The Cheap And Creative Way To Store Paper Towels In Your Pantry

You can never have too many paper towels. These industrious little guys are always there to mop up spills, wipe down counters, and clean sticky fingers. They can also be used as emergency coffee filters and have other uses. However, their cylindrical shape and size make them tricky to store in bulk. One TikToker shared a cheap and creative way to store paper towels: Create a dedicated home for them that makes use of the redundant vertical space at the very top of your pantry, using nothing but a pair of tension rods.

The best bit about his hack? You won't need anything else apart from two metal or plastic tension rods that you can pick up cheaply from a hardware or homeware store. These spring-loaded bars are designed to hang light window treatments or shower curtains without damaging the walls. As the rods are expanded, the outward force from the springs inside pushes at the ends, firmly wedging them between two walls. There's no drilling involved, which makes them super easy to install and perfect for rented properties where making holes in the walls isn't permitted. Usually, tension rods are hung horizontally, but you're going to use them vertically between the top shelf in your pantry and the ceiling to create a neat little storage area for several rolls of paper towels. Some might say there's no need for paper towels in the kitchen anymore, as you can use washable rags instead, but keeping a stash is useful for quick clean-up emergencies.

Lay one kitchen roll down on the uppermost shelf so it sits flush against the side wall. Then take one tension rod and place it beside the kitchen roll (about a third of the way along its length) and twist it open until it reaches the ceiling. Repeat this with the second rod (another third of the way along the roll) until you have two vertical rods running parallel to each other with a small gap between. Next, stack more paper towels on top of the first one, all the way up to the ceiling. When you need a roll of paper towels, you should be able to pull out the roll at the very bottom of your stack (the others should slip down easily, taking the previous roll's place). The beauty of this creative storage solution is that you can fit several rolls into a small space that would otherwise be left unused. Of course, you can fit your tension rods between two lower shelves (or between the floor and a shelf), so you don't have to stretch up to retrieve one.

@thedowntownaly

By far, my favorite favorite hack! Direct Links in bio! #pantry #hacksandtips #lifehacks

♬ original sound – Aly McDaniel

If you don't have a pantry, another cheap DIY that makes paper towel storage a breeze is to fit a pair of bungee cords inside a cabinet door to create a little sling. You will need to install some hooks, but you will be able to store several standard paper towel rolls on a single door.