Keep Your Tablecloth In Place On Breezy Days With This Useful Hack

Eating lunch or dinner outside when the weather is lovely is a great choice when you have guests, leftovers, or just want to relax in the fresh air. If you are lucky enough to have a patio or porch, clean your outdoor furniture until it sparkles, add a tablecloth, and switch on the music to amp up the vibe while prepping. Once you've brought out the potato salad, fired up the barbecue, and distributed lemonade to everyone, it's time for lunch. Then, when the wind kicks in, your tablecloth starts whipping around like a sail. We like the super useful hack of using tarp clips and tiny bungee cords to keep the cloth secure and spread out evenly on the table.

Some folks buy little clips to clamp them onto the side of an outdoor table to keep the tablecloth from flapping around too much. Unfortunately, once you get those home, you might find they don't open wide enough to grasp the table and don't fit. Some are low-quality plastic and snap the minute a hummingbird flies past. Tarp clips are a more reliable solution.

Here are some tarp clips from COCOMK, though there are many brands to choose from. They're made to secure things like tarps, banners, signs, fabrics, and other materials prone to fly away if not tied down properly. There are also a bunch of bungee cord brands, including this multi-pack from ZEXON. The magic happens when you combine these two tools, hooking them together beneath your table, preferably in two spots. For best results, you'll need a tablecloth with a sufficient amount of overhanging material; about 6 to 10 inches all around should do it.

If you visually divide your table into thirds, one-third of the way in from the table's edge, attach a tarp clip to the hem of the tablecloth, then secure the clip by pushing the latch forward. Hook one end of the bungee through the clip. Set up the same rig in the exact same spot on the opposite side of the table and pull the two rigs to meet in the center, hooking the two cords together. Or you might be able to use one cord, hooking the ends into the two clips. Replicate the same setup one-third of the way in from the other end of the table. Now that you've got your patio tablecloth handled, for a smooth, uninterrupted lunch, keep your patio rug from blowing away, too, by anchoring it under some practical decor elements. That's all you have to do; breezes don't stand a chance!