This Pool Noodle Hack Will Save You From A Mess When Painting Doors In Your Home

Pool noodles are the unsung hero for tons of home DIY projects. There are all sorts of pool noodle hacks you can use in your backyard, from keeping pool toys organized to even preventing garments from creasing when airdrying on a clothing line. But what about indoors? One clever pool noodle painting hack might have you wondering what genius came up with this trick, and it just involves a pool noodle and scissors. When you paint doors in your home, you don't want anyone to accidentally touch wet paint. And if you're adding multiple layers of paint, it's important to know which doors need a second coat. This is where pool noodles come into play. Simply cut your foam noodles into small 1-inch sections and place them on your door handles. If you see a pool noodle ring, you know the door has wet paint on it. 

If you don't have a pool noodle, you can purchase one for $1.25 at Dollar Tree. Just be sure to select hollow foam noodles for this hack. Once you have all your supplies, you'll need to cut your pool noodles into small sections, one for each door you're repainting. After you paint a door, place a pool noodle ring onto each doorknob. If you want to color code your rings, you can use green pool noodles to showcase doors with one coat of paint and blue pool noodles after your door receives a second coat. This way you're not guessing which doors still need additional paint work. 

When cutting pool noodles, there are several methods that work. Since you're cutting a noodle into 1-inch rings, you can use scissors or a serrated knife. If you're worried about cutting your hands, Amazon sells cut-resistant gloves. A 2-pack costs $10, and you can reuse these gloves for other projects. If your doors have traditional round knobs, you'll need to cut your pool noodle ring across one edge. This slit will allow you to fit the ring over your door handle. For lever-style door knobs, your pool noodles should slide without any additional cuts.

If you're hesitant to put pool noodles over door handles in case they smudge your fresh paint, all you have to do is wait about one hour. After that, latex paint is dry to the touch and you can safely place your pool noodles over the handles. Just keep them thin enough so they don't push against your fresh new paint job as it dries. 

Should you not have pool noodles handy and don't want to purchase them for this project, you can always look on local social media groups. Neighbors may be getting rid of old outdoor items at little to no cost, so keep your eyes open for curb alerts and other methods of gaining quick access to an old pool noodle. If you simply can't get your hands on one, you could also consider tying colored string or yarn around the handles of freshly painted doors as an alert.