One of Velcro’s few downsides is that it can be incredibly noisy when opened.
The key to finding ways to open Velcro more silently is by understanding what makes it so noisy in the first place. Velcro is referred to as a hook-and-loop fastener.
It consists of two strips of material, one strip is set with a collection of hooks while the other is made up of a number of loops.
When pressed together the strip of hooks then hook into the loops on the other strip.
To unhook the strips is a noisy procedure as the two sides need to be physically ripped apart.
In some situations, this dreaded ripping may need to be muffled or silenced.
For example, if you are in class and you need to open the Velcro of your pencil case you do not want to disturb the rest of the class while your teacher is talking.
Another time you may wish to have silent Velcro is if you are in tactical action and do not want the enemy to hear you opening your Velcroed pocket.
In this article have compiled a few ways in which Velcro can be opened silently or modified to do so:
1. Do It Very Slowly
The first way to open Velcro without much noise is to do it very slowly.
This can be done by using your thumb and index finger to tear apart the Velcro strips carefully.
This method of opening Velcro requires patience and time to perfect.
Here is how you do it:
- Hold the Velcro in your left hand with the top and bottom parts between your thumb and index finger.
- Make sure you have a firm grip on the strip of Velcro. Avoid letting it move around too much.
- Then, insert your right thumbnail into the opening of the Velcro.
- Slowly and carefully push the strips apart and open. Keep your left thumb and index finger in place.
Eventually, you will get through the Velcro. Be sure not to rush the process as it will end rather noisily. Take your time and in a few minutes, you will have your Velcro open with little to no noise at all!
2. Use Tape To Shorten The Hook Side Of The Velcro
The next method of reducing the sound Velcro makes when being opened requires some modification.
A great way to reduce the scratchy sound of opening Velcro is to shorten the hook side of it.
This is done by sectioning parts of the hook side strip off.
To section off parts of the hook side strip, you can wrap some tape around parts of it.
Cut small strips of tape off, long enough to wrap around or cover the width of the Velcro.
Place a few strips over the hook side of the Velcro leaving open hooks between the taped sections.
By taping over part of the Velcro, you are reducing the number of hooks capable of actually hooking.
With a reduced number of hooks, there are fewer that need to be pulled apart, therefore reducing the overall noise created when opening it.
3. Use A Lighter To Shorten The Hook Side Of The Velcro
A much faster and more permanent solution to reducing the sound made when opening Velcro is to shorten the hook side with a lighter.
This method of modification works similarly to taping the hook side of the Velcro.
However, for this method, you use a lighter to burn the hooks and therefore shorten them.
- Firstly, open your Velcro to expose both the hook and loop sides.
- If it is possible, cover or fold the loop side of the strip of Velcro. This strip side needs to be protected from the heat and flame of the lighter as if the hoops are damaged, the Velcro will no longer work.
- Light your lighter and hold it about an inch away from the hook side of the Velcro.
- Slowly move closer to the strip of Velcro to expose the hooks to the flame.
- Quickly but carefully run the flame over the hook side of the Velcro. Do not hold the flame over the hooks for too long as you only want to remove the slightest amount of length off of the hooks.
When using this method, caution should be taken so that you do not burn yourself.
You also need to be cautious when burning the hooks as you do not want to completely destroy them.
By shortening the hooks, you are reducing their hold onto the hoops.
When you pull the Velcro strips apart to open it, they should come apart much easier with far less noise.
The only negative effect of this method is that the short hooks are much more likely to collect dust and debris.
This, however, is not the end of the world.
You can easily clean your Velcro by running an old toothbrush through the hooks.
4. Use Scissors To Shorten The Hook Side Of The Velcro
Like with the previous method, the hooks on the one strip of Velcro can be shortened to reduce the sound it makes when you open it.
To do this, instead of using a lighter and risking the overall integrity of your Velcro, you can shorten the hooks by cutting them.
- Start by opening your Velcro and separating the two sides. With this method, you do not need to cover or protect the loop side of the Velcro.
- Use your scissors to shorten the hooks by trimming them.
Because you are shortening the hooks with this method too, this side of the Velcro is more likely to collect dust and debris.
As previously mentioned, the hooks of your Velcro can be easily cleaned using an old toothbrush.
5. Swap The Velcro For Silent Unidirectional Velcro
A fairly new invention and improvement of Velcro is unidirectional Velcro.
Unidirectional Velcro uses new loop technology that makes for easy and silent opening.
This can be used to replace the original form of Velcro by simply swapping one out for the other.
This is still a fairly new product on the market that has not yet really broken much ground. Nonetheless, you can find it for sale online.
6. Open The Velcro Under Cover Noise
A more unconventional method of opening Velcro is to cover the noise it makes with another noise. Sometimes the only way to do something is to use a distraction.
This is especially relevant when it comes to opening Velcro inconspicuously.
To open Velcro normally, without anybody realizing what you have done, is to cover the noise with another noise.
For example, if you are in class and you want to open the Velcro on your pencil case, you could simply let out a loud cough while quickly ripping open the Velcro as shown in the video below:
Another example would be to slam a door, stomp a foot or even simply let out a shout.
Some battles just cannot be won, but rather call for some kind of a compromise.
Using another noise to cover the annoying sound of opening Velcro may be the only way around the situation.
Despite not being the most convenient method to get the job done inconspicuously, this method works all the same!
Final Thoughts
Velcro can be an incredibly noisy material to open due to the pulling apart of its two sides.
In some situations, we may need to open Velcro silently so that it does not draw the attention of others or distract from a certain situation.
Thankfully, it is in fact possible to open Velcro without too much noise or in some cases, no noise at all.
Some solutions are as simple as opening the Velcro slowly in order to reduce the noise factor.
Other solutions require some simple modifications to the Velcro.
Either way, you are bound to end up with a much quieter method of tearing apart your Velcro sealed items.
Sometimes we have to realize that Velcro may be noisy no matter what we do and the best way to get around opening it without anybody noticing it is to cover up the sound with another noise!
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