Are you looking for a fun kink activity that can be done with a few objects you can pick up at your local big box store? If so, let me teach you how to do a Clothespin Zipper in BDSM.
What is a Clothespin Zipper?
A “Zipper” in kink, is what we call any collection of objects we place onto the body with a method to quickly remove them all in one fell swoop.
Clothespin Zippers are, by far, the most popular. You attach the clothespins like clamps onto the bottom’s skin. Each clamp is fastened to a string. Once the entire line of (connected together, by that string) clothespins is on the body, you can remove all of them in a single “swoop” by tugging that string with a lot of force.
This can be a really intense sensation. If you’ve ever removed a nipple clamp, you know exactly how it feels when the blood starts rushing back into the skin. Now add that to 10 to 30 more clamps, all doing the same thing with a split second’s notice.
Tops love it because it’s a fun change from the usual, and it can be really “showy” to rip them all off at once. It’s also pretty efficient. You aren’t pulling off clamps one by one.
Bottoms love it because it’s a gigantic hit of endorphins, all hitting in the same second. Some bottoms also love the unpredictability of it; it only takes a split second for a Top to grab the string and rip it all off compared to the time it takes to manually remove clothespin clamps.
BDSM zippers can also be done with other materials (like skin staples), but a Clothespin Zipper is, by far, the most accessible and safe option for kinksters to start exploring.
Is a BDSM Clothespin Zipper Dangerous?
Clamping anything onto the skin reduces blood flow. There’s only so long your body can tolerate reduced blood flow before it becomes dangerous; there’s a lot of safety information about “clamping” the skin in my Nipple Clamps article. In general, aim to remove the clothespins within 10 minutes of wear – especially if you’re brand new to clamping.
If you have any blood circulation disorders, speak to your doctor first; you are directly impacting circulation with any clamping play.
The act of “clamping” aside, the biggest danger of a Clothespin zipper is errant clothespins flying off your string. Pulling the string off your body with a large amount of force can cause the clothespins to behave erratically, and you may end up with a clothespin that flies into a lamp (or another person, if you’re at a play party!).
For safety, I recommend both partners close their eyes and look away from the Clothespins for the final moment of removal. This can help protect the eyes – just in case.
What Do I Need for a Clothespin Zipper in BDSM?
Not only is this cheap AF, but it’s also easy AF. There’s a reason this is so popular.
You can buy everything you need at your local big box store. (Great for a pervertibles challenge or traveling light while flying.)
You need:
- Clothespins
- String
- (Optional) A scene plan for how you want to use them
Honestly, that’s it. Some people like to beautify their clamps (by painting or decorating them) which can be extra fun if you have a Little or a craftsy person.
But you honestly just need clothespins and a string.
Especially if you’re new, I recommend sticking to full-sized clothespins. They’re simply easier to handle.
I recommend an average-sized string. You can use anything that can hold up to the pressure of being pulled away from skin. Some materials may be dangerous if they break. Others, like yarn, won’t be dangerous, but they’ll rip under tension, impacting that “big moment” you were trying to make.
Don’t use ribbon or anything extra-thick or extra large. It needs to be able to fit into this slot here:
Twine is cheap AF and my usual go-to. It’s also a bit scratchy, so you can use that drag against your partner’s skin if you’re feeling a bit sadistic. ;)
If you’re going to craft your Clothespin Zipper for BDSM ahead of time, decide how you want to place the clamps. This can help you figure out the spacing when you’re tying together. If you want to encircle a breast in clamps, you probably want to tie all the clamps very closely together. If you’re hoping to line the entire lower body with your Clothespin Zipper, you might want more spacing between the clamps.
Clothespin zippers are easy to craft on-the-fly, but it takes more time. I, personally, would find it scene-disruptive to stop and craft the zipper, so I’d show up to any of my scenes with it already done, but this is entirely a personal preference.
(I could easily see a fun back-and-forth during a scene where a sadistic top asks the bottom for input while crafting the zipper, and consistently “mishears” and adds additional clamps. Or a scene where a semi-bound bottom is told to craft some parts of the Clothespin Zipper and is punished each time they make mistakes.)
How to Do a Clothespin Zipper in BDSM?
Okay, now this is so easy that you’re going to read through my instructions once, and then you’ll pretty much have this ingrained in your brain for life. You ready?
Step 1: Open Up the Clothespin and Place the String
Using one hand, open the first clothespin up fully. Place the string for the clothespin in the center-most hole, closest to the spring in the center and furthest away from the tip of the clamp.
If you don’t know how long you want the Clothespin Zipper to be yet, you can leave the string on its roll, unrolling excess string as you go. You don’t need a pre-cut string.
Accuracy with your placement isn’t a huge deal here. As long as it’s near the center point, it’ll work. Getting it snuggled into that hole just helps it stay in place.
Step 2: Tie a Knot
Once you have that string placed within the clamp, tie a knot on the string in the spot that will be between this clamp and the next clamp.
Tie it tight up against the clothespin if you don’t want the clothespin moving up and down the string. If you want the clothespin to have the freedom to wiggle up and down the string (to find better spots to clamp onto your partner), tie the knot further away from the clothespin. Where you tie the knot is the wiggle room the clamp has to move along the string. See how this clamp can wiggle up and down the string between the two knots?
Your knot needs to be big enough to prevent the knot from disappearing within the clothespin itself. Depending on your string, this might be one knot or two knots on top of each other. My string only needed a single knot.
(For you rope nerds out there, tie any knot you want. It really does not matter.)
(If you pick up the string, this knot is what keeps all of the clothespins from instantly sliding off the string and onto the ground.)
Step 3: Add the Next Clothespin
Honestly, yeah, that’s it. Just rinse and repeat until you’ve added all of them onto your Clothespin Zipper. That’s your traditional Clothespin Zipper.
I, personally, like to leave excess string on both sides of the Clothespin Zipper string in order to grip the zipper at both ends when removing. This helps ensure all of the clamps come off at once because my armspan is only so long. Sometimes, if I only tug on one side, the clamps on the string furthest from my tugging point may not get pulled off properly.
Some kinksters might also start experimenting with additional wraps (of the string/twine) around the center point of the clamp to help keep them in place when tugging off the zipper, but that’s up to you.
Now you’ve learned how to do a Clothespin Zipper in BDSM; go forth and explore and experiment!
