Ever felt frustrated by a stubborn lid or container? You’re not alone! Medicine bottles and other containers can pose challenges, especially for people with limited hand strength or dexterity. Whether you have arthritis, upper limb differences, or simply find traditional containers challenging, this post will cover DIY modifications you can implement to make containers more user-friendly. In this guide, we’ll be using everyday materials like tape, glue, zip ties, and non-slip materials to do the job. Round up your containers and get ready to dive in!
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Assortment of adapted containersBasic Biomechanical Principles for Container Adaptations
When considering DIY adaptations to containers for accessibility, understanding a few basic biomechanical principles is essential. This starts with the user. Analyze their difficulties with the task at hand. Do they lack dexterity to manage small caps? Do their fingers slip off the lid? Are their hands too weak to maintain hold of the container? Then apply the corresponding biomechanical principles listed below in your designs:
Leverage: Leverage offers mechanical advantage for individuals with limited strength or dexterity. Modifications might involve adding extended surfaces or larger grips to enhance leverage, making lids and containers easier to manipulate.
Surface area: Larger surface areas can distribute force more evenly, reducing pressure points and making it easier to maintain a secure grip when twisting or lifting lids and containers.
Friction: Enhance friction by adding materials such as rubber bands, textured grips, or adhesive surfaces to improve grip stability and prevent slipping while manipulating containers.
Ergonomics: Consider ergonomic design principles to make sure containers are comfortable and intuitive to use. This involves taking into account factors such as hand size and shape, joint alignment, typical grasp patterns, and range of motion. It’s important that DIY adaptations minimize awkward or strenuous movements to reduce the risk of strain or injury while accessing containers.
Materials Needed to Modify Containers
Most materials for lid and container modifications are easy to find. Creativity is encouraged too! Our post titled 25 Must-Have Materials for DIY Assistive Technology Projects may spark some ideas. Here’s a list of most of the items features on this post:
Zip ties in various sizes
Shelf liner, Dycem Non-Slip, elastic athletic bands, rubber bands, and other stabilizing materials
Plastic gemstones
Glue: super glue and hot glue sticks
Hot glue gun
Small wooden dowels
Moldable materials like Sugru, Instamorph, or Polly Plastics
A variety of assistive technology friendly tapes like 3M Transpore tape, electric tape, self-fusing silicone tape, double sided hook and loop, and duct tape
Sample of materials for container modifications. Pictured: super glue, glue gun, Sugru packet, rubber bands, self-adhering bandage wrap, zip ties, wooden dowels, binder ring, binder clip, shelf liner, Polly Plastics sheet, Transpore tape, and self fusing silicone tape.Tips To Help with Adapting Containers
Reuse: Instead of recreating container modifications after your medications or product have run out, save the adapted lid or container for reuse! Simply refill the container.
Glue tips: Many of the modifications featured on this post use glue. First, test your glue for adhesion to help you decide between super glue or hot glue. Some projects may require a combination of super glue and hot glue. Be sure to let the glue fully cure before using your container. For super glue, we recommend gel super glue for its thicker consistency which offers more precision and won’t run.
Moldable materials: Unfamiliar with moldable materials? Some are simple to use, while others require expertise and safety precautions. Check out our guide to moldable materials to learn the ins-and-outs of several recommended materials.
Tape Modifications for Containers
Tape is a versatile solution for adapting containers. It can be used to secure add-on parts, add friction with textured tapes, or to create handles. Duct tape, 3M Transpore Tape, electric tape, self fusing silicone tape, and double sided hook and loop tape are a few of our favorites for modifying containers. Our post about Top Tapes for DIY Assistive Technology Projects covers many more ideas!
Try these ideas:
Non-slip tape: Apply non-slip tape such as self-adhering bandage wrap, Dycem tape strips, or self-fusing silicone tape around containers to increase traction, making them easier to open.
Create tape handles and finger loops: Create handles and loops out of duct tape, double sided hook and loop tape, or 3M Transpore tape to open flip-top lids easier.
