1. The Dental Floss Hacksaw
This hack is now the reason why nylon string dental floss has been replaced with rubber dental loops in many prison commissaries.
Yep, floss is made of nylon which means it can have many uses. From stitching up your wounds to even sewing together your clothing and you can even use floss to cut your food if you're in a pinch or don't want to make a mess with a knife.
The #1 reason why floss was banned in prison was because it was used as a hacksaw. You would have to use toothpaste as an added abrasive, you can cut through metal... eventually. But hey, if you're in prison and have nothing better to do then you have the time on your hands. Turns out MythBusters actually tested this with a robot that they built on set and it took 300 8-hour days to cut through one steel bar.
2. The Instant Screwdriver
Another thing that's hard to get on the inside is a screwdriver but it isn't hard to make your own as long as you have a ballpoint pen and a lighter handy.
Remove everything from the pen and heat the tip of the plastic with a lighter until it gets soft and pliable. Then you can press it on to the head of a screw and let it harden. There you go! Instant screwdriver.
3. The Forever Stamp
In prison, stamps (or "flags" as they are known in prison) are worth some dough. But they are only worth something if they haven't been cancelled by the post office. So, how can one go about un-cancelling a stamp you might ask?
Simply place the stamp face down on the head of a stick of antiperspirant and wait about 24-hours. The ink will either wipe right off or it won't. You got about a 50/50 chance at that one.
4. The magazine Kevlar vest/ fishing rod
That's right! Magazines are a lot more useful than you think. Especially in prision.
Look, prison is a violent place where anything and everything can be made into a weapon, but magazines have the ability to protect you from weapons. For example, National Geographic magazine taped around your torso can serve as a limited protection against knives and other home made puncture devices.
Magazines also make a great fishing rod to help you snag things that are just out of reach. Just rip some pages out, roll them into tubes and you have instant fishing rod.
5. The Eco-Friendly Vermin Trap
Hard to believe, but most older prisons are overrun with vermin. Any dropped food will bring out the ants and any food left on a counter or table will summon the cockroaches. Bugs are everywhere in prison and it's not like inmates have access to bug poison of any sort. What most inmates do is take the lids off of jars and place them under the legs of tables because bugs will do anything for a meal, but they won't swim to do it. Although ants can form a chain across the water so you'll want to make sure the lid is a fairly wide one if it's an ant problem you're faced with.
Read more at Thrillist.com
photo: Big Stock Photography