‘Tis the season to be spooky! And oh boy, have we got some brilliantly creative homemade craft ideas for you and the family? With a few basic items, you can make some ingenious little Halloween crafts. Take a look at these creepy creations.
Spider webs
Why not create some spooky spider webs? This one is great for the kids. All you need is glue, lolly sticks, paint, coloured cotton string, and a little spider decoration. Three lolly sticks will do. Create a star shape and glue them in the middle; a hot glue gun works well and makes it super quick to dry. Then use a suitable paint (like tempura) to colour the lolly sticks whatever you like. When the paint has fully dried, grab your coloured cotton yarn, and tie a piece to one of the lolly sticks near the centre. Wrap it around the lolly sticks, doing a layer each time to create the web. Once you’ve reached the top, tie the yarn around the stick, and leave a tail for hanging the spider’s web. Adding a spider is optional!
Broom treat bags
Perfect for little witches, these broom treat bags are so easy to make and will complete the magical look. Start by sending the little ones out to collect some sticks. This idea is also good for recycling, as all you need to do is use recycled paper bags; you’ll need two for each broom. To begin, simply grab some scissors, and cut one bag into narrow strips, stopping just above the base. With the second bag, start at the upper edge, and cut 1-to-2-inch-long narrow strips, and place it into the first bag. Fill it up with all the Halloween goodies. Gather the upper edges of the bags, fit in the branches, and then grab some jute craft twine to tie the top (tying about 1 to 2 inches from the top).
Pumpkin hangers
Halloween isn’t Halloween without some pumpkins! But instead of leaving them dotted around on the floor or on a table, why not let them hang? With black coloured cotton macrame cord, you can create truly unique seasonal decorations. Follow this video tutorial for the step by step.
Spooky spider egg wreath
Autumn and Halloween is the perfect time for a seasonal wreath, and you can be really creative with this one. This idea from Mike Garten uses styrofoam balls to create a spooky spider egg wreath. You can use twigs or twisted jute for the base. And then use a hot glue gun to stick on your spider decorations and other creepy items. Pick up some cobweb from your local pound shop, and add the final touches.
Cardboard haunted house
How amazing is this?! We forget about the fantastic things we can make with all the cardboard we have lying around. And kids have brilliant imaginations. So gather those toilet roll tubes, boxes, lolly sticks, paint, and even some twines, for a fun arts and craft session with the kids. Here’s the how-to for the cardboard haunted house.
For all your crafting essentials, you’re in the right place. Contact Rope Source today for your requests!
How can you take the stress out of moving house? Unfortunately, that may be mission impossible! Whilst we can’t wave a magic wand and make everything plain sailing, we can certainly help make it less chaotic, at least once you’ve got the keys to your new home. So settle in and take note with these new homeowner tips to help make for a smoother transition.
1. Get your home security in order
Make sure all the windows are in good condition and are able to be fully closed and locked properly. You may have missed things on previous visits, so check entryways for any signs of damage, wear and tear, and faults. If there are any, fixing these should take priority. And before you get carried away with redecorating and kitting out your new home with the latest technology and brand-spanking-new appliances, consider a high-quality security system first. With smart security systems out there, you can order one and set it up in no time with no need for wires – jst a Wi-Fi connection is all you need.
2. Know your neighbours
You probably already know a little about your neighbourhood because that’s one of the factors you should consider when buying a new home. But at the moment you’ll only have the estate agent’s word, or maybe you did some research. Now that you’ve bagged the house though, it’s time to really get to know your neighbours. They could help with your transition or give you valuable tips and insight about the property or area. It does no harm in trying to make friends with neighbours so you can all share important information, especially when it comes to neighbourhood watch schemes.
3. Reduce, reuse, recycle
We’ve all heard of this mantra, and it’s especially useful when transitioning to a new home. All those boxes and any packaging can come in handy or be recycled. Upcycling also comes into this, especially if you have a family. Kids love being creative, so get them involved in transforming any old items or boxes into new toys, ornaments or storage units, using natural ropes or twines etc. Make sure you know about your local waste management too, and have the calendar sorted, knowing which days your bins will be emptied so you’re on top of your waste from the get-go.
4. Notify relevant organisations of change of address
Don’t forget the big task of informing the relevant organisations of your move. In fact, not just organisations, but acquaintances and extended family members you may have forgotten about too. Make a list and check it off. Inform all the utility companies as well as the electoral register, DVLA, and your bank. Don’t forget about any pension or finance accounts. Then work your way through all your shop accounts, updating the billing and delivery address. Once you’ve ticked them all off, you can breathe a sigh of relief.
