How much toilet paper does your family go through every week? OK, maybe that is a personal question, but it’s pretty safe to assume that every American household has cardboard toilet paper tubes in the trash on a regular basis.
There is no need to throw away all of those handy tubes. Instead, make them useful by trying one or more of these eleven clever toilet paper roll hacks.
1. iPhone Speaker
Need some background music while you do your holiday baking? Try this amazing DIY fix from Odyssey to create your own speakers for your iPhone and amplify the sound. All you need is a toilet paper roll and two tacks, and in just seconds you will have your iPhone standing up straight.
2. Wrapping Paper Holder
Wrapping paper can make a big mess during the holiday season, but it doesn’t have to be that way claims The Cheese Thief. Once you’ve opened a roll of wrapping paper, you can secure it with a toilet paper tube that you cut open lengthwise. Simply slip the cut tube over your wrapping paper roll, so it stays in place and doesn’t unravel.
You can do the same thing with baking mats or anything else that unravels without something holding it in place. It will help you save a lot of space.
3. Seed Starter
You can use empty toilet paper rolls as seed starters for your garden with this simple method from Garden Therapy. Fill them with potting mix and seeds, and once the seeds are big enough, you can put the entire thing in your garden – even the cardboard. Over time, the cardboard will break down and decompose, just be sure to saturate the tube with water first.
4. Vacuum Tool
Having trouble vacuuming your patio door or window tracks? Try slipping a toilet paper roll over the opening of the hose on your vacuum. According to Macgyverisms, you will need to hold it in place, but it will let you give those tracks a deep clean because you can bend and twist the roll.
5. Cord Storage
In this crazy, tech-loving world, we have cords all over the place. So, to keep them neat and organized, wrap them up in an empty cardboard toilet paper roll. You can keep the rolls plain or decorate them with paint, ribbons or washi tape like Our Thrifty Ideas did. And, you can easily label them with a black marker, so you can tell which one is an HDMI cord and which cord will charge your phone.
Don’t just limit yourself to using them for electronics. You can also use the rolls with things like hair dryers and flat irons.
6. Sock Organizer
Is your sock drawer a mess? Creativity Hero suggests all you need to do is empty out the drawer, fill it with empty toilet paper rolls, and then roll up your socks and place a pair into each of the rolls for easy and convenient storage. From now on, you might lose some socks in the dryer, but you will always be able to find them in your drawer.
Trim each roll, so they are shorter than the height of the drawer and apply a drop of hot glue to the sides of the rolls, so they stick together.
7. Fire Starter
If you love to go camping, try making some fire starters with your toilet paper rolls to make starting a campfire a lot easier with this simple idea from One Good Thing by Jillee. Simply collect some lint from your dyer and stuff it inside of an empty roll. Having a few of these on hand during your camping trip will quickly get your fire roaring.
8. Hair Tie Holder
Do you have hair ties scattered all over the house? Or, maybe you are constantly digging for them in the bottom of your purse? Family Handyman has the solution you need. Toilet paper rolls are useful for keeping these hair accessories in one place. Slide your hair ties onto an empty toilet paper roll, then place one in the bathroom drawer and one in your purse so you can easily find your stash when you need one.
9. Hidden Compartment
Have fun with your gift-giving this year by using a toilet paper roll as a hidden compartment with this awesome idea from How Does She. Fill up a mason jar with some candy, and let the recipient think they are getting a snack for Christmas. But, once they open the jar, they will discover a tube filled with cash or a gift card.
10. Cat Toy
I recently became a fur momma thanks to the unexpected arrival of a kitten I named Dale. I might be a little biased, but he is the greatest cat ever, and he loves to play with cardboard boxes. I capitalized on his love of cardboard by making the cheapest, cutest cat toy ever from Catster. Simply cut the ends of a toilet paper roll into a thin fringe, and your kitty will have hours of fun.
11. Crease-Free Pants
If you are having problems with your hangers creasing your pants, all you need is two toilet paper rolls for this easy fix from Family Handyman. Keep your slacks and pants free of wrinkles by slicing two tubes open lengthwise and putting them on the bottom of the hanger.
After taping them closed, hang your pants over the tubes to avoid creasing while they hang in your closet.
Now that you have so many projects to do, start saving those toilet paper rolls.
