Purification of DNA fragments from acrylamide or agarose gels is a commonly used technique in the molecular biology laboratory. This article describes a rapid, efficient, and inexpensive method of purifying DNA fractions from an agarose gel. The purified DNA is suitable for use in a wide range of applications including ligation using DNA ligase. The procedure uses standard high-melting-temperature agarose and normal TBE electrophoresis buffer. In addition, the protocol does not involve the use of highly toxic organic solvents such as phenol.