5. Make a house a home
Then there’s the final exciting part of making the house your own. This can seem daunting at first, but as long as you have a thorough plan to follow, things can go more smoothly. Work from room to room, and start with Pinterest to gather inspiration and ideas. For instance, there are fantastic rope decor ideas to renovate any home out there for you to discover. You may even pick up themes to work into your renovation and decor, like nautical which works brilliantly for bathrooms or gardens. With some decking ropes, a patio, lights, and outdoor furniture, you can create a calm, quirky outdoor area – check out these decking for your garden ideas. Or you may like rustic design ideas for your home – there’s lots of inspiration out there whatever your style!
And for all your crafting needs or help with decor, browse Rope Source right here. Contact us today for any requests or help.
Whether you’ve just moved into a new home that already has a rustic feel, or you’ve been obsessed with Pinterest boards lately, we’ve got five simple but beautiful rustic design ideas for a bit of DIY inspo.
1. Driftwood mirror and shelf
We love this old-fashioned looking mirror frame and shelf. Just looking at it transports you back in time. Not many of us would think to incorporate a shelf into a mirror, but look how beautiful it can look with a variety of ornaments, candles and keepsakes. You can get this driftwood mirror ready made, or DIY it with some rustic, old beams of wood. Sand them down and give them a new lease of life, but not too much if you’re going for that rustic feel!
Jute crafts
There’s so much you can do with twisted jute rope or jute craft twine that makes them a perfect resource for rustic-themed home decor. Here are some worthy ideas inspired by Felt Magnet:
2. Jute-wrapped handles
Simply start by tying an over-under knot to secure the end and tuck the tail back. Wrap the jute rope or twine around the handle and the tail. Trim the tail, if necessary, and continue wrapping to the end, tucking the remaining tail under the loops. Secure with a dab of clear drying glue.
3. Jute mug rugs
This one involves a little creative crochet, but don’t worry, there’s a handy YouTube video showing you exactly what to do. This jute twine material is actually brilliant for hot mugs and dishes because they’re larger and thicker than coasters, so they give great heat protection to surfaces, and they look beautifully rustic!
4. Jute-wrapped bottles and desk containers
A popular trend in rustic home decor circles is wrapping bottles and containers in jute twine; recycling and upcycling in one! Just loop and tie a knot at the base or glue down and wrap to the top of the neck, glueing down the end twine. Use jute-wrapped bottles as ornaments or vases for beautiful flowers, and jute-wrapped tins/containers for tidying up the desk. Go colourful to suit your home’s colour palette with coloured jute craft twine.
5. Expose the stone
Nothing says rustic like exposed stone. Take a look at this quaint stone fireplace feature. If you’ve moved into a house with exposed stone, why not embrace it before thinking of a complete change, as it can be easily incorporated into a rustic theme. Blend it in with neutral tones, antiques and vintage pieces.
Need a new hobby? Ourmacrame cord can help! We’ve cherry-picked the best macrame cord craft ideas from this extensive list of macrame projects for you to try your hand at. Get into the art of decorative knotting with a peaceful, creative pastime. Here’s what you can make.
Macrame jar hanger
If you don’t consider yourself the crafty type, these macrame jar hangers only take around five minutes to make each. Easy! Grab your cord, scissors, battery-operated fairy lights and get crafting. You can also use candles to put in the jars, just be more careful. Read the step-by-step tutorial right here at Decor Hint.
Macrame bag
Help the environment and ditch those plastic bags with a cute macrame bag – perfect for carrying groceries or trips to the beach. You’ll need your macrame cord, scissors, two gold jump rings and a needle and thread. Collective Gen will show you how to make this eco-friendly bag with an easy-to-follow guide.
Pumpkin hanger
Make Halloween more boho with a macrame pumpkin hanger. Macrame doesn’t have to be plain white, oh no. Use our coloured cotton macrame cordto create some fun seasonal decorations, just like this. Follow this video tutorial to get crafty for Halloween!
Macrame coasters
Charm your guests with these boho coasters – a lovely look for a more rustic, quaint feel. Again, go for different colours to match your home’s colour palette, and follow this handy guide fromCurly Made to freshen up your furniture.
Wall hanging
And finally, you can’t think of macrame without a beautiful wall hanging. You can even jazz them up with some bling or clip some polaroids to the cord for a macrame memory art piece. Here’s the step-by-step guide on how to make a macrame wall hanging to decorate your home artfully.
For all your macrame supplies, you’re in the right place! Order your macrame cord, macrame twine, natural cotton string and much more right here. Contact us for any spool and size requests or for any more info. Happy crafting!
Whether you’re stuck inside on a rainy day or simply looking for ways to get creative, there are plenty of little arts and craft projects out there for you to occupy yourself with. Here at Rope Source, we look at how you can use rope for crafting to renovate your home, giving it a rustic look.
