Transform Your Toilet Plunger To Use Around The House With These Creative DIYs
A toilet plunger probably isn't the first thing that comes to mind when it comes to DIY home decor project supplies. It's hard to picture something so utilitarian and specific anywhere besides the bathroom or a supply closet. Plus, it may be hard to shake the image of a plunger in its original context of gross plumbing issues. But, with sturdy wooden handles and versatile rubber components, plungers like this one from Dollar Tree can provide quality crafting materials for a fraction of the price of similar supplies from your local hardware store.
Savvy DIYers are transforming these humble tools into ingenious decorative items. And, they're disguising the familiar plunger shape for just a few dollars per craft. Whether you're converting a gently used, properly cleaned toilet plunger you have at home or gathering new ones for crafting at a discount, you'll never guess how beautiful these declogging tools can actually be!
Create a decorative candle holder
YouTuber @diydesignsbybonnie makes a classy candle holder from a Dollar Tree plunger in this surprising DIY. They unscrew the plunger's wooden handle, then take a plastic jar lid and hot glue it to the rubber plunger. They glue their candle holder to the end of the handle and attach it to the jar lid. After spraying everything with golden paint, they mount the new candle holder to the wall and place their faux candle for ambient mood lighting.
This DIYer elevates the look of the candle holder with a strip of leather and some tacks to simulate a bracket, but if you don't have those materials on hand, you could easily skip that extra step. Since this plunger candlestick is much lighter than the heavy brass candle holders it mimics, mounting it with command strips or removable putty rather than drilling into the wall is also an option.
Craft a Halloween broom decoration
TikTok user @agirlandagluegun creates a festive fall decoration with another Dollar Tree plunger DIY. They spray-paint the plunger handle gray-brown and hot-glue raffia to the rubber. They neaten up the appearance of their broom by tying more raffia strands to the base of the handle, then glue Halloween signs and decorations to the top to create a standing witch's broom.
It's easy to swap out embellishments with this project using any Halloween decor you have on hand. From candy corn to bat wings, the possibilities for customizing this spooky plunger broom are endless. If you can't get enough of Dollar Tree DIYs for the Halloween season, try adding a cute Halloween ghost DIY to your collection alongside this witch's broom.
Make a wall hanging
TikToker @lizfenwickdiy shows us how to maximize the natural wood plunger handle in a clean and simple wall hanging. They first cut the ridged end of the handle off with a power saw, then wrapped a long strand of yarn around each end of the dowel to create a hanger. They tied evenly spaced bunches of yarn around the dowel and cinched each bundle with clear rubber bands to create a triangle pattern. Then, they cut all of their yarn bundles to a uniform length as a finishing touch.
You could eliminate the power tools in this DIY by using a miter box and saw to trim the handle down to size. You could also learn a few macrame knot techniques on YouTube and use them to mix up the pattern of the yarn. Or, spice up this simple hanging by using different colors of yarn to match your home decor, or vary the placement of the rubber bands to create new shapes to suit your fancy.
Elevate your hosting with plunger centerpieces
Hosting an event can be a tight strain on a budget. But with these plunger centerpieces from TikTok user @dreampartydesigners, you can decorate for a fraction of the price. Leaving the plunger intact, the creative crafter blows up small balloons and attaches them to the top and bottom of the plunger. They add a ribbon and a small teddy bear to the exposed wood towards the middle of the handle and repeat for each table of their event. As long as you use something to hide the rubber bases, your guests will never suspect that these cute decorations are made from toilet plungers. Faux flowers, paper fan decorations, or even holiday bulb ornaments could all replace the balloons to suit your specific event.
Add faux foliage to your home
YouTube account Maria's decor and DIY illustrates how a toilet plunger can become a sturdy base for a faux tree in this simple DIY. They hot-glue bunches of faux maple leaves near the end of the plunger handle. Then, they wrap the handle tightly with jute twine to simulate tree bark, adding hot glue as needed. Finally, they glue the plunger base to a basket and add river rocks to stabilize the plunger tree. If your tree base is heavy enough, for instance, if you use a ceramic pot rather than a basket, you could substitute faux moss for river rocks without losing stability. Try using faux cherry blossoms for a spring version of this autumn DIY, or use a neutral green leaf for a versatile year-round version.
Make a decorative toilet paper holder
YouTube user Kelly Barlow Creations brings toilet plungers back to the bathroom with this DIY, but not in the way you might expect. They wrap both the plunger handle and base in nautical rope and hot glue as they go. They further disguise the plunger by attaching faux flower bunches to the base, then glue additional rope to act as a stopper for toilet paper rolls. This DIY would be perfect for a bathroom where it's impossible to hang a toilet paper holder on the wall. We suggest using an empty toilet paper roll to help size your nautical rope. If the rope is on the chunky side, it may impede your ability to stack the toilet paper once it's glued in place.
Decorate with hanging plunger ornaments
YouTube account Home Artly begins their DIY by disassembling their plungers and painting the rubber portions a neutral beige. Then, they hot-glue nautical rope to the rubber bases so they're tightly wrapped. After threading a clear string through the hole and tying a knot to create a hanger, they hot glue two of the wrapped pieces together, disguising the seams with more rope. Finally, they hang the ornaments from the ceiling with command hooks for an ethereal, floating display. For a quicker version, skip the painting step and glue the rope directly to the rubber, wrapping carefully to conceal the plunger heads. If you don't plan to hang your plunger ornaments from the ceiling, you could even use the plungers' wooden handles to fashion a wall hanger instead.
Craft a decorative ladder
Decorative ladders can be multifunctional accents to your living space, whether you're repurposing an old ladder or adding a blanket ladder as functional art. YouTube user Bargain Bethany crafts their own decorative ladder with four wooden rulers and eight toilet plunger handles. First, they use wood glue to attach four plunger handles to each other, creating two sides for the ladder. With hot glue and nautical rope, they conceal the places where the handles meet. Then, they place the rulers with wood glue to make rungs. Once everything is dried and secure, they add decorative elements such as signage, baskets, and wreaths to each rung with command strips.
With no power tools needed, this versatile DIY could display blankets, hanging photos, or light plant pots in an elegant and surprising way. Make one the perfect height for your space by adding or subtracting plunger handles and rulers. Or, wrap the entire thing in the rope for a more textural element.