9 Smart Ways To Reuse Mugs For Useful Storage Solutions Around Your Home

If you are like many folks, you probably have a pretty impressive collection of mugs varying in shapes, sizes, and designs. You may also fall into the common trope of only using one out of the many mugs for your morning Joe, leaving the vast majority of the mugs unused on a regular basis. If you want some creative ways to repurpose coffee mugs around the house, they are highly versatile as a savvy storage solution by providing a safe home and organization for a variety of contents.

Coffee mugs make fantastic storage solutions for all sorts of household items, thanks to the fact that they are stable, durable, and highly portable. You can easily use them in the bathroom for personal care items, in the kitchen for small things like sponges, in the office to hold pens, or in your garage for random hardware. No matter how you choose to use them, coffee mugs are the ultimate open-ended storage solution to your cluttered life.

As simple as this may seem, storing coffee pods in a coffee mug is an intuitive way to stay on top of kitchen organization. Not only will the coffee mug look apropos next to your coffee pod-enable coffee maker, but the self-containing nature of the mug also makes it easy to lift and wipe under when it's time to clean or to stash overnight. 

Keep your Q-tips organized and dry by housing them in their own coffee mug. The helpful handle on the mug will make it easy to grab and you can choose the appropriate size cup to accommodate as many Q-tips as you hope to fit inside. Consider keeping the mug (or mugs) inside a cabinet or drawer to protect the contents from collecting dust or getting wet.

Storing pens in a coffee mug is a no-brainer that is super functional for you, guests, or kids. But that doesn't mean it has to be boring. If you're in the habit of using a variety of colored pens, pencils, or other writing tools, a coffee mug splays them out in an easy-to-grab way, giving you a clear visual of what you have. And you always "theme" cups by sorting different colors, sizes, or styles of pens, markers, and pencils into the fun containers. 

Whether you're hosting a party and need to make drinking straws accessible or simply want more functionality in the kitchen, a coffee mug makes for a great option as their home. No need to lose multiple straws on the ground when you're trying to get one out of the box — instead, keep them all snugly stored in a mug for super easy access whenever you need them. This hack also frees up valuable drawer space, and the mug can be kept on the countertop, or out of sight in a cupboard.

Arts and crafts have a way of getting out of hand; you may find that tools like paintbrushes are a challenge to store or easily go missing without some system in place. Instead of constantly losing them in the bottom of a drawer, a coffee mug provides an ideal home — you can store an impressive number of paintbrushes in a single mug. It's also a great way to bring a little creative charm to your space, and feature that gifted mug that didn't quite work in the kitchen cupboard.

As with Q-tips, you can store cotton balls in a coffee mug to keep them out of the way while also perfectly within reach the next time you're handling any self-care ritual. If you choose a cute mug, the cotton ball storage will be a big improvement over that cheap-looking plastic bag they were sold in. Just remember to keep them away from the splash zone of your sink for best results.

Keep track of extra coins from your car or coat pocket by housing them in large coffee mug. Place your loose change cup wherever you empty your pockets or handbag for the most intuitive implementation, be that your nightstand, bathroom counter, or closet. You might be surprised by how much money a simple mug can help you collect over time; you'll also be grateful for the clutter-free surfaces you've created. Alternatively, you can utilize the clever hack to help keep spare coins out of your washing machine by placing a mug in your laundry room.

Want to make your bathroom cuter by ditching your boring toothbrush holder? Use extra coffee mugs as a super functional way to keep toothbrushes off of the bathroom counter. You can opt to use one collective mug to house all of the toothbrushes, provide one per person, or sort them out between kids and adults. If you use a toothpaste tube, consider keeping it in a mug, too, freeing up a little drawer space. This mini-combo display is also a great way to remind kiddos to brush.

Storing scissors in a mug is a wonderful way to keep tabs on where they are and ensure they are out of reach of very young members of the household. By storing scissors in a coffee mug, you can also avoid inadvertently denting or scratching drawer or cabinet interiors, as their sharp points will be housed safely inside the durable interior of the mug. It also makes for easier grabbing, since the finger holes are right there, and not laying flat in a drawer.