A sisal ottoman
Give your feet a rest with your own sisal ottoman. You choose the fabric, so it can be a beautiful custom-made furniture piece. Here’s what you’ll need:
Start by glueing one end of the sisal rope to the bottom corner of the crate, and continue wrapping the rope around the bottom of the crate. Glue every inch or so as you go, making sure to pull tight and hold in place to dry. Once you’ve covered the crate with the rope to the top, get your plywood. Cut it to fit perfectly inside the crate.
Take the board out and trace it on the cushion foam, and cut out the cushion to set it on top of the wood. Then flip them both over on top of your fabric, and cut out the fabric to fit around, leaving about six inches on each side to fold around the cushion and board to staple down. Finally, staple down a loop of ribbon so you can easily pull it out, and place it in the crate for your comfy sisal ottoman! It’s also a great place to store books, blankets, toys and magazines.
A jute wreath for any occasion
Create beautifully crafted wreaths for spring, Easter, Christmas – whatever the occasion. All you need is some twisted jute rope, a wreath base (which can be just some simple cardboard ring), hot glue, and whatever you want to decorate it with! Grab your twisted jute, and wrap it around the cardboard ring, glueing down as you go. Once you’ve fully wrapped the wreath, add on a loop to hang it up. The final stage is to glue down all your decorations suited to the season or occasion. For Easter, you can glue down egg-shaped cards that you’ve painted, coloured or added glitter to, as well as little baby chicks, bunnies, and spring flowers. Come Christmas time, add holly, lots of sparkle, pine cones, and spray on fake snow. Also check out our Christmas twines to mix up the wreath base, and our luxury twine selection boxes for any occasion craft.
Whether you have a space theme in one of your kid’s bedrooms, or it’s Christmas time, or you want to update your decor with a therapeutic project, the rope craft star is perfect. All you need is some cardboard, scissors, a pen, a ruler, a glue gun with glue, and jute craft twine.
Draw out your star on cardboard, drawing lines to connect the points inside. Cut out the star, and then cut out the individual star sections. For each section, make small cuts on the bottom edges so that the twine or rope won’t slip. On the top, glue the twine down and begin wrapping it around the section.
Grab some different coloured twine to make a pattern around the sections. Once you’ve wrapped all your star sections, get a piece of card in the shape of a circle, and glue down all your star sections to form the star. Make a hole in the centre to feed through more twine, and wrap around each of the sections to make it secure. Once you’re happy, you’ve got your little masterpiece to stand up against any ornaments, or you can add a loop to hang it up. Watch the video here.
Twine-wrapped bottles
Have some spare bottles or jars lying around? Make cute centrepieces or ornaments with craft twines. They can be in neutral and natural or vibrant and bold colours, whatever suits your home’s decor. Lie the bottle or jar on its side, and begin wrapping your twine from the base, glueing down (with a hot glue gun) as you go. Once you’ve fully wrapped the bottles and glued all the twine down, you can either leave them as they are or glue down any decorative details.
You’re in the perfect place for your crafting materials, we have it all at Rope Source. Browse through our extensive range on our website right here, or contact us to enquire or order.
Keep the family entertained with these incredibly easy-to-set-up games for the back garden. Release your competitive spirit and have fun from the comfort of your own home and garden with these simple, classic sports and games.
Obstacle course
Get creative and make your own garden obstacle course. By using everyday household items and simple ropes, you can create a fun obstacle course, whether on grass or concrete. You can cater the difficulty to suit different age groups, and you can mix things up for different days. Get some boxes and crates for kids to jump over. Use tables to crawl under or to move around the legs. Use ropes to create ground lines to hop over or for everyone to limbo. Spare tyres in the garage? You know what to do with them.
Ladder toss
Make your own ladder toss game with wood or PVC pipes, golf balls, and some three-strand nylon ropes or twisted nylon twines. Colour or mark the golf balls for each player, and drill a 3/8” hole through each golf ball. Thread the nylon rope through, tying a knot on each end to secure the golf balls and to make your bolas – your two golf balls on each bola should be about a foot apart.
Give each pole across a colour by painting or adding coloured tape or card, whatever can mark for point indication. As long as you have at least three poles across for the ladder frame, you’re good to go. Stand on the other side of the garden or roughly 15 feet back from the ladder, and toss your bolas onto the rungs. The top rung is worth three points, the middle is worth two, and the bottom rung is worth one point. First to 21 points wins!
Tug of war
Test your strength with a good, old game of tug of war. All you need is rope –
cricket boundary rope is perfect for this game, or you could go for the natural manila rope – coloured tape, and a bit of fighting spirit. Mark the middle of the rope with the coloured tape to work out a centre point, and make sure both teams are holding onto the rope at the same distance from the centre marker. Whether you play one-on-one or with groups on either side (as long as it’s equal), the aim of the game is to successfully pull the majority of the rope to your side.
