It’s pretty annoying when screws repeatedly come loose in the same places around the house, but there is an easy solution. Here are 13 places where you may be dealing with loose screws over and over. And no, these are NOT your in-laws. 😉
This post is sponsored by DAP- check out all of these super simple and practical, every day solutions for loose screws by using their Thread Stopper and Thread Locker products!
#13: Outdoor Furniture
The nuts, bolts, and screws on outdoor furniture (like Adirondack chairs, porch swings, patio furniture, etc.) tend to come loose over time; especially as they’re bearing our weight. It’s a good idea to check them every so often to make sure they’re secure.
You can apply a product like Thread Stopper Tape- you just wrap around the threads, which will hold the fastener in a lot stronger, and much longer!
#12: RV, Camper, Trailer Fasteners
Pretty much everything on a camper or trailer is bound to come loose over time due to traveling and vibrations on the road. You may remember our $500 camper trailer that we’re in the process of renovating. There are lot of loose items on that, since it’s quite old and run down. Thread Stopper to the rescue!
#11: Firearm Scopes
Here on this air rifle, there’s a scope that’s mounted on there. The last thing you want is for your scope to have to be constantly adjusted, tightened, or secured, because it’s shaking loose with use over time.
Screws that are treated with Threadstopper Tape can be unthreaded and re-threaded up to THREE TIMES and still have the same effectiveness, so you can adjust this later on if needed.
#10: Glasses and Sunglasses
You’ve probably dealt with loose arms or nose pieces on your glasses or sunglasses. Sometimes the screws come loose just because they get used so much.
A little bit of Thread Stopper or Thread Locker can help to hold things in place, or add some rigidity where there used to be some.
#9: Bicycle Parts
Pretty much every part of a bicycle is in motion when it’s being used. In this case, this water bottle mount has been shaken loose from being jostled around. It’s a super easy fix by wrapping some Thread Stopper tape around the screw, thread it back in, and it will hold on nice and secure through all the vibrations on bumps in the road.
It’s a good idea with bicycles to check out your derailleurs, gear systems, seats, and anything else that is likely to move over time.
#8: Yard Tools
It’s a good idea to check your string trimmers, leaf blowers, snow blowers, lawn mowers, or anything else that ends in “owers”.
This lawn mower has some pretty loose fasteners that hold the handle in place, so as I’m mowing it rattles, moves up and down, and doesn’t stay tight even after I tighten it. A little Thread Stopper tape on there should hold it in place for many mows to come.
You can also check the lawn mower blade underneath, because those tend to come loose as well. A little Thread Stopper or Thread Locker will help prevent that.
#7: Vehicles
Make sure you’re listening for any rattles in your car. Your car is also your safety, so this is important! In our case, this is more of an annoyance- those license plate screws that always seem to come loose.
This is a truck we’ve had for less than a year, and the license plates are already rattling loose. Some Thread Stopper will make it so that stays nice and secure for a long time to come.
#6: Faucet Handles
This applies to kitchen and bathroom sinks, as well as showers and baths.
Almost all of these leverage a set screw. Set screws do come loose over time, so some Thread Locker or Thread Stopper will help that stay in place for many uses.
For smaller screws like this, liquid Thread Stopper is ideal. Liquid Thread Stopper can be reused (re-threaded in) up to 5 times!
#5: Doorknobs
Doorknobs get used all the time, so of course they’re bound to come loose at some point.
It’s an easy fix- most doorknobs have 2 long screws that connect one side to the other. Remove those, treat them with some Thread Stopper, and put them back in.
#4 Door Hinges
This applies to both full size doors as well as cabinet doors.
The wood that holds the screws in place sometimes become totally stripped and the screw has nothing to hold onto, so it just spins in place. This is another situation where applying Thread Stopper, especially applying it liberally in this case, can really make a difference by securing things in place.
Where Thread Locker is designed for metal to metal applications only, Thread Stopper can be used with wood applications like this. Be sure to use it liberally to add some bulk to the screw, and it should tighten up nicely.
#3: Indoor Furniture
Chairs, bed frames, stools, etc. are all supporting our body weight and can have screws that come loose. In our case, these stools for our kitchen bar come loose all the time, but they’re also getting used all the time. Every few months we’re having to tighten these screws, so some Thread Stopper should help slow that down for us.
Same story with the chairs for our kitchen table…
#2: Cabinet Hardware
Cabinet hardware comes loose ALL THE TIME. Drawers, cabinet doors, you name it, those handles and pulls just love to come loose.
This is typically a metal-to-metal situation, since the screw is threading into the metal hardware. So if you want to use a Thread Locker on that, it will work great. You can also use a Thread Stopper.
#1: Toilet Seats
Everyone has loose toilet seats. It’s pretty annoying to slide around on the toilet when you’re trying to do your business.
What the Thread Stopper tape does in this instance is absorb a lot of the impact that happens when there’s movement. It will help keep everything in place, so it’s much less likely to come loose over time.
Other Uses:
Anything in your house that moves can come loose. Some other examples are treadmills, fans, or 3D printers. Moving parts usually means loose screws at some point. Thread Locker or Thread Stopper will help with all of these!
Check out the video here!