It seems like every year I have to make a trip to the local Walmart to buy a new garden hose. One hose accidentally got left out all winter, while another hose got crushed when someone ran it over… I could go on and on. Since we do a lot of hand-watering during the summer, we need a functioning hose, but I’ve always felt a little bit bad about trashing the old, damaged hoses. So this year I thought I’d put on my thinking cap and try to come up with some ways to use an old garden hose (if only to ease the guilt a little!) But luckily for me, a bit of internet research yielded several results! I ended up with 10 clever ways to put my old garden hoses to good use, and I’m excited to share them with you today!
If you have a way to use garden hoses that isn’t listed here, I’d love to hear about it. Leave a comment at the bottom of this post, and your response could be featured in a future blog post!
10 Uses For An Old Garden Hose
1. Protect Your Car
Our two-car garage is just barely big enough to fit both my SUV and my husband’s truck. The tight squeeze means that I have to be really careful when pulling into the garage, and when opening my car doors. But I recently discovered that a garden hose can help protect my car from the hazards of our small garage!
Use screws to secure a short length of garden hose to points where your car might make contact (like in front of the bumper and where the doors open). The hose will act as a cushion between your car and the garage walls, minimizing damage to both.
2. Soaker Hose
You can turn an old hose into a soaker system for watering your garden! Soaker hoses are more efficient, because unlike traditional hoses or watering cans, they deliver water right to the base of your plants. That means less water gets wasted or evaporated, and it’s actually less work for you!
To make your own soaker hose, use a small drill bit to make evenly spaced holes along the length of your garden hose. Screw a hose cap onto one end of the hose, and attach the other end to a water source. Run your soaker system for 30 minutes a few times a week to ensure deep watering for your garden. (Make sure to water more often when it’s really hot outside!)
3. Protect Blades
You can keep the blades on your axes, hatches, and saws sharp by sheathing them in between uses. An old garden hose can easily be turned into enough sheaths for all your tools!
Measure the blades of the tools you want to cover, then cut a length of hose to match each one. Use a utility knife or craft knife to cut a slit in each hose piece from one end to the other. Slide the piece of hose over the blade, and you’re done!
4. Easy Gripping
You can use the same technique outlined above to make an easy-grip handle for buckets! Just cut a small length of hose, and use a utility knife to create a slit from one end of the hose piece to the other. Slip the hose piece around a bucket handle to make it easier to carry!
You can also use it to carry grocery bags, shopping bags, and all kinds of other things!
5. Safe Swinging
Use segments of garden hose to make covers for the chains on your backyard swings. You won’t have to worry about little fingers getting caught in the chains anymore.
6. Gentle Watering
Even the gentle stream from watering can might be too forceful for some delicate potted plants. Use a small piece of garden hose to make an in-pot watering system!
Cut a piece of garden hose to match the depth of your pot, then drill several holes along the sides. Dig a hole near the center of pot down to the bottom and slip the hose inside. Fill the empty spaces back in with dirt, and you’re ready to water! Pour water into the open end of the hose, and the water will seep through the holes to deliver water to the roots of your plant. Your delicate plants will appreciate this gentle method of watering!
7. Hang Tools
Your old garden hose can help you organize your garage by getting larger tools up off the floor. Hang up a board along one of the walls in your garage, then screw a piece of garden hose near one end. Make a loop large enough to accommodate the handle of your rake, shovel, or broom, then screw down the hose on the other end.
Repeat the process until you’ve created as many loops as you want. Slide your tools into the loops, and you’re done!
Related: Our Best Tips For Organizing Your Garage
8. Trap Earwigs
If earwigs are feasting on your plants, you can use a garden hose to create a simple and effective earwig trap.
Cut a piece of hose about 12″ long and place it in your garden where the earwigs tend to hang out. Earwigs like to hide in cramped, dark places, so they will crawl right into the hose. After a few days, empty the hose section into bucket of soapy water to kill the earwigs.
9. Sanding Helper
It can be a pain to sand curved areas of furniture, trim, and crown moulding, but a garden hose can make it easier! Cut a short section of garden hose, and wrap your sandpaper around it so the gritty side is facing out. Grip the hose and it against those tricky curved areas, and you’ll be done sanding in no time!
10. Door Stop
Cut a small section of an old garden hose to use as a door stop. To “install” it, just squish the hose flat with your hands and slide it underneath the door. When you let go, the hose will expand to fill the gap, and the door will stay in place. Easy!