Football fun
Whether you have football nets already or trees or posts, you can set up your own mini match or football training in the garden. Maybe it’s time for a penalty shoot-out or if your garden is big enough, a mini match. Practise those keepie uppies or header skills. Use cones or household items to make a footy obstacle course to get those dribble skills in, too.
Garden sports day
Eggs and spoons in the kitchen? A few sacks lying around or even some pillowcases? Spare ropes? You’ve got yourself a mini sports day! Don’t forget the three-legged race, and if you don’t have a big garden, you can do laps or a few lengths.
If it’s a hot day, why not try a bucket head challenge. Fill some buckets with water and have people race through an obstacle course whilst carrying a bucket of water on their heads. The winner is whoever still has the most water left in their bucket at the end of the race, and the loser has to have everyone pour their buckets over them!
You can use a duvet or blanket laid out for the long jump. Use rope to act as the jumping spot, placing it a metre in front of the duvet or blanket. Then, step three metres back from the rope, take a run-up, and compete for the longest jump! Don’t forget to mark down the distances.
Paddling pool games
This one is perfect for toddlers and the little ones, but even teenagers and grown ups can have some fun in a paddling pool. You can try the ‘sink or float?’ game where children guess which objects will sink or float in the water. Use a variety of objects for them to experiment with, such as a rubber duck, orange, banana, building blocks etc. Not only is it a fun game, it gets their brain ticking and helps with scientific thinking – you can ask questions and get children to guess why certain objects sink or float to analyse patterns of behaviour.
There’s also the ‘chicken’ game. For this, nominate someone to be the leader, and they then do an action for everyone else to copy. If the children copy the action, they are safe. If they get it wrong, they will get a bucket of water poured onto them as well as a letter to spell out ‘chicken’. When they have collected all the letters to spell out ‘chicken’, they lose. The last player to be knocked out is the winner. And, of course, the word ‘chicken’ can be changed for any other word that will amuse your kids!
Ring toss
By using wooden stakes or bottles, along with rope, you can create your own ring toss game easily. If using bottles, make sure they vary in size, and you may want to fill them with sand or gravel to weigh them down with the caps screwed on. Or, use wooden stakes in the ground, all dotted about with a good distance between them.
You can add coloured tape to symbolise different points – the furthest back will be worth more points. Then, grab the rope – natural ropes work great – and make rings. Use tape, preferably coloured for each player, to bind the rope together to form the ring. If you haven’t got any coloured tape, you can mark them.
You could either play by letting everyone have a turn each, or let each person try to score on every bottle or stake in one go, and then tally up the points to see who wins each round. Best of three, five, ten? It’s up to you.
Tin games
Make use of your tins, recycle them for a back-garden game! Gather rinsed out tins that all vary in size and depth, and place them around the garden. Use golf balls, pom poms, table-top tennis balls or whatever works to toss them into the tins. You can go for bonus points for any consecutive tosses into tins. Or, why not build them up to make a tower and see how many you can knock down with one ball kick.
There are so many simple, fun games you can play and make yourself at home and for the garden! Rope materials can help you form some brilliant, easy games. Contact us today for all your resources. Rope Source is the place to come!
Seems like a silly statement doesn’t it? Actually, it’s not at all. You’d be surprised about how many mistakes are made every day when it comes to laundry. There’s always an efficient method for anything, even your household chores. To impress those around you and to share some wisdom, let’s guide you through how to do your laundry like a pro.
Ways to wash your clothes
Hand wash
It doesn’t have to be just a washing machine to get the job done, especially when we are factoring in different materials and energy costs. Some materials require you to hand wash them, especially if they’re delicate. Next time you see a little stain on your tea towel or clothing, consider giving them a quick wash in the sink using the right soap instead of chucking a small load in and using needless energy.
Make salads and a quick wash
Did you know your salad spinner can help with your laundry too? These kitchen gadgets can help you go greener in more ways than one as they are also ideal for washing delicates: your bras, underwear etc. Just add the items into the strainer and wet them under the tap before adding some detergent and spinning. Leave them for 10 minutes, and then rinse them under the tap to clear the soap.
The trusted washing machine
And, of course, when you’ve separated your clothes into the right piles, the washing machine is super efficient because you can set them to a range of different settings. Always refer to your appliance’s instructions and your clothing labels. New denim jeans may need to be washed completely separately the first few times for any colour runs – and they don’t actually need to be washed as often as you think. Cottons have their own setting, and towels benefit from higher temperatures and no fabric softener. Mostly though, keeping your washing energy setting at 30 or 40 degrees will be absolutely fine for your general everyday clothes depending on how dirty they are.
Protecting clothes in the washing machine
When you’ve brought the laundry basket down, do you just chuck the load in and press the button? There’s things you can do to help protect your clothes once they’re in the drum.
