Organize Your Tools With This Clever DIY Project That Reuses A Plastic Bottle

Have you heard the alarming rumor that the plastic in your recycling bin will probably end up as trash? There's truth behind it, so why waste your old soda bottle when you can reuse it for something really handy. If you have been bemoaning the state of your tool box or bench but continue to do nothing about it, stop waiting and kill two birds with one stone. Instead of trashing it, repurpose the mouth of the bottle into a wall-mounted holder for handled tools like screwdrivers. Slice it off the top of the bottle, cut away a small portion of its circumference, and screw it to a wall. Cutting away just the right amount of the ring should allow you to press a tool handle against it and push it inside the ring to stay. Save the remainder of the bottles for other genius ways to reuse your plastic containers in the home and garden.

Gather as many drink bottles as you have tools to organize; they should be bottles that had screw-on caps. You'll need some safety goggles and a strong cutting tool to make it through the thick plastic. An angle grinder with a cutting wheel is ideal, but other implements can stand in if you don't have one of those. A rotary tool and saw wheel will do the trick, but a serrated knife you don't use in the kitchen may be all you need (with gloved hands, heating the blade over a flame will speed up the process). Then, grab your drill and some self-drilling wood screws, which should be the right screw for your project if you're attaching this to your wall or work bench.

Ready to transform the way you organize your tools? Grab those bottles and your cutting tool of choice. Don't overlook plastic from things like cleaning supplies or shampoos and liquid soap. For slightly heavier tools or ones with longer handles, it's not a bad idea to make a couple of bottle mouth-tool holders for each one. However, given the flexible nature of the plastic, it's probably better to use this DIY for tools that won't be damaged if they succumb to gravity.

The sweet spot for cutting off the mouth is just below the ridge (if there is one) under the threads that the cap screws onto. This extra-thick ring, along with the raised plastic threads, should help maintain the piece's holding strength. Your first bottle mouth may need to be sacrificial as you experiment with how to remove it, how much of a gap to cut out, and how to screw it onto the vertical surface.

When cutting the gap to fit your tool handles, it's wise to cut away a small amount at first and trim more as needed. Cutting out a section about ⅕ to ¼ of the ring is a conservative start. Test out how well you can press a tool handle into the cutout as you hold the ring. The cut edges should move aside under pressure and slip around the tool or handle. When you attach the ring to the wall, a bit extender may help you drive the screw into the ring without damaging it. Clip your tools into place, and you may never have to fish around the tool box for the Phillips head again.