No Tools Required: Sharpen Scissors With A Clever Sandpaper Hack

There's nothing more frustrating than sitting down to start a long-awaited DIY project only to find your scissors can't cut it. Let's imagine you don't happen to have a whetstone lying around and need to get some cutting done fast. Fortunately, there's more than one way to skin a cat and plenty of ways to sharpen scissors. Cutting sandpaper with scissors is perhaps the easiest way to sharpen them quickly without any tools and is just one of many surprising household uses for sandpaper. 

While it sounds easy, not any old sandpaper will do. Grit matters, and so does proper technique. But just what is grit? Grit is a measure of the coarseness or fineness of sandpaper, and is ranked numerically. Lower grit numbers are coarser; higher grit numbers are finer. Sandpaper grades range from 24 grit, which is tough enough to rough down metal edges, all the way up to 800 to 1000 grit, which is fine enough to remove scratches from glass.

For quickly sharpening a pair of scissors, you'll want a grit somewhere in the middle, between 150 and 200. Avoid using a very fine sandpaper as it lacks enough abrasiveness to properly sharpen. Now that you have your sandpaper, we'll cover the best sharpening techniques. 

There are two ways to quickly sharpen scissors with sandpaper. In the first technique, start by folding your sandpaper so that the rough edges face outward. This ensures that both blades are getting sharpened at the same time. Then, open your scissors up all the way and proceed to cut into the sandpaper, making sure they finish cutting all the way to the tip. Do this about 15 to 20 times. Finally, wipe your scissors clean with a damp cloth to remove any metal particles or bits of the sandpaper material. If they're a bit gunky from a previous project, vinegar is a common kitchen ingredient that will fix your sticky scissors. 

The second technique is a bit trickier but has the advantage of not destroying your sandpaper in the process. This sort of treats the sandpaper as if it were a whetstone. Start by setting your sandpaper down near the edge of a table. Then, open up your scissors all the way, set one blade at a 20 to 30 degree angle to the sandpaper, in line with the cutting edge, and glide it away from yourself in a single smooth motion. Continue doing this several times, making sure to sharpen each blade evenly.

Keep in mind sandpaper is hardly the ideal tool to sharpen scissors. But if you're pressed for time and don't have a whetstone, this quick and easy method should get you back on track. Alternatively, you can also try cutting into a ball of steel wool to give your scissors a rough and ready sharpening. If you have a few more tools in your toolbox, however, you can also sharpen your dull scissors with a tool you already own (probably): a common drill bit.