No matter who you are, what you do, or where you live, one of the more odd things that you have in common with everyone else lies in your kitchen or laundry room. Somewhere in such a location, you have a plastic bag that is filled with yet more bags and a drawer that is stuffed full of rubber bands and bag ties. Whether you were trying to avoid the fee at the grocery store or trying to be more environmentally friendly, but odds are you now have a hardy reusable bag that you never leave home without. Meet Band Joes - infinitely useful silicone bands that will replace your drawer of rubber bands and fasteners.
Band Joes are made from food-grade silicone and can withstand freezing temperatures, endure heat up to 600F, resist deterioration from ultraviolet rays or chemicals, maintain extreme elasticity (ensuring that they will always return to original shape and size without stretching), and they are supremely strong; these Band Joes can take a beating and will not tear or snap.
Professional chefs and home cooks alike love Band Joes for their safe and versatile culinary applications. They can withstand heat nearly three times that of boiling water and are completely safe to bake or roast in the oven. Loose carrots no longer need a zipper bag when they can be safely bound together and dropped into your vegetable drawer. Enhance the flavor of your roasted turkey by placing sprigs of herbs alongside the skin and secure them there with a large Band Joe. Don’t worry about brittleness or cracking in the freezer like rubber bands will, you can safely sort and collectively bind your frozen goods to reduce clutter and mess. You can also consolidate pots and pans, especially your nonstick ones, because the bands prevent contact from metal on the nonstick surface, while reducing the clanking noise as you move the pull-out drawers or lazy Susans. Band Joes are dishwasher safe, so you can save water and time not washing them by hand, and they will alway find a way to squeeze into the dishwasher when no more ceramic or glass dishes can fit.
Band Joes have limitless possibilities for any lifestyle needs, especially so for traveling. Travelers and commuters utilize the bands to keep water bottles from falling out of mesh side pockets of bags, secure laptops from sliding around inside bags with larger compartments while keeping the computer protected by acting as a soft “bumper” for the other items in the bag. Pen loop Band Joes provide a stylish and useful place for keeping your pens or styluses with your tablet or notebook. It also keeps the pages flat by binding the book or notepad closed while you travel, ensuring your work won’t get lost or ruined by crumpled pages during travel.Â
Furthermore, the range of accent colors available add a deliberate touch of personality and purpose to otherwise gray and metallic electronics found in the office. If you like the classic look of black and white, these bands come in those colors as well, accentuating your professional interest for a minimalist aesthetic.Â
If work has you out of the office, if you’re a fan of the outdoors or if you prefer your exercise inside, these silicone bands are exceptionally useful. They can act in lieu of carabiners for your light gear (not for climbing!), serve as grip pads for your water bottles or cushions for dumbbell weights. The bands also come in various lengths and resistances, so you can work out at home easily with them. When you're done working out and you put your dumbbell weights down, they can soften the impact on the floor and keep them from rolling away. The same is true for removable camera lenses if you are a photographer who has many in a carry bag that just never seems protected enough. You can keep your shop organized by combining similar tools together like screwdrivers or wrenches if you use tool boxes or bags. The chemically resistant and washable silicone used in the bands means no job is too messy for them to help you keep everything together.
The smaller sized bands are ideally suited for minimalist everyday carry enthusiasts. Band Joes come sized for money clip and wallet replacements: they fit perfectly around a stack of credit cards or IDs and cash bills. Tourists who prefer using their wallets will still use these to hide emergency funds and passports. Similar sized Band Joes are ideal for securing important boxes and cases, like for eyeglasses or sunglasses. They’re in various shapes and sizes but often the bespoke cases for your expensive pair lose a snap button or the clamshell hinge has worn out, but you can still use the case with a Band Joe that won’t deteriorate from heat or sunlight exposure in your car, nor from the constant stretching. Larger band sizes are ideal for keeping containers and puzzle boxes tight and safe.
The Cross Band style of Band Joes are ideal for storing playing and index cards, notebooks, and jewelry boxes, but also play a helpful role during these uncertain times. You can form a better face fit with either disposable surgical masks or your homemade cloth ones by wrapping the bands over the mask as you wear it, allowing the Band Joe to help form a more secure fit for better protection. The silicone is comfortable to wear as it won’t pull on your hair as you put it on or off, but it also won’t slide off.
The Band Joes have infinite possibilities for your use, but you never know how handy they are until you get a pair. One thing is for sure: you’ll stop saving all those cheap rubber bands you come across in the drawer. Please leave us a comment and let us know how you use them!