Stop Tossing Your Toilet Paper Tubes And Try These Home And Garden Hacks Instead

According to Statista, the average American uses 141 rolls of toilet paper annually. Add spouses and children into the equation, and the amount per household can quickly grow. Unfortunately, most of the empty rolls wind up in landfills, which are quickly filling up and causing a substantial negative impact on the environment. Even if you do your best to limit most single-use products, toilet paper isn't something most of us can eliminate from our daily lives. With that in mind, if you already use over 100 rolls each year, why not give them a new purpose in your home and garden? Reusing empty toilet paper rolls is a great way to help the environment and save you some money.

It may not seem like there's much you can do with a small tube of cardboard, but you'd be surprised how helpful they can be. Aside from the obvious crafts, there are several hacks or DIYs that can help elevate your home decor, simplify your gardening routine, or help you organize more efficiently. If you save up enough, you can even make some impressive furniture with them. Most of the hacks below are budget-friendly and require supplies you likely already have lying around. Instead of tossing the next empty roll of toilet paper into the bin, set it aside to try one of these functional home and garden projects.

Curtains take up a large portion of your wall space, and when they look their best, they can add a lot to your home's overall look and feel. There are a lot of things to consider before buying curtains, like the color or material type, but hanging them up correctly is equally as important. Even with the best fabrics, sometimes they sag or lose their shape at the top, which can be an eyesore. However, with the help of a few toilet paper tubes, TikTok user @jennifervalentyne shares how you can fill out the top and make your drapes look as polished as the rest of the room.

One benefit of this hack is that additional supplies aren't necessary, though it's easy to customize for a more personalized look. For example, to achieve a tighter fit at the top of your curtains, use a sharp pair of scissors to cut the tubes to your desired length. Start by unscrewing the finials if they're too large for the tube to slide over. Once you've added all of your empty toilet paper rolls, they should be completely hidden by the fabric. However, if you can see some of the cardboard peaking out, paint over it with a color that closely matches your curtains to help them blend in more.

If you have a spare toilet paper tube, then you can implement a desk organization idea that anyone can pull off. While there are plenty of pencil holders and desk organizers available, why not make your own with an item you already have in your house? Not only are you repurposing an item that would typically end up in the trash, but you can also personalize it to complement your office decor. While @girlscraftss uploaded a pretty intricate tutorial on TikTok, there are several ways you can customize it with fewer supplies.

To make the base of the pencil holder, all you'll need is a toilet paper tube, a pair of scissors, craft glue, and a small piece of cardstock. Apply a small layer of glue around the bottom hole and press it into the cardstock. Once it dries, carefully use your scissors to cut the excess paper off. Now, you're ready to start decorating. For a sleek look, peel-and-stick wallpaper is an easy way to transform it. Alternatively, you can paint it or use construction paper to change the color or add a pattern. Add stickers, twine, ribbons, or other materials to match your style.

Gift-wrapping supplies are other single-use items that are typically tossed out once the event is over, and they can quickly add up over the years. TikTok user @pumpkinemily shares how to turn two toilet paper tubes into an adorable box that benefits the environment in two ways at once: recycling an often discarded item and avoiding the purchase of another disposable product. Even if you're not planning on giving loved ones a present soon, you can use the decorative boxes to store household items like rings, paper clips, change, or other small trinkets.

For this project, you'll need two toilet paper tubes, a small piece of cardboard, scissors, glue, and your preferred decorative supplies. Cut two small sections off one toilet paper tube, with one being slightly longer than the other. Next, cut two pieces of cardboard slightly larger than the tube's hole. Glue the circles to one end of each of the biggest pieces of the toilet paper tubes you cut. Then cut your other toilet paper tube lengthwise so it can fit inside the longest tube, and secure it in place with glue. Use the lid as a guide to determine how much excess of the inner tube needs to be cut, and you have a small box with a perfectly fitting lid. To customize it, decorate the box with paint, patterned paper, or your favorite art supplies.

Home decor pieces have the power to take basic rooms and turn them into an expression of your personal style. As tastes evolve or trends change, a lot of knick-knacks eventually end up at the bottom of a landfill. Luckily, creating a welcoming space doesn't have to come at the cost of sustainability. TikToker @westwing shows how to take an empty toilet paper or paper towel roll to make a decorative vase. You can use this budget-friendly DIY to create an easy holiday centerpiece for every celebration rather than add to your store-bought decor collection.

All you'll need is a pair of scissors and a bit of tape to use toilet paper tubes to customize the size and shape. Cut a couple of empty tubes lengthwise and tape them together at the sides for a wider vase, or stack two empty toilet paper rolls on top of one another to add some height. Once you have the shape you want, glue vertical wood dowels to the side for a rustic look. You can apply wood stain or spray paint to switch up the style and make it fit in seamlessly alongside your other decor. Place crumpled paper to the bottom to hold the faux flowers in place, and change the floral to match your style or occasion.

With so many houseplants that add greenery to your home, it can be hard not to want one of everything. While the plants themselves give your space some extra texture and color, the plastic containers they come in can take away from the aesthetic. Even small decorative pots can be pricey, but did you know you can make a stylish alternative yourself? TikTok user @1otsofdots shares a clever DIY that saves you money and makes your plant pots look high-end.

Similar to the vase hack above, the shapes and sizes you can create are nearly limitless. Start by cutting several toilet paper tubes in half lengthwise, adjusting the number to your desired look. Use a hot glue gun to attach the pieces side by side, forming a spherical shape. Finally, connect the first and last pieces to complete the circle. Use an all-purpose filler to cover the cardboard with a small spatula to give it strength and texture. Boncart's White Wood Filler kit comes with everything you need and works well for this project, but any filler material you have will do. Top it off with a coat of spray paint, and you have a chic pot to cover your plant's plastic containers. 

