Toilet paper rolls are far more useful than we give them credit for. Here are a few practical uses for toilet paper rolls. Next time, try to use some of these ideas before you toss one in the trash.
1. Decorative wall art
Add some decoration to the walls in a totally unexpected way. By cutting the rolls into smaller pieces, you can actually make some really unique designs.
2. Seed starter
Cardboard is awesome for seed starters because the cardboard will degrade and decompose over time. This will allow your plants to grow and blossom.
3. Drying Gloves
Evenly drying wet, snowy gloves is more of an art than a science, and this cardboard tube hack is among the most creative uses for toilet paper rolls we’ve ever seen. Inserting a toilet roll into the glove before setting it on top of a heating vent helps the warm air distribute evenly throughout the interior fabric.
4. Jewelry Holder
Need to tame your jewelry? You can make a stylish jewelry holder from a toilet paper roll in minutes! Materials: Three toilet rolls, fabric, fleece, and ribbon. Directions: Poke a hole through the center of the toilet paper rolls to accommodate the ribbon. Cover each toilet tube with fleece or fabric, and then fasten it to the cardboard with glue. Hang the toilet roll jewelry holder by running a loop of ribbon through the poked holes of the cardboard tubes and tying a knot beneath each roll to secure it in place.
5. Hairband & Bobby Pin Organizer
You may have hundreds of hairbands and bobby pins hiding in your home, but it probably takes you several minutes of scouring your handbag and bathroom drawers to actually find one. This is why this toilet roll hack falls on the “weird, but I get it” end of the spectrum of alternative uses for cardboard tubes. Nonetheless, a toilet paper roll is a perfect circumference to keep your hair ties all in one place.
6. Smartphone Speaker
Certainly, nobody would make this toilet roll speaker sit proudly in their living rooms. But this is the perfect DIY solution for occasions where music would really spice things up, but nobody has a Bluetooth speaker. Materials: toilet paper roll, two plastic cups, and Marvin Gaye’s “Got To Give It Up.”
Directions: Cut a rectangular slot in the center of a toilet roll to accommodate the bottom of your smartphone (where the speaker is located). In each solo cup, cut a hole that is the same diameter as the toilet roll, bridge the cups together with the toilet roll, and then position your phone in place.
7. Gift Containers
These tiny gift containers are among the more adorable uses for toilet paper rolls. They’re easy to make and perfect as table settings or stocking stuffers. Instructions: Flatten a toilet roll before folding in both ends. Carefully place your gift inside, decorate the box, and then secure the ends with a festive piece of ribbon.
8. Cord Cozies
Please, will somebody invent wireless electricity already? It feels like modern life is endlessly entangled with a snarl of smartphone chargers, power cables, and appliance cords — they’re everywhere! It turns out, toilet paper rolls are the ideal size to tame the tyrannical tangles of cords and cables. Simply slip a power charger into the tube and voilà, a DIY toilet roll cord cozy.
9. Bird Feeder
Most backyard birders have several bags of seed lying around that aren’t compatible with their current bird-feeding setup. But this toilet paper roll bird feeder will get those seeds off the ground and into a robin’s tummy in mere minutes! Materials: toilet paper roll, twine, birdseed, and peanut butter.
Directions: Poke two holes into the center of the toilet roll before completely slathering the tube in peanut butter. Roll the toilet paper roll in birdseed until it is completely covered. Hang your toilet roll bird feeder by threading a loop of twine through the poked holes.
10. Vacuum Hard-to-Reach Places
We’re not sure who discovered this genius toilet roll vacuuming hack, but it was probably Einstein or Newton. This project isn’t really about creating an enduring DIY project. Rather, it’s just a quick way to vacuum those areas of your home that just won’t accommodate either your vacuum cleaner or its detachable hose. Method: Secure one end of a toilet paper roll around the end of your vacuum hose, and then scrunch the opposite end of the cardboard tube to fit into a hard-to-reach space.
11. Create storage container for toy cars
Rather than having your child’s toy cars scattered throughout the house, create this nice little toilet paper roll garage. It’s perfect and neat (and cheap!)
12. Build a palace
Hey, those pink brand-name castles can be pricey – and who needs more plastic in the house?
If you’re crafty enough, you can turn the whole thing into a fun activity and be left with a palace fit for a princess.
