Plastic tubing comes in handy for numerous projects, from a custom water fountain for your backyard to an intricate craft project. These inexpensive clear tubes come wrapped in coils when you purchase them from the store, but you often need the tubing to be straightened before you use it in your project. Simply holding the tubing out straight won't do it; you need to apply heat for the plastic to soften enough to change its shape.
Fill a heavy-duty pot with water and place it on a stove burner. Immerse the coiled tubing into the water. Turn the burner on high to allow the water to boil.
Boil the tubing in the water for five to 10 minutes. The heat will soften the tubing, allowing you to reshape it into a long, straight line.
Spread out a line of towels on your table or counter top. Make the line of towels as long as your tubing. Overlap the ends of the towels a bit to create a continuous line.
Use the tongs to remove the tubing from the boiling water. Lay the tubing onto the line of towels and spread it out to its full length. Roll the tubing up in the towel to keep it straight while the line cools.