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Duct tape fixes all

Tanya's Tales

"Spare the Duct Tape, Spoil the job." - Red Green.

At some point over the holidays, my youngest son acquired a wart on the bottom of his foot and my dad had told me to use duct tape.

I know duct tape is an indispensable item in my father's tool box. I used to watch do-it yourself shows on TV with him. I like to think of my dad as a mash up of television's Red Green, Tim Allen's character Tim Taylor on Home Improvement and Master Carpenter Norm Abram from The New Yankee Workshop and This Old House, mixed in with a little MacGyver.

I sort of giggled at the idea of duct taping my son's foot, however I sliced off a square of duct tape and applied it to the bottom of his foot. Because my seven-year-old moves, the duct tape didn't stay on his foot long.

Still thinking that my dad's advice was silly and his idea of a practical joke, we headed to the pharmacy where we found ourselves standing in front of a mass of wart removal options.

"This one will work, mom. It has a foot on it," he said pointing to one of the many boxes of liquid wart removers.

Feeling a little overwhelmed at the abundance of choices, I called the pharmacist over where she affirmed my dad's advice. Instead of buying a $20 to $40 bottle of liquid salicylic acid, invest in a roll of duct tape and an emery board.

Huh, I have both of those items at home. Thank you pharmacist!

Apparently, duct tape's adhesive qualities remove the contaminated tissue of the wart which can eventually eliminate the virus.

For a while it was used most commonly to hold metal air ducts together, earning the adhesive its second name: duct tape. Soon, people came to find it's an incredibly versatile tool that has been used for anything from the Apollo 13 mission to making prom dresses.

Turns out, the magical stuff can be used for first aid as well.

I bet Johnson & Johnson had no idea their invention would have as many uses as it does when they developed it in 1940.

Duct tape can also prevent blisters from forming, a great tip for avid runners, walkers and hikers. Just by applying duct tape over the irritated spot as smoothly as possible.

It's also a great substitute for a band-aid. If you're nowhere near a first aid kit when someone develops a cut, apply some sterile, absorbent fabric to the wound and then wrap duct tape around the cut to hold the fabric in place.

Duct tape, in a variety of colours, will now be a staple in my home, car and tool box.

My dad was right. Duct tape really can fix anything.