Don't Toss Toilet Paper Tubes When You Could Be Using Them Around The House Instead

With only about 30% of the world still using toilet paper, it may not be long before we all finally look toward more sustainable bathroom solutions. Until then, dedicated TP users are left to continually check which brand of toilet paper offers the best bang for the buck and deal with the cardboard tubes at the end of each roll. Thankfully, that aspect is easy to manage. Tubes are biodegradable and recyclable, and the repurposing opportunities are almost limitless. No, you don't always have to spend time and creative effort on upcycling toilet paper tubes into a unique home storage solution and other complicated DIYs. Sometimes, an empty roll needs only minor alterations (if any) to start helping around the house.

Unless you want to get into a detailed craft project, a simple toilet paper roll is easy to reuse for storage or entertainment. You can start with various cable and wire management hacks. Wrap charging cables and other electronics cords up and stuff them into separate toilet paper tubes to keep them organized, preventing tangled wads in the drawer. Label or color code the tubes, and it's easy to find just the cord you need among the pack.

The same hack will also keep items like rolled-up hand towels neatly organized in the kitchen. If you tape two together into a longer roll and flatten it slightly, you can also use them in the next drawer over as knife sleeves or on the bedroom nightstand to hold your glasses. Or, leave it unflattened, and attach this double roll to the inside of a cabinet door to store leftover plastic bags.

If you grab some scissors, you can find even more neat storage hacks to try with your spare toilet paper tubes. Use tubes for storing untidy collections of yarn, for instance, by cutting a short slit at one end. Wrap the yarn around the tube and tuck the end into the slit to hold it in place. Cut a slit from end to end, and you can use your toilet paper tube to maintain paper rolls, like gift wrap. Otherwise, a toilet paper roll can be the secret to wrinkle-free clothes when cut like this. Tape two cut-open tubes together, and put them over your hanger to help prevent creases that form when you hang your slacks.

After solving your storage needs, have some fun with any remaining toilet paper tubes. All it takes is one tube to set up portable entertainment to use when making dinner, doing dishes, folding laundry, or toiling in the workshop. Make a basic speaker stand by cutting a slit lengthwise in the middle of the cardboard tube. Make it just long enough to fit your phone standing up. Insert your phone, and the ends of the tubes will amplify the speakers. Upgrading this a step further, cut a hole in the side of two cups that will snugly fit the ends of the toilet paper tube. Attach the cups, one on each end, so it looks like two speakers pointing toward you with a phone dock in the middle for a surprisingly effective viewing upgrade.