How to Make Velcro Stick Again

The same stickiness that makes Velcro such a useful invention also means that it easily accumulates lint and other debris that will cause it to lose its grabbing power. Use common household objects to clean out Velcro and restore its stickiness. Make sure to protect your Velcro from lint and other junk as much as you can to keep it clean and sticky.

1 Pull out loose lint and other matter caught in the Velcro with your fingers. Pinch any large pieces of matter that are caught in the Velcro between your fingernails and pull them out. Think of how you would clean out hair from a hairbrush, and do the same for the lint, hair, and other things that are caught in the Velcro.^[1]
- Velcro tabs consist of two parts called a hook and loop fastener system. The rougher side is called the hook, and the softer side is called the loop. The hook is generally the part that collects the debris because this is the part of the Velcro that grabs and sticks.
2 Pick out lint and debris that you can’t reach with your fingers with tweezers. Hold the Velcro steady with a hand. Use a pair of tweezers with your other hand to pluck out pieces of matter that are caught further down in the hooks of the Velcro.^[2]
- Be careful not to grab and pull on the hooks with the tweezers. You might damage them and cause your Velcro to be less sticky.
3 Use a pin or needle if you don’t have tweezers to pull out matter. Slide the pointy end between the rows of hooks and underneath debris, then gently lift up to pull out the matter. Work in the same direction as the rows of hooks are facing on the Velcro.
^[3]
- You can use any small, thin, and needle-like object for this…