Hook your bras and use a pillowcase: Simply hook any bras before they go in for their wash. This stops them snagging on other clothes, and prevents them from the elastic bending or stretching out of shape. You can also put them in a pillowcase or mesh bag to help them keep their shape as well as to protect them from damage from the rest of the clothes in the load.
Close all your zippers: Prevent snags and tears by making sure all the zippers are zipped up all the way – you don’t want the teeth catching and trapping anything in there.
Unbutton your shirts: If you leave these buttoned-up in the machine you risk the holes being damaged over time and the buttons becoming loose.
Use tea tree oil to kill mould and remove bad smells: Because of the mould and mildew that thrive in damp conditions, clothes can develop musty odours especially if they’re not dried thoroughly. To help with this, why not add a few drops of tea tree oil to the detergent of your next load? Tea tree oil is antibacterial and will kill off any mould and banish bad smells.
Add salt to stop colours fading: By adding a tablespoon of salt to your wash, you will help seal in colours. The chloride in the salt helps to lock in the dyes to the fabrics, so you can keep clothes looking fresh and straight-from-the-shops for as long as possible.
Efficient drying methods
You may have the handy dryer for you to pop in your clothes and be done with, but there are still efficient hacks for you to use in the drying part of your laundry routine – even in the dryer. You don’t have to use the dryer for every load either, especially during the warmer months. Make drying a breeze with these effective methods.
Air drying
When spring and summer come around, your washing line rope will be happy to get some attention! Hanging clothes up to dry in the baking sun is such a great idea – you save on electric and energy bills whilst minimising creasing. And they can be dry in no time, especially your thinner materials. When the temperatures fall outside and the sun goes into hibernation, or the heavens open up, you can still hang your clothes up indoors with a ceiling airer or concertina clothes airer.
Steam dry with ice cubes
Ironing – just another chore to the list. Well, ice cubes can help by giving you an easier alternative to smoothing out creases. Just add a few ice cubes to the creased clothes in your dryer and run it on hot for five minutes, and you’ll have yourself a makeshift steamer.
Use a dry towel to speed up drying
Saving you both time and energy, you can toss in a good-sized dry towel with your wet clothes before starting the dryer for a 15-minute cycle. The towel will absorb moisture from the clothes, reducing the drying time for you! As long as you don’t need that towel right away after the load has dried – you can hang the wet towel up to air dry – this works as a brilliant drying hack.
A greener dry with eco-friendly wool dryer balls
Eco-friendly dryer balls work by cutting the drying time in half, again, saving you on energy bills! They also remove the static, fluff your towels and clothes.
Unshrinking clothes
If your clothes have shrunk in the dryer, there’s a hack for that. Take your smaller-in-size item and soak it in warm water with some standard hair conditioner. Then, spread it out to dry, and stretch it a few times to reshape it back to its original size.
Have an organised system
And finally, with all the hacks to use and washing machine buttons studied, it all works with an efficient and organised system. This mainly applies to larger and busier households. Is there a laundry leader? Or does everyone do their own thing? Do whatever works for the household, but be mindful about saving energy and cutting down on washing tiem. Having people or family members come down to wash a few items on their own can rack up energy bills by having the machine on constantly.
Maybe have closable laundry baskets that are labelled on the landing for everyone to chuck and mix together similar items. And once the basket is full, it’s time for the wash – will whoever sees it’s full take it down or is there a designated laundry head? There will be times people need to have some clothes immediately washed, maybe it’s a uniform they need the next day, but as long as there is a basic system, you can run a better and efficient laundry system. Now you’re a pro.
Whether you’re tying your ropes around posts, creating eye splices, or using ropes for decoration, you’ll need to keep them in tip-top condition. Unfortunately, ropes do tend to lose their strength over time, with all the bends and tying they go through, but there are things you can do to help retain good rope strength; let’s go through them.
Using the right knots
Knots provide brilliant solutions, and there’s a wide variety of applications – from marine and yacht ropes to decking ropes. The problem lies, however, in the bending of the rope. Every time a rope is distorted, or bent around an object or itself, some of the strength is lost. When a rope is bent, some of the fibres on the outside of the curve will have to carry more weight. On top of that, parts of a rope in a knot may be compressed with the fibres not being able to move to share the load. This is why it’s important to use the right knots for certain applications. Here are the main types.
Alpine butterfly: Used for ‘Y’ hangs and for creating eyes in the middle of a rope. Typical retained rope strength with this is 70%.
Figure 8: Used for eyes, stoppers, friction hitch and to join ropes and attach them to objects. Typical retained rope strength with this knot type is 75-80%.
Anchor bend: Used for attaching a carabiner to the working end of a climbing line. Typical retained rope strength with the anchor bend is 80-85%.
