5 Things To Do with Coins

Want to make your money *really* work for you? Here are five clever new household uses for the loose change that’s cluttering up your purses and pockets.

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Canada nickel
Photo: Fat Jackey/ShutterStock

Use Coins to Fluff a Carpet

When you move a sofa, armchair, table or bed, you can’t help noticing the deep ­indentations in your carpet made by the legs. To fluff the carpet up again, simply hold a coin on its edge and scrape it against the flattened pile. If that ­doesn’t pop it back up, hold a steam iron about five centimetres above the affected spot. When the area is damp, try fluffing again with the coin.

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Fresh cut flowers
Photo: iStock

Use Coins to Keep Cut Flowers Fresh

Your posies and other cut flowers will stay fresh longer if you add an old copper penny and a cube of sugar to the water.

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Tire tread close-up
Photo: ShutterStock

Use Coins to Test Tire Tread

Let Her Majesty tell you if it’s time to replace the tires on your car. Insert a five-cent piece into the tread. If you can’t cover the top of the Queen’s head inside the tread, it’s time to head for the tire shop. Check your tires regularly and you might just avoid the danger and inconvenience of a flat tire on a busy road.

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Opening door
Photo: ShutterStock

Use Coins to Hang Doors Perfectly

Next time you hang an entry door, five-and-ten it to ensure proper clearance between the outside of the door and the inside of the frame. When the door is closed, the gap at the top should be the thickness of a nickel, and the gap at the sides should be that of a dime. If you do it properly, you’ll keep the door from ­binding and it won’t let in drafts.

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Canada loonie $1 coin
Photo: Fat Jackey/ShutterStock

Use Coins to Make Instant Measurements

If you need to measure something but you don’t have a ruler or measuring tape handy, just reach into your pocket and pull out a loonie. Knowing that a loonie measures exactly 26.5 millimetres in diameter, you can line them up to measure the length of a small object.

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