If you visit a serious gardener, you’ll most likely discover old hoses laying around or find pieces and parts used in some creative ways. Below you’ll find some clever ways old garden hoses can "live on" and remain useful long after they are used to water reliably.
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 to support stakes. Or to use the hose instead of rope or twine. Rubber hose is flexible and gives when the wind blows and 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 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 a flower and landscape beds. Hoses can easily be curved and moved around to give you a visual layout and borders before digging and planting.
Bucket Handle Grips – Split a section of old hose and slip it over the wire bail of a bucket… makes carrying the full bucket easier and cushion 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 car-bumper level to corners of the garage door frame to help prevent dings and repairing dented trim. Can also be used for boat docks.
Soaker Hoses – Crimp one end and drill small holes in 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, repeat as many times as you want.
Lifting – Cut and put over 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.
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 rain water can run through freely again.
Play Telephone – Make an old-fashioned play telephone for the kids. Cut a length of hose, attach a funnel to each end with duct tape. Let the kids chat all they want… No texting!
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. Hose expands and hold 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, nail or screw to surface, paint the inside of the petals 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, 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 arms.
Electrical Uses
- For outside electric cords, slit the hose lengthwise, press 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
Extend a Funnel
Protect Patio – Cut into lengths and glue to the bottom of pots to prevent marking patio and to improve drainage.
Driveway & Yard Accents – Paint with glow in dark paint and outline walkways, 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 gutter down into flower bed makes awesome rain chain to save on water bill 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, nail to 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 – My dad used to cut a piece to use for listening to where a noise was coming from on the car & lawn mower engines. Worked great for diagnostics.
Hinges – Cut into 6-inch lengths to use as hinges on greenhouse and cold frames