Wrap it up: Tightly wrap layers of tape around leverage features, like our wood dowel adaptation featured below, for a secure hold.
Tape loop handle to open a toothpaste cap
Wood dowel added to a lid to increase leverage. The dowel was glued to the lid with hot glue, including glue lines alongside the dowel to prevent it from rolling. Lastly, electrical tape was wrapped around everything to keep it secure and free of sharp edges.DIY Zip Tie Solutions for Container Access
Using zip ties is a simple, yet effective way to enhance container access. There are three main ways to use them for container adaptations:
To secure other parts.
To create loops to be used as handles, which increases surface area and enhances leverage.
To enhance the size of small caps and lids for easier manipulation and less risk of dropping them.
Loop handle for a toothpaste cap made out of a zip tie and double sided hook and loop tape.
A zip tie loop was glued to a small makeup primer lid for two purposes: 1. to make the lid easier to remove and 2. to reduce the risk of dropping the lid by increasing it’s overall size.
Zip tie cap modifications for containersNon-Slip Materials For Container Access
Non-slip materials create friction between the hands and the container, reducing the likelihood of slips or spills, especially for individuals with limited hand strength or mobility. Non-skid materials can be cut and wrapped to fit around lids or bottles, allowing for customized adaptations. Try these ideas:
- Rubber bands: Wrap rubber bands around lids and other container parts, adding as many you need.
- Shelf liner material: Cut strips of shelf liner material to desired size, then tape them onto lids or the containers themselves. This enables a soft, textured hold.
- Self-adhering bandage wrap: Wrap layers of self-adhering bandage wrap around container parts. Several layers can provide padding and protect the skin from any sharp edges.
- Self fusing silicone tape: Stretch self-fusing silicone tape around container parts, creating a non-slip grip that is hard and somewhat tacky.
Non-skid materials for container access. Top left to right: 1. self-adhering bandage wrap on a small nasal spray bottle lid. 2. self-fusing silicone tape on a medicine bottle lid. Bottom left to right. 1. Rubber band around a menthol salve lid. 2. Strip of shelf liner taped around a medicine bottle.Increasing Leverage for Flip-Top Lid Access
Flip-top lids are helpful because they remain attached to the container, but they can still pose access challenges. Adding materials to increase leverage may do the trick for some people. Our adaptations featured here include a plastic gemstone added as a tab, a handle made out of tape, the metal part of a binder clip as a tab, and a pre-made hot glue dot (also used as a tab) that was then glued onto a medication cassette lid.
Plastic gemstone glued onto an eyeshadow container for form a lid tab
Medication cassette modifications
Pictured left to right. 1. Binder ring attached to a lip balm lid with electrical tape. 2. Binder ring attached to a small nozzle cap with duct tape.Enhance Lid Access with Moldable Materials
Adapting lids with moldable materials like Sugru, thermoplastic sheets, or thermoplastic beads like Instamorph offers an innovative DIY approach to container accessibility. However, since these materials aren’t commonly used by the general public, our guide to Moldable Materials for DIY Assistive Technology is a great starting place! Heat activated moldable materials require extra skill and safety precautions, while air-dry materials are easy to use right out of the package. Here are a few ideas:
Mold grip enhancements or projections around a lid.
Build up push tabs on child-resistant caps to make them easier for adults with arthritis or finger weakness to open.
Increase surface area on dispensing pumps.
Supplement bottle lid with grip projections made out of melted Instamorph plastic beads. It was secured to the lid with gel super glue.
Child resistant lid for an Advil bottle modified with Sugru. Texture was added to the built-up tab by creating indentations with a butter knife.
More Sugru container adaptations, left to right: 1. textured lid projection for a flip-top lid and 2. increased surface area added to a pump dispenser for a lotion bottle.Summary: Conquering Containers with DIY Adaptations
There you have it! By implementing a few simple adaptations you can use over and over again, accessing containers becomes a manageable part of the day. To ensure success, consider the user first and analyze their difficulties. Then apply the most appropriate biomechanical principles and select the corresponding materials. But don’t be surprised if it takes a little trial and error. You got this!
