15 Smart Ways To Use Plastic Bread Tags Around The House Instead Of Throwing Them Out

Plastic bread tags are the household staple that you probably didn't know you needed. While it may seem that these flat, plastic bits are only good for the one task of closing your bread bags to maintain freshness, in actuality, they are wildly useful in and around your home. Also known as bread ties or bread clips, these useful squares can be used for many different things; they can be repurposed into handy tools and tackle tasks that no other household item can. Bread tags' usefulness runs the gamut of creative upcycles.

Unfortunately, plastic bread tags are not typically recyclable in your regular home recycling schemes, and in order to responsibly dispose of these tags, you'd likely have to locate an independent recycling company or program. Since bread tags are too small for recycling machines to sort out of bunches of materials, they're often overlooked and left to the landfill. Thus, it takes specialized programs to safely get rid of them. Bread tags are also made of polystyrene, a synthetic material which is considered a contaminant in some states, like Washington. Ultimately, polystyrene is difficult and expensive to recycle. Save yourself the headache, and save the environment from more plastic waste, by reusing these tags as much as you can and as creatively as you can, to make use of them for their entire lifespan.

How annoying is it when you're headed to the beach, hauling all sorts of things, and then suddenly "pop!" — your flip-flop breaks. Thankfully, bread tags can help shore up those otherwise flimsy shoes. Clip a tag right at the base of the strap underneath the shoe to help prevent the plastic thong from slipping through the hole and snapping right off the sole. It helps disperse the pressure along that base so that the strap doesn't get so stressed out and thus lasts all throughout your beach day or errands.

It always frustrating to try to pick at the ends of tape to use it again, so instead of struggling, use bread tags at the end of the tape roll to make a courtesy tab for your future self. Just stick the non-perforated edge of the tag right onto the end of tape to make it easier to pull out for the next time you reach for the roll. Use multiple tabs across for wider tapes so you don't run the risk of any of the tape sticking together. An easy trick for better use!

Every household is guilty of having that mystery drawer of unknown keys. They probably all go to something, but you just don't know what. Bread tags can help you keep them organized and labeled so that those spares are mysteries no more! Either color code your keys with different hues of tags to indicate where they go or simply label the tag to make the key's use obvious. Thread the tag onto the key and voila — organization! Then, try your hand at an IKEA key organizer hack to elevate how you store them, too.

Keep spare bread tags laying around the closet or in your wallet for those desperate, wardrobe malfunction times when you don't have the ability to address it right at that moment. If you find you're missing a button or a zipper pull tab, the grab a bread tag and thread it through the button hole or onto the slider body. For a button replacement, attach it to the remaining threads that the missing button has left behind for a temporary closure solution. Yes, you may be too shy to go out in public wearing a bread tag, but this is a perfect last-second fix so you can button up a shirt to hang it up until you have time to sew that button back on.

For creative-minded, DIYers who love to craft keepsakes, bread tags make for cute and dainty photo corners for your scrapbooks. Wrap the tags in fun scrapbooking paper, and glue the paper right onto the tag. Cut the paper down to size so that it hugs the tag, and then add it to your scrapbook page. If you want to zhush this craft up a bit more, consider adding some stamp ink to mimic patina or metallic paint to mimic brass.

Another easy organizational method, repurpose bread tags as electronic wire wranglers to prevent them from crisscrossing all over each other. You can easily bundle wires and clip them together with bread tags so that you don't confuse which wire is which. It also helps tidy up the look of the wires altogether so that your space doesn't become a mess of tech disarray. Consider color-coding your wires with different tags for another level of organization.

If you're trying to figure out how to peel away any stickers or labels on things you want to save and upcycle, like candle holders or jars, you can use a bread tag to easily and evenly remove the label. Slip the edge of the tag underneath the adhesive, and slowly lift the label away, being careful not to rip the sticker and make it more difficult to remove. Once the label is off, remove sticker residue with a hot water soak or some regular old cooking oil.

How often do you place a bookmark in your novel, only to fish the book out of your bag, and the bookmark has fallen completely out? If this happens all too often for you, then consider using a bread tag as an alternative, sturdier bookmark. Just clip the tag to the top of the page to firmly keep your place. Just be sure if you're using these tags in children's books that your youngster can not get a hold of them, as they are small enough to be a choking hazard. For a fun look on your bookshelf, match the color of the book tag with the cover of the book, and you'll find yourself with a display worthy of BookTok.

As it turns out, bread tags are the perfect width and are just rigid enough to be used in lieu of a screwdriver for certain home tasks. For example, some flat head screw drivers are too thick to undo the screws on items like outlet covers. However, bread tags slide perfectly into the recesses of those screws and provide just enough leverage to loosen them as needed to finish the job with your fingers or the oversized screwdriver.

If you don't have an excessive wire problem and just want to remember which plug goes where, then you can use bread tags to label those plugs. Write the appliance with Sharpie on a tag, and clip the tag straight onto the base of the plug. This hack works well if you have several things plugged into a single power strip that look alike so that you avoid accidentally turning off one thing when you meant to unplug another. No more accidental computer outages when you thought you were unplugging a fan!

A great hack to use when you're traveling, this idea keeps your toothbrush off any unknown surfaces. Just slide the tag onto the neck of your toothbrush, with the perforated side facing away from the brush itself. Tuck the tag under the base of the brush to create a stand that stops the toothbrush from rolling around. It helps keep your brush a bit more hygienic then letting it sit on the counter, so be sure to sneak a bread tag away into your toiletries bag the next time you travel.

Yet another easy organizational trick, bread tags make for simple and handy earring holders so you can keep them organized just like a boutique display. Best used for hoop earrings, slide the hoop through the tag's hole and halfway down the center of the earrings so that the pair balances on the tag. Easily store your earring pairs together without fear of them getting mixed up, or use a hole punch to create a convenient hanging loop from which to arrange them on a jewelry organizer.

Rubber bands may have just as many uses around the house as bread tags, from stopping clothes from falling off hangers to helping open difficult jars. But it's easy for those rubber bands to get out hand. Luckily, bread tags are here to save the day. Thread rubber bands through the opening in the bread tag until the hole is completely full. Repeat with other bread tags, then stack and store your rubber band bundles for easy use in the future. If you feel so inclined, organize your rubber bands by width, and tag them separately.

Just because your notebook or agenda didn't come with fun dividers, that doesn't mean you can't add your own! Grab several colors of bread tags, and label them with the categories you want for the notebook. Clip the tags at the edges of the pages, starting from the top of the first page and moving downwards towards the bottom of the notebook as you work through the book. Make fun alternating color patterns, or go for a full rainbow to mark each month of the year.

If it wasn't clear by now, bread tags are a great way to label things so they stay organized or don't walk off to places they shouldn't be. It's a great idea, then, to use bread tags to label dedicated tools for certain uses so they don't get mixed up. For instance, if you have any scissors that are specifically for sewing or crafting, and you don't want them used on other items around the house so that they don't dull quite as fast, then you can use a bread tag to label them as such.