Whether you’re changing the battery on your child’s toy, or whether you’re embarking on a DIY project around the house, at some point you’ll run into a stripped screw.
Here is a super-easy way to remove a stripped screw. So easy, anyone can do it, and no particular level of strength is needed, nor any special supplies.
- Just get a rubber band – the flat wide type – and cut off a piece about half an inch long.
- Place that small flat piece of rubber band on top of the screw head.
- Place your screwdriver on top of the rubber band (yes you won’t see where the screw lines are, that’s OK).
- Now unscrew as normal. I’ve tried this many times and it’s always worked.
Why does it work? It’s because that flat bit of rubber placed in between the screw and the screwdriver gives somewhere for the screwdriver to grip strongly. I’ve always had success with this.
So, don’t throw away those wide flat rubber bands that come on your bunches of celery or which hold your newspaper together! Save them for when you have a stripped screw: you’ll be glad you did.