The $4 household item that could save your home in a flood

Dale Stevens Lake Conjola’s home was flooded in 2025. Picture: Thomas Lisson A $4 household staple could be the surprising trick that helps keep floodwater out of your home, with scientists finding duct tape can outperform sandbags in an emergency. New research has found the everyday item, already sitting in many kitchen drawers and toolboxes, slashed water leaking through doors by up to 98 per cent during flood testing. Scientists at the University of Hull found common duct tape and specialist sealing tapes were significantly more effective than sandbags at reducing the amount of water pushing through doors during a flood or major rain event. MORE NEWS Named: Suburbs with toxic drinking water ‘Hear next door take a piss’: Tradie’s shock housing truth ‘Deflated’: Gran hit with $42k council tree bill In laboratory testing, flexible synthetic rubber tape reduced water leakage by 99 per cent compared with an unprotected door, while standard duct tape cut leakage by 97 to 98 per cent. Sandbags, by comparison, reduced leakage by about 70 per cent at their most effective. Professor Stuart McLelland, professor of water science, said the findings could offer “immediate benefits” for househ...