Clove hitch: Used for attaching ropes to objects and great for attaching a rigging line to a limb or log being removed from a canopy. It can also be used in closing climbing systems to attach ropes to a climber’s harness before tying the friction hitch. Typical retained rope strength with the clove hitch is 60-65%.
Reef: This knot type is one of the weaker ones and is typically used for joining two ropes together. Typical retained rope strength with the reef ranges from 45-60%.
Sheet bend: Used for joining two ropes together of different sizes. Typical retained rope strength with the sheet bend is 45-60%.
Double fisherman: Used for attaching the working end of a climbing line to a carabiner in place of a splice. Typical retained rope strength with this one is 65-70%.
Round turn and two half hitches: Used for attaching a rope to an object. Typical retained rope strength with this one is 75%.
Bowline: Used for attaching ropes to trees for base anchors in SRS climbing systems or for attaching a rigging line to limbs or logs being lowered from a tree. Typical retained rope strength with the bowline is 70-75%.
Preventing ropes from fraying
Fraying ends are an issue for any type of rope. No matter the use, a rope can lose its strength and shape, suffer from wear and tear, all with the added burden of fraying ends. How do you combat this? You need to determine the rope’s fibre first. Is it a natural hemp rope, or a man-made one, like a polyester mooring rope? This will guide you on how to treat the ends. For instance, if the rope is plastic, burning the ends is a very effective solution for fraying because the melting plastic fibres fuse together, preventing any more strands from coming loose.
Another method to help prevent fraying is to tape the ends. This one particularly suits your natural ropes. Duct or electrical tape can be used to cover rope ends, you just may need several layers to ensure no loose ends escape. Make sure the pieces are wide and flat to be able to fold over the end. Secure them in place by wrapping them around the rest of the rope’s end part.
There’s also the ingenious whipping twine, which comes from a classic sailor’s trick. You simply use it to wrap the ends of your rope, and then create a whipping knot to secure the ends. For added security, you can also melt the twine a little because it’s made from a wax coating; this gives the rope’s ends a hard coating and an effective seal.
Storing the rope
When you’ve taken extra care to prevent your ropes from fraying, and made sure to use the correct knots for specific uses, you should also remember to store your ropes carefully. If you use ropes as part of your job and in a working environment, you can hang them on metal pins, but you need to consider the type of rope, as metal can oxidise and speed up the deterioration of a rope.
Don’t leave them lying around for people to trip over or for them to get damaged. When you’re finished using the rope, make sure to coil it correctly – there is a right way to do this! Avoid coiling a rope over your head and elbow because this can cause excess twist and kinking. Instead, turn the rope as it’s being coiled. You can use a pin rail or an open hand to coil.
Drying ropes
When dealing with your natural ropes, especially manila rope, whenever it gets wet, you must dry it. This is extremely important because of its make-up. The organic hemp will rot if left damp. Just make sure to hang the ropes so the air can circulate. Keep checking them for any signs of rotting and deterioration. When manila ropes get wet, they can give off a distinct odour, so you can also test whether they’re drying by giving them a good sniff.
Rope stress and abrasion
Overstressing your ropes plays a huge part in weakening them. Time, apathy, and poor maintenance can also affect rope strength. A little TLC goes a long way, as well as making sure you’re using the right rope for certain applications. Avoid dragging ropes over rough surfaces and make sure pulleys and sheaves are grooved depending on the rope size, to protect them from abrasion.
Whatever the job or use, our range of ropes is incredibly extensive, covering tons of purposes. Treat them right and make sure you choose the right one for your task. Contact our friendly, knowledgeable team for any help for your rope resources.
We’re so quick to jump out to the shops or browse online when it comes to faulty or worn items, or issues, but there are things we can all do ourselves without having to break the bank. Try out these DIY quick home fixes to surprise yourself on what you can actually do!
Cracked or shabby vases
Forget throwing out a cracked or shabby vase, get creative instead! With natural ropes and a hot glue gun, you can update it in no time, concealing any stains or cracks. Just simply coil the rope around the vase, glueing it down with the hot glue gun, and you’ll have compliments over judgement. If you have a lamp shade looking a bit tired or if it’s been cut, you can do the same.
More storage
By using some leftover planks of wood and rope, you can create some hanging shelves for a rustic storage piece. Sand down your planks, making sure they are all equal in size. Drill holes about 3cm from the edges of the planks, and thread thick rope through the drilled holes, tying knots at the bottom of the bottom shelf. Place the next plank where you want it to sit, then open the rope under it, inserting a dowel or nail through it so that the shelf can rest on it. If the rope is a thin one, you can also rest the plank on a knot in the rope to keep it in place. Attach the hanging ropes to the ceiling using swing hangers. Then, place your items on your shelves for more space.
