Silence A Leaky Faucet In A Pinch With This Clever Dental Floss Hack

A leaky faucet can be an incredible source of annoyance and frustration, especially if you lack the skills required to resolve it without the costly hourly rate of a plumber. These malfunctioning taps are usually the result of worn-out or damaged parts within the assembly of the fixture. With use over time, the frequent flow of water through the faucet can lead to corrosion, mineral buildup, or tired seals and washers. Moreover, high water pressure or improper installation can exacerbate these issues. Evidently, you may notice an increase in your water bill or water damage around your sink. 

All that constant dripping may lead to staining, further deterioration of the faucet, or even structural damage to the sink without addressing the issue. Fortunately, there's a clever dental floss hack that will serve as a temporary fix for the annoying sound until you can have a plumber or handy friend resolve the issue.

It may feel like a bit of a MacGyver move to rely on dental floss to fix a leaking faucet, but it is a practical hack that can temporarily silence the water dripping from your spout. While it won't fix the leaking issue, it will simply quiet the incessant dripping haunting you while you try to sleep. This trick is not a permanent solution, though, and you should look into the problem to prevent damage — after all, there are many reasons why water leaks simply can't be ignored. But this remedy can buy you some time and prevent you from losing your mind to the constant sound of dripping.

Using dental floss to silence your leaky faucet isn't just an ingenious hack that you can pull off by yourself at home. It's also useful during a hotel stay, so it pays to carry a pack of dental floss with you on trips. And you won't need any other items for this temporary remedy. To start, pull a length of floss about 12-14 inches long and cut it with the tool on the container.

Next, you'll want to find the middle of the length of the floss and place it behind the tip of the faucet. Bring the two ends in front and cross them over each other, tucking one end through the loop to make a knot. Then wrap each end around the faucet a few times, leaving enough length that the floss can reach the drain. Tie another knot around the faucet to secure the floss in place and allow the floss to dangle down toward the drain.

Run the faucet and you'll notice that the water will travel down the length of the floss toward the drain. When you turn it off, you should find that the drips no longer plop into the sink but slide down the floss into the drain silently. Voila! You'll now have a quiet, leaking faucet. Just be sure the floss isn't so tight that it damages the fixture and hit the white pages to track down a plumber to fix your leak.