So you have just washed your coat or you’ve taken your nappies out of the wash and they are lovely clean. The problem is that the velcro is clogged with bits and pieces which spoils the look. But, not only that, the dirt stops the velcro from sticking properly.
Velcro can be very annoying and fiddly to clean. Today I have a clever cleaning hack to get your velcro back to its former glory!
The hack for cleaning velcro is to rub it with something dense and pointy. Use a metal pet comb, hard-bristled toothbrush or nail brush or take the rough side of another piece of velcro and rub it until the lint is removed.
What did we do before velcro came along? Shoelaces, buckles, buttons, safety pins and more can all be replaced with velcro! To be quite honest I think the emergence of velcro in our lives, despite being very convenient, has made us a tad lazy?
For example, my kids didn’t learn to tie shoelaces until they approached their teens. They would only choose shoes with velcro for the very reason that they couldn’t be bothered to take the time to tie them.
Velcro made babyhood easier too. All my nappy wraps were fastened with it. No safety pins were needed like in the old days. Velcro made things safer and much more convenient, especially when you had a wriggling baby to deal with!
What makes velcro such an efficient type of fastener are the unique loops and hooks allowing it to reliably adhere, but at the same time easily released.
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The hack for cleaning velcro
Now we all love the convenience of velcro of course. But we don’t love the lint and bits of thread etc. that the sticky side can attract. The soft side can get bunged up with debris too.
The hooked side of the velcro feels rough to the touch and often collects lint and other things such as threads and bits of fibre. The good news is that it’s pretty easy to clean when you know how!
How to clean velcro with a fine-toothed comb
Using a fine-toothed metal comb such as a pet groomer is the number one hack that you will find around the internet for cleaning velcro. I’m putting it above the method I personally use because it is very obviously going to work better than a nail brush because it is stiffer.
You need a tool that is fine, firm and fairly dense. A metal pet groomer, like this one from Amazon, works really well. You could probably find something similar in your local dollar store or pound shop.
- Take the comb.
- Gently rub the comb on the hooked side of the velcro until it comes clean.
Don’t rub too hard otherwise you risk damaging the velcro hooks.
Now if like me, you don’t have a pet grooming brush like the one above, the next best option is a toothbrush or nail brush. It’s what I use and works well too. Read on to find out more.
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How to use a toothbrush or nail brush to clean velcro
I use my nail brush for scrubbing out laundry stains, but it is also useful for other jobs. If you have an old toothbrush or a nail brush to hand then it makes a very good tool for cleaning velcro.
I like to use a nail brush because it has more surface area and it is easier to hold.
Here I have a really grubby section of velcro on my coat.
Here’s what I do to get the velcro cleaned up quickly:
- Take an old toothbrush or nail brush.
- Run the edge across the velcro hooks until the debris is removed.
- Use your fingers to pick out the long threads and clumps of lint.
I find it works best to use the edge of the brush. Hold the brush with the bristles at 90 degrees and push it down the velcro. Don’t rub too hard.
How to use tweezers to clean velcro
Using tweezers to clean your velcro can be a little fiddly but it is probably the safest method because you risk the least amount of damage to the velcro hooks. Once hooks are damaged they won’t stick to the soft side so well.
- Take a pair of tweezers.
- Pick out the debris from the velcro.
How to clean velcro with another piece of velcro
If you don’t have any of the tools mentioned above and you can’t be bothered to use tweezers (I don’t blame you for that), another option is to grab another piece of velcro and use that to clean your dirty velcro.
- Take the hooked side of another piece of velcro.
- Rub it over the dirty velcro until it is clean.
How to clean the soft side of velcro
The hooked side of the velcro is often the bit that collects the most amount of debris, but the looped, soft side sometimes needs cleaning too.
The best way to clean the soft side of the velcro is to use some duct tape.
- Cut off a piece of duct tape.
- Press it on the velcro.
- Peel back the tape.
- Repeat for as many times as necessary.
If you don’t have any duct tape use some ordinary tape or a lint roller.
How to keep velcro clean
If we can take steps to clean velcro clean in the first place then we can save time later, of course. It’s not always possible to protect velcro from getting clogged, but here are some tips for keeping your velcro clean:
- Always fasten velcro when not in use to stop it from sticking onto other items and getting clogged up.
- When you wash the item make sure the velcro is closed up to stop it from catching lint in the wash.