Securing a loose floorboard
Stepping on a loose floorboard is super annoying. Stop that annoyance with this simple, quick DIY fix. For loose nails, try driving them deeper in with a nail set. If the board is bowed, use stainless steel screws over nails, and cover the heads with wood filler. Before you do this, check for pipes or electric cables underneath! You do not want to hammer or drill into a pipe, especially one that could shoot hot water at you.
Creaky stairs
The next time you hear a creak up the stairs, try sprinkling some talcum powder into the joint of the creaking steps. If it keeps happening, you’ll need to strengthen the joints. You can fit glue blocks between the riser and the tread. Prise away the blocks, and inject wood glue into the joint before refitting the blocks.
DIY coasters
Running low on coasters? Use sisal rope and a hot glue gun to make your own. Simply start by coiling the rope and glueing it in place as you coil it. When you’ve reached the size you want, chop off the end and glue it in place. Just by using a bit of rope, you now have your dinner set complete with a nautical, rustic feel.
Drawer rope handles
Missing some drawer handles? Maybe they’ve fallen or broken off? Cotton rope can be a handy alternative that will last. Simply drill some holes where the handles were and thread thick rope through, tying a knot on the inside of the drawer to keep it in place. Make sure there’s enough length on the outside to grab and tie a knot at the end. Now you can grab and pull your drawers easily without worrying about any knobs coming loose.
If you’re painting a sash window, keep moving the panels whilst the paint dries to prevent sticking. If a sash does get stuck, score the edges with a craft knife, then use a filling knife between the beads and sash – easing from both sides. Grasp the meeting rail, and shake the sash to break the paint seal. If you need to replace a sash window cord, look no further than here at Rope Source, we have all colours to suit.
Rehanging a coat rail
Look out for screws in your coat rails pulling away from the wall. Unscrew the rail to review the fixings, and consider adding another in the middle for more support. If the wall you’re attaching it to is made of bricks that have gone soft or crumbly – making screw holes worn and now too big – use a chisel to fashion a tapered peg from a piece of wood for the screw. Knock the wooden peg into the wall and saw the end off to create a flat surface.
Unless you plan to repaint, put a thin sheet of card underneath the blade and press the blade with your free hand for a straight cut. Mark the centre of the wooden peg, then drill the rail to fix it in place, but don’t fully tighten the screw. Hammer a peg to the other side, then use a spirit level on the top of the rail. When it’s straight, tap a nail into the other peg to hold it in position, then drill your hole and insert the screw. Tighten all the screws up.
Awkward keys
If you’re finding your key is becoming more awkward to work with, then there are easy things you can try. If the key is new, go back to the locksmith for them to take a look at, it may need some fine-tuning. You can also use lubricating spray to ease it in – avoid oils which can attract dirt and could clog up the mechanism. If all else fails, use a locksmith before you replace the key as it could be a simple fix.
Wobbly chairs
You don’t need to go out and buy a brand new chair, instead do a DIY home fix to save a wobbly chair. Instead of levelling chair legs by sawing them down, build up a shorter leg by putting the chair on a flat surface, and sliding an off-cut, flat piece of wood underneath until it is stable. Draw around the chair leg and saw off the circle with a fine-toothed saw. Glue and screw the chair leg to the wood to keep it firmly in place. You can also minimise movement by placing sticky-backed gliders on the bottom of the legs.
Before spending a lot more money, try out your skills for DIY home fixes first. You can train your domestic skills, as well as save some pennies. For any rope, cord, or twine materials, we’ve got you covered here at Rope Source. Contact us today for any length or spool requests.
Chores can be the bane of our lives, but making them more efficient and less harmful to the environment can turn them into motivating tasks. Get the gloves on, turn up the music and follow our tips on how to do common household chores in an eco-friendly and fun way.
Reducing water usage
Install water-efficient appliances around the house if you can and turn the tap off when it isn’t needed. Only use what you need and get into the habit of doing just that. If you have a shower and a bath, mix up your routine every now and then. When bathing, fill up with hot water first below the halfway point, and then add in cold water so you can create the right temperature more efficiently. You may find you need less hot water than your first go.
Green laundering
The most efficient way to do your laundry is to wash with full loads to use less water and energy. But, if you find that you have a small load or just a few tea towels and clothing items that you could do with cleaning and using, don’t forget good old-fashioned handwashing. Wash with cold water first and use low temperatures for the washing machine.
Nowadays, we’re more apt at recycling and some local councils provide households with food caddies and green bins for our food waste. Make sure you’re always on top of the stock of your biodegradable food bin liners and that you’re using them! Food waste is also brilliant for composting, so you can help your garden as well as the environment.
