It is the start of National Stationery Week and today is Pen and Pencil Day. You may be surprised to learn the humble pencil is more useful in everyday life than you first might think.
- Use a Pencil to Prevent a Headache
We subconsciously clench our teeth when under pressure. This is turn puts strain on the muscle that connects the jaw to the temples. Therefore, a tension headache results. To prevent this, simply put a pencil between your teeth but remember not to bite it (especially if you have borrowed it from the colleague sat next to you). This allows you to relax your jaw muscle to ease the tension.
- Ease a Key into a Lock with a Pencil
Graphite is an excellent dry lubricant for metal. If you are having problems with getting a key, particularly a new key to work in a lock, rub the surface of the key’s teeth with a soft pencil. The graphite should enable it to smoothly work within the lock.
- Pencil shavings as a Moth Repellent
Don’t just throw your pencil shavings in the bin. Apparently, they are an excellent moth repellent. Simply fill a small cloth bag with pencil shavings and then keep in your wardrobe.
- Improve Your Phone Quality
If the sound quality of your landline isn’t as clear as it should be, try this little trick. Use the eraser on the end of your pencil to remove dust on the metal squares in the phone charger cradle.
- Check the Water Level for your House or Office Plants
Forgotten when you last watered your plants? You can check the soil by placing a pencil in the plant pot to see how dry it is.
- Mend a Broken Zip
Before you throw a piece of clothing away because the zip has become stuck, try this. Scribble with a pencil up and down the zip teeth. Just like the earlier example concerning the key, the graphite should provide enough lubrication in order for the zip to work again.
- Clean Muddy Shoes
Been out walking the dog or on a weekend muddy hike? Before you traipse back into the house trailing mud everywhere, use a sharp pencil to get all the mud out of the tread of your shoes.
- Fix a Wooden Door
Do you have a wooden door that keeps getting stuck? To find out exactly where on the door the problem lies scribble with a pencil up and down the latch edge. Then close and open the door. The area where your pencil markings have smudged will depict where the problem is.
- Toothpaste Tube: Waste Not Want Not
Are you guilty of not using all the toothpaste in the tube? Roll the toothpaste tube around a pencil to make sure you get your money’s worth.
- A Quick Fix for a Lost Earring Back
Finally, butterfly clasps on earrings can often be lost. As a quick fix to prevent you losing an earring, use the end of pencil eraser as a replacement. Incidentally, the eraser is more gentle on skin that earring backs that contain nickel.
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