“Eternal” plastic tie is convenient: how to remove the tie for reuse in 3 seconds?

Some will say that looking for a way to remove a plastic tie in order to reuse it is redneck. I strongly disagree. There are different working moments. Clamps tend to end at the most inopportune moment. It happens that you need to pull something right off the edge, urgently, without wasting time searching around the house. An old master who changed our electrical wiring taught me how to open them and use them anew.

Life hack from an old master: open an old tie and reuse it

It is always interesting to watch an old experienced master at work. You can learn a lot of useful life hacks for yourself. This is how I learned that regular disposable clamps can be easily undone.

While replacing the electrical wiring, the technician deftly added cables to the already fixed “knot.” He removed the plastic ties that had been pulled together and immediately put them in place, fastening the wires in the right order.

At first I thought that these were some kind of special clamps. I saw these on the market. They have a protruding tab on the lock that you can press on and pull out the plastic strap without difficulty. Naturally, they cost more. And not by 10 kopecks, but almost 5 times. I haven’t taken them before, and now I won’t do it any more.

I asked the master to show how he removes the plastic ties. Everything turned out to be simpler:

1. You need a regular pin. If you don’t have it, you can take a sewing needle, thin wire, or a folding knife.
2. We insert the pin into the lock, exactly under the plastic strap. There is a tongue there that prevents the strap from moving in the opposite direction.
3. Once the tab is pressed, the plastic ring can be easily separated. You just have to stretch it.

Nothing complicated. Even my 6-year-old son, who uses zip ties as a construction set, can do it.

Second way

There is another way to remove the plastic tie. But I like him much less. Need to:

1. Cut the plastic strap as far as possible from the lock (in front of it).
2. Using tongs or your fingers, pull the section out of the lock.
3. The result will be a short, but quite working clamp.

I've been removing old plastic zip ties and reusing them for years. I strongly recommend doing the same. It takes exactly the same amount of time as cutting through the old clamp and taking a new one. But at the same time, you don’t have to spend money (it saves a pretty penny on the ruble), and there’s less waste. In addition, plastic pollutes the environment. So there is also concern for the environment.