Being more methodical with your car journeys
You may be the household taxi driver, dropping off everybody to their clubs, parties, schools and workplaces. On top of that, you need to do shopping trips and any other errands. Have you thought about your fuel wastage here and carbon footprint? Often, people get a bit complacent and end up heading out a few times in a short space of time to end up covering more mileage when they could have got a few errands done in one trip. Taking the time to plan out your journeys better, thinking about grocery shops and other trips that could be done on that same outing can help you save on fuel and money.
Using the same bags for your groceries
The constant increase in the prices of plastic shopping bags drills into us how important it is to minimise our plastic bag usage, so we mustn’t forget our own reusable shopping bags. You can get bags for life and fashionable or plain shopping bags that you can use time and again. You can even get shopping bags that come in small easy-to-carry-and-store bags. Use a rucksack to help carry loads on your back, and keep those reusable bags in the car ready.
Gardening for green waste
When you need to do the lovely chore of weeding, or clearing up garden waste, remember your green bins. All the green waste collected (which includes compostable food waste) gets transported to a composting facility in the UK, where the compost created gets used in farming, landscaping, horticulture, and as a soil improver.
Eco refills
There are many refillable cleaning products out there now. Many brands are creating pouches or big tubs of cleaning products like washing up liquid and hand wash for you to refill at home. Once the containers or pouches you have used to refill bottles at home are empty, you just simply send them back to the company.
Zero-waste shops
There are brilliant zero-waste shops on the rise, where you can go in and only top up what you need, therefore reducing packaging, whether it’s cereal, pasta, oils, toiletries etc. Some even offer eco-friendly cleaning products, like reusable bamboo towels, biodegradable coconut kitchen scourers, eco cleaning brushes, and biodegradable dishwasher tablets. So, from topping up fridges and cupboards to household cleaning, you can do it all in a significantly more eco-friendly way with zero-waste shops.
Sweep over vacuuming
Stick to sweeping where you can, especially on harder floors. We may turn to the vacuum out of habit, but you’ll be using more energy each time, when you may only need to sweep. Plus, when your household cleaning soundtrack is motivating you, sweeping won’t drown it out like a vacuum will, and a sweeping brush makes a great home concert microphone stand.
There’s also the mechanical carpet sweeper that doesn’t use power, but uses brushrolls to lift dirt – they’re also great for spot cleaning. And if you do use the vacuum, you can get energy-saving models; just remember to empty them out regularly so that they’re always working efficiently. If the vacuum is full or near to, it will have to work harder, using more energy.
Declutter and donate
Next time you’re doing a clear-out, think about donating or even upcycling. Fabrics and clothes work great for arts and crafts or house DIY projects. Decluttering is not only brilliant for the whole household to make more space and to improve organisation, but it works wonders on the mind and can be very therapeutic. Sorting and decluttering can create order in our lives and helps us organise our own minds. And you may be surprised what you find or forget what treasures you had stored away.
Eco-friendly cleaning
With vinegar, water and baking soda, you can get a whole lot of cleaning done without having to stock up constantly on fancy cleaning products, building up plastic in the house. Some examples are with:
Oven cleaning:
Mix a half a cup of baking soda with a little water to make a paste
Apply the paste on the inside of the oven, staying away from heating elements (gloves recommended)
Allow the paste to sit for half a day
Use a damp cloth to clean out the dried paste
Spray some vinegar on any baking soda residue
Wipe the oven clean with a damp rag
Enjoy a sparkly looking oven again!
Cleaning the fridge:
Create a solution of vinegar and water, using equal parts
Empty the fridge’s contents
Removes drawers and shelves
Spray down the fridge with the vinegar-water solution
Let it sit whilst you clean the drawers and shelves
Then, scrub and wipe down the fridge
Before putting back the contents and food items, make sure they are all clean on the outside
Condiments:
Again, using a vinegar and water solution, simply wipe down condiment bottles to erase germs and grub from those greasy hands that have passed them around.
Recycle pet bedding
Double check with your local council and recycling, but in general, pet bedding can go in your green food and garden recycling bins. So that’s hay, straw, chipped wood, sawdust and wood shavings that can all go in the green bin.
Microfibre cloths
Sponges can get the job done, but they often are disposable because of the germs they harbour and plastic deterioration. Paper towels aren’t always effective and you have to go through rolls and rolls. With microfibre cloths, you get high-quality cleaning because of the technology of the fibres designed to pick up and wipe away germs and dirt effectively. They’re also reusable and machine washable, so they’re more hygienic than sponges and retain fewer germs.
Now that you’ve got some inspiration in how to make your household chores more eco-friendly, it’s time to put that playlist on and get started! Then after, why not unwind with some relaxing candles – saving on electricity.
For natural and organic ropes, washing lines, airers, cords and twines for DIY or crafts, we’ve got it all here at Rope Source! Contact us for any more info on our products, or simply browse our site.