According to a 2009 study conducted by researchers at UCLA, mothers living in cluttered homes seemed to have elevated cortisol levels and, as a result, more stress. Although there is plenty of research that suggests that clutter is tied to stress, an inability to focus, and more, you may already know from experience how distracting it can be. Storing extra items in baskets is a simple home change that can boost your motivation by keeping your home more organized. Baskets can be somewhat expensive, but surprisingly, you can make your own with one simple tool: toilet paper tubes.

TikToker @5minute.decor.official shows a simple technique you can use to weave baskets using pieces of empty toilet paper rolls. To embark on this project, you'll need to save up toilet paper rolls for a while, depending on how large you want your basket to be. Cut each tube into five even strips and interlace them until you have a square. Use one of the corners from the base to continue building onto it. To make the basket shape, Instructables suggests layering the following strips as you usually would, but instead, bend it around the bottom piece to change the direction. Keep combining the pieces vertically, and you should end up with an adorable basket.

Christmas is a magical time of the year, especially if you have kids eagerly counting down the days. Advent calendars are a fun way to build anticipation for the holiday, with an added bonus of a small daily gift. If you love the idea of this tradition but want a budget-friendly option to spread the joy, @olgakurzova on TikTok has the perfect hack for you to try.

This tutorial uses 23 toilet paper tubes, but if you want to make sure your advent calendar has a total of 24, you can bend an extra roll into a star and place it at the top. To get started, you'll also need a hot glue gun, a piece of cardboard for the back, sticky paper (like peel-and-stick wallpaper), scissors, labels, and goodies to fill the slots with. If you're not sure how to label it, Tendfind's Christmas Advent Stickers are the perfect size and come in several styles. To create your own designs, use the tube as a guide to measure circular pieces of white paper, then glue each circle to the front. Now, you have a blank canvas to color or paint each day exactly how you like.

If you're feeling ambitious, you can save up toilet paper rolls over the year and make some pretty impressive things — even a stylish end table. Not only is furniture expensive, but it takes up a lot of space in landfills when tossed out. By using most of the toilet paper rolls you use over the year to create furniture, you're not only reducing a significant amount of waste but also limiting air pollution associated with ordering a similar piece. Even better, the cost of making the table will be significantly less than purchasing it.

You'll need a lot of empty toilet paper rolls to complete this look, but it'll be worth it in the long run. TikToker @thekeyaway uses a large serving plate to make the tabletop, which you can typically find at the thrift store. To make the base, arrange the toilet paper tubes around the plate to get an idea of how you want them to be spaced. Then, you can continue gluing layers, alternating where the spaces are. She uses metallic spray paint, but you could also use textured spray paint to give it more of a stone look. While you probably don't want to set a stack of heavy books on the top, it makes an adorable accent table to showcase photos, trinkets, or other lightweight items.

Dangly earrings may be the perfect touch to complete an outfit, but they don't have quite the same appeal when tangled together at the bottom of your jewelry box. A TikTok hack shared by @vanessamarsot shows how you can make chic earring storage with the help of a toilet paper tube. This easy DIY is great for those with a modest earring collection, though you can always create more if you need more storage.

The hack is simple: all you have to do is paint the toilet paper tube to your liking, and you have the perfect earring holder. When sitting vertically, the top of the tube provides the perfect little shelf to hold your earrings in place. Because the cardboard is lightweight, heavier earrings on one side could cause it to tip. To combat this, you could glue a few painted tubes to a small tray for extra support and storage. Empty toilet paper rolls also have the perfect shape for stacking bracelets, and the tray can keep your rings in one spot. With a few supplies and some creativity, you can keep all your jewelry organized in one area.

While there are numerous DIYs you can use in the home, toilet paper tubes can also solve common gardening challenges. One issue gardeners may face is assuming they'll remember where each of their fruits and vegetables are, only to forget where they're planted. Rather than purchasing a pack of plant labels, @gardeninggrant shared with TikTok how he uses toilet paper tubes to mark the tiny seedlings. By doing so, you'll always know where each plant is located and won't mistake any late bloomers as weeds.

To create the labels, cut a few toilet paper tubes into smaller sections. Use a marker to write the species on each of the pieces of cardboard and space them in your garden soil according to each plant's unique needs. Add a seed to each slot, top with additional soil, and your seedling will pop up through the tube as it grows. Once your seedlings have outgrown their label enclosures, you may need a full-sized toilet paper tube to provide additional support. If you cut an empty toilet paper roll lengthwise, you can wrap it around the stem of a drooping plant for stability.

Toilet paper tubes aren't just useful as labels; they can also help keep pests away from your seedlings. Caterpillars, cutworms, and slugs are among the most common garden pests that love munching on the stems and leaves of your vulnerable plants. While you want to protect your delicate seedlings, the last thing you want to do is spray your vegetables with chemicals. Not only are some pesticides not recommended for use in edible gardens, but they can also be harmful to beneficial insects like pollinators. Luckily, TikToker @homegrownflorida has an eco-friendly hack that will protect your growing plants with an empty toilet paper roll.

To make a protective cage for your seedlings, begin by cutting a toilet paper tube in half. Take one half and gently slide it over your plant, careful not to disturb the fragile stem. Use your fingers to apply even pressure around the edge as you push it into the soil. The cardboard in a toilet paper roll is biodegradable, so it'll naturally disintegrate into the soil. By that time, your plants will likely have sturdier stems and be less prone to snapping under a caterpillar or cutworm bite. That said, keep an eye on the area, and stick another tube half over your plant if needed.