Made to last, rubber hoses have many purposes long after their main purpose is complete. Most people have some kind of hose lying around, or you’ll see them in garbage heaps and alongside yards.
Coiled and shoved into a corner somewhere to be used ‘just in case,’ the garden hose makes for an amazing reusable material.
With the overwhelming surge of people who are into reusing and re-purposing items that normally would find their way into a landfill, it is not surprising that using garden hoses for other projects would be around.
What is surprising is all you can really do with them!
Other than cutting sections to be used as soaker hoses for the garden, have you ever considered making art with different colored hoses?
What about using them as a way to protect your hands from various surfaces? When lifting stuff that’s hard to hold or hurts your hands?
Cutting a section off and then splitting it to cover the handle on a bucket can save you from getting blisters after a long day of hauling dirt or water around.
Protect those young fruit trees from the wires that can cut into the bark while training them to grow tall and straight! Simply cut a section of hose and thread the wire through before attaching it to support stakes.
These are just a few examples of the numerous ways old hoses can be recycled and UP-cycled to make life a little easier around the home and garden.
33 Ways to Reuse Garden Hoses
Make a Drip Sprinkler System
If your old hose has holes in it, drape it over the tops of your potted plants and connect it to the faucet. Drill holes into your hose above the center of your potted plants. Turn on the water to 30% power and water almost all your plants in a few minutes!
Protect Young Or Newly Planted Trees
To cushion and prevent support wires from damaging or cutting into branches and trunks. Cut a piece of hose and thread the support wire or rope through the hose before attaching it to support stakes. Or to use the hose instead of rope or twine. The rubber hose is flexible and gives when the wind blows and does not cut into the sapling’s tender trunk while holding it upright.
Giant Water Level
When building greenhouses we would take a garden hose, attach a 3-foot piece of clear vinyl to each end and fill it with colored water. Since water “seeks” its level this turns a hose into a large water level. Excellent for leveling structures and patios.
Landscaping Tool
Perfect for laying out flowers and landscape beds. Hoses can easily be curved and moved around to give you a visual layout and borders before digging and planting.
Grips Of Bucket Handles
Split a section of an old hose and slip it over the wire bail of a bucket — makes carrying the full bucket easier and cushions your hand.
Earwig Trap
Earwigs love cramped, small, dark places. To attract them, place 6-inch pieces of hose in your garden. Later shake them free and drown them in a bucket of soapy water.
Protect Car Bumpers and Doors
Screw lengths of hose at a car-bumper level to corners of the garage door frame to help prevent dings and repair dented trim. Can also be used for boat docks.
Soaker Hoses
Crimp one end and drill small holes in the hose. Works great along a row of bushes, leave it year round. Drain in winter. Bury just under the soil around plants and fill with water. Keeps plants watered for days.
Tool Hanger
Attach a board to the wall in the garage, make a loop large enough for a shovel handle, screw hose to the board, and repeat as many times as you want.
Lifting
Cut and put over a rope to make lifting a heavy object or container without hurting hands
Blade Protector
Cut the hose to the length of the blade and slit down the side so that it can be slid over the saw blades, hacksaws, and chainsaws as covers. Works great with knife or ice skate blades too.
Swing Protector
Thread the chain of a child’s swing set through it to keep little fingers safe.
Faucet Extension
Bury lengths of linked hose about 4 inches deep underground for an outdoor spigot.
Snake Scare
Scare birds from the garden by creating “snakes.” Cut 1-2 foot long pieces of hose and lay it out like an “S” in your garden.
Un-Clog A Down Spout
Snake a rigid rubber hose up the spout until it reaches the clog, then a few pokes with the hose should dislodge the trapped debris so rainwater can run through freely again.
Play Telephone
Make an old-fashioned play telephone for the kids. Cut a length of hose, and attach a funnel to each end with duct tape.
Curve Sander
A great solution for sanding tight curves like trim or crown molding. Wrap a piece of sandpaper around a length of split hose — start sanding.
Make A Door Stop
Squeeze hose flat, jam under the door. The hose expands and holds the door or gate open.
Drain A Kiddie Pool
Use an old garden hose to siphon and drain a kiddie pool and water the garden at the same time if the water is chlorine-free!
Dog Chew Toys
Sliced up into manageable pieces, they make good chew and tug toys.
Towel Protector
Nail or tie in sections to pool fences to hang up towels, etc.
Garden Art
- Wreath – make into a wreath and decorate with a garden theme ie: old garden gloves, garden tools, etc.
- Flowers – Shape into flowers, nails, or screws to the surface, and paint the inside of the petals in different colors to decorate ugly outside walls with them.
- Basket – Wire together to make a gardening basket!
Cushion For Garden Tools
Cut two eight-inch pieces, split down one side, wrap around a tool handle (hoe, rake, rake head, etc), and secure with a 1.5″ hose clamp on both ends to make a padded grip.
Stop Scratches
Place old hoses around the top of tomato cages made from fence wire to stop getting scratches all over your arms.
Electrical Uses
- For outside electric cords, slit the hose lengthwise, and press the cord into the hose for protection.
- Cover for exterior drop cord — keeps knots out and easier to loop & store
- Conduit for small gauge wire in harsh environments
- Electric fence insulators — To run your electric fence line on the ground for gates the animals (stock) can walk over and not get shocked and it does not ground out
Protect Patio
Cut into lengths and glue to the bottom of flower pots to prevent marking the patio and to improve drainage.
Driveway & Yard Accents
Paint with glow-in-the-dark paint and outline walkways, and driveways, or attach to fence top or place around the yard for cool night looks.
Rain Chain
Braid 2 to 4 other old hoses and string from the gutter down into a flower bed makes an awesome rain chain to save on water bills and watering flowers.
Fire Pit Rainbow
Cut into pieces, place the copper tube inside, throw in a bonfire and watch the color is turned to blue-green purple it’s beautiful.
Note: Although the colors may be beautiful, breathing the burning fumes may also be toxic.
Chair & Seating
Weave hose lengths in a criss-cross pattern in a frame of an old bench or chair for a re-purposed garden seat.
Flower Beds
Run along flower beds, so weedeaters will cut weeds not flowers.
Listen To An Engine
Cut a piece to use for listening to where a noise is coming from on the car & lawn mower engines.
Hinges
Cut into 6-inch lengths to use as hinges on greenhouse and cold frames.
Conclusion
The rubber in garden hoses is durable, easy to repurpose, and readily available.
Find one today, or replace your old hose with a new one. Then reuse your old one in the ways above!
“Always Be Ready” Max