grease is bound to come off in a vat of water. That’s why we empty the bath after using it. So why do we expect pools to be fine all year round?
The felt surface of a tennis ball can absorb some of that gross grime. Just chuck a couple in the pool and replace when necessary.
What if I don’t like flat tennis balls?
AT the end of the day, you might decide you don’t like flat tennis balls. I mean, you can only come up with so many uses for them before it becomes more hassle than it’s worth, right? So what will you do about your flat tennis ball problem?
The answer is simple: it doesn’t matter how hard you hit, how often you use or how much you try, pressurised tennis balls will always lose their bounce. And pressureless tennis balls never have the same bounce, spin or fun. The only solution would be to invest in a pressurising tube to keep your tennis balls inflated – something a normal tennis can can’t allow.
