1. Keep a glue gun handy for basic repairs. Make a home in your toolbox for a glue gun when performing minor indoor repair jobs. Hot glue works especially well on wood and plastic objects in cool, dry conditions. Whether it’s securing a bit of loose panelling or sticking your child’s toys back together, glue guns create a fairly strong, flexible bond that will serve just about any general adhesive task.

 

You should not try to hold moving parts or heavy, precarious objects together using a glue gun. Big jobs should always be carried out by contractors using the proper tools.

 

2. Try a glue gun for creative crafts. The next time you’re helping your kids with a school project or putting together homemade holiday decorations, reach for the hot glue gun instead of the Elmer’s. It’s better for larger variety of surfaces, goes on cleaner and won’t cause paper to wrinkle and colors to bleed the way some craft glues do. A small dab of hot glue will help your DIY creations hold up longer.

 

It is difficult to remove hot glue once it has set up. Make sure that the measurements, angles and dimensions of your craft project are perfect before gluing it down.

 

3. Make alterations to clothing. Hem an ill-fitting pair of pants with a ring of hot glue, or use it to reattach a button that’s popped off. Unlike many types of bonding materials, hot glue is actually quite successful on fabrics. It will work best, however, on parts of clothing like buttons, zippers and other functional features. Though it might not provide the permanency of stitching or tailoring, gluing will do the trick for small alterations if you have no other alternative.

 

Repeated washings will eventually deteriorate glue that is used on clothing, especially in warm water.

 

Use hot glue to secure patches, rhinestones and other accessories to clothing.

 

4. Use a glue gun on delicate surfaces. Because of its thick, gel-like consistency, hot glue works better for sticking thin, easily damaged surfaces together than more liquid adhesives like paste and even superglue. Watery glues can be difficult to apply, require longer to take effect and have a higher chance of damaging sensitive materials than hot glue. Hot glue is also versatile, and will often hold together temperamental objects that don’t take well to other types of adhesives. Just make sure any delicate parts are aligned before application.

 

Apply a small amount of glue when working with delicate materials to keep from ruining it.

Hot glue works on lace, wicker, paper, cotton and even confectionary items like those used to make candy arrangements and gingerbread houses.