Collect all the empty cardboard tubes and rolls you can find, because here are 20 Clever Ways to Organize with Cardboard Tubes, all around your home!

When the pandemic began, one of the first things people in Western countries started hoarding was toilet paper! It was hilarious to see the way people were literally fighting for the last roll of toilet paper on supermarket shelves, and how they were loading their shopping carts!

Everyone says hoarding is bad, but I can think of one good thing to come out of the toilet paper fiasco – lots of toilet paper rolls or cardboard tubes! Now even if you don’t use toilet paper at home, you’re sure to use kitchen paper towels, aluminum foil, cling wrap or parchment paper – all of which end up with cardboard tubes when finished.

Now, why am I focusing so much on those empty rolls?

Because you can use recycle, reuse and upcycle them in all sorts of ways! There are many crafts you can make for yourself and your home, but today we’ll look at 20 genius ways to organize with cardboard tubes, in pretty much every room of your home. There are actually many more ways, but let’s stick to the most common and practical ones for the moment!

20 Clever Ways to Organize with Cardboard Tubes

1. Bracelet and Watch Organizer

When you look at empty toilet paper rolls, you see a pile of bland brown cardboard, but Craft a Doodle Doo takes the trash to treasure concept a level higher! That’s how that plain brown cardboard turns into these gorgeous bangle and watch organizers. Use pretty fabric scraps you have lying around to customize your organizer.

2. Yarn Holders

If you love knitting, crocheting or sewing, Sew Licious Home Decor has the perfect use for cardboard tubes which don’t require any crafting at all! Simply wind your yarn around the cardboard tube and you have a good, sturdy way to store and organize your multiple colored yarns.

3. Jewelry Tray Organizer

We’ve got more ways to organize jewelry with cardboard tubes, thanks to Suzy Cucumber! Simply cut empty toilet rolls into smaller cylinders and paint them. Place them in a lovely trinket tray so they snugly fit and you have a custom made gorgeous jewelry organizer for smaller items like earrings and rings.

4. Gift Wrap Organizer

We often end up with rolls of leftover gift wrapping paper which are difficult to store. Wrapping paper is often thin and crinkles easily. You don’t want to give someone a gift wrapped in soiled, crinkled paper! And you don’t need to, thanks to this idea from The Cheese Thief. You can use the cardboard tubes as they are, or dress them up with pretty paper or washi tape.

5. Cord Organizer

This idea from A House full of Sunshine is probably my favorite in this list of ways to organize with cardboard tubes! We all have piles of cables and wires lying tangled in the dark recesses of our junk drawers. You may even be buying new charging cables or earphones because you don’t know what you have. Fix that by organizing everything this easy way.

6. Collectible Display

If you have kids, you know that they have all kinds of little knick knacks that they may have got with a Happy Meal or inside a Kinder egg. For some reason, these little pieces of plastic are important to them, but they can be a pain when you step on them by mistake! Create a cute little display and keep them safe with this fun DIY unit from Kids have Red Ted Art.

7. Toy Car Storage

I know many kids who have an endless collection of toy cars, whether its from Majorette, Hot Wheels, Matchbox or any other brand. However, these seem to multiply and they also lose their shine and polish when dumped in a box. Use this idea from Bystredziecko to ensure all your little die cast vehicles stay safe and also look good in a custom display!

8. Desk Organizer

There were some amazing recycled desk organizers featured in the cereal box organization post, but this one from Design Improvised is no less than it! The advantage here is that you can have little cubbies to hold different kinds of supplies like crayons, markers, scissors etc. What’s more, kids can paint it and decorate it any which way they like!

9. Jewelry Display Stand

You’ve probably seen jewelry organizers like this online or in stores, but they often cost a pretty penny. Thanks to Blah to Tada, you can now make it at home with cardboard tubes, some soft fabric and basic craft supplies. Use a fabric like felt or velvet for a luxurious feel. Perfect spot to hold your regular use bangles and bracelets!

10. Tablecloth Hanger Organizer

If you hang your tablecloths or other large pieces of home linen, check out this hack from In My Own Style to keep your fabrics wrinkle free. Simply slit open a cardboard tube and place it on a hanger to avoid those sharp creases that would otherwise appear. This also works for garments that crease easily, like linen sarees.

11. Hair Tools Organizer

I’ve always found it a pain to keep my flat iron organized in my dresser drawer – the wire just seems to crawl over everything else! One Good Thing has a solution that is simply genius – this is why they say the best solutions are the simplest! This hack works well for flat irons, curling irons, hair dryers and other tools.

12. Flash Card Holder

I love this idea from Recyclart to hold flash cards or recipe cards. This is perfect for older kids who have many topics to cover before an exam as it segregates everything neatly, especially if you use sticky notes of different colors for different topics. The best part is that because its cardboard, you can easily write on it with a marker or thick pen.

13. Makeup Organizer

If you’re a makeup junkie, you’ll love this project from Handmade Happy Hour! You’ll need a bunch of cardboard tubes for this, and if you have multiple diameters of tubes, even better. You can make your makeup organizer as simple or as luxe as you like, using fabric, patterned paper, washi tape, ribbon, yarn or embellishments to deck it up to match your personality.

14. Ziploc Bag Organizers

If you use ziploc bags a lot for food storage, you may have a hard time keeping them organized and segregated according to size. Nothing more frustrating than messing up your organized drawer while looking for the exact size of bag you need! The Yummy Life shows us how easy it is to fix this problem, with a bunch of cardboard tubes of different sizes. You can paint or wrap the tubes to make them prettier, but they work just as well when they’re bare since you can easily write on them to label the sizes.

15. Baking Mat Holder

Baking mats are very versatile. You can use them to bake, of course, but they’re also great as rolling mats. However, due to their shape and texture, it is difficult to keep them upright, and storing them flat requires a lot of space. If you’re considering putting a rubber band around them, you may worry that it’ll damage the shape which is why you need this easy hack from One Good Thing!

16. String Decorations Holder

For many homes, storing festival decorations after the occasion is a pain. You’re already feeling lazy after all the hustle and bustle of the festivities and the last thing you want to do is take so much time to carefully put them back in their box to prevent it from tangling. Good Housekeeping shows us that you can spare yourself all the trouble by using a cardboard tube to wrap your string lights and fairy lights – no more tangling or damage!

17. Magnetic Pen Holder

If you constantly find yourself hunting for a pen when you want to add something to the grocery list or to calculate some measurements, you’re in luck, because Sow & Dipity has a zero cost solution for you! All you need is a cardboard tube that you can fold at one end and leave the other end open. Attach a magnet and that’s it!

18. Ring Organizer

It looks like cardboard tubes have some special affinity for jewelry – they offer so much organization potential! Blah to Tada comes up with a cute little organization hack that is perfect to not just store your rings safely, they also provide a lovely display for all your trinkets so you can see everything at a single glance!

19. Shelf Labels

If you’ve got lots of shelves and you’d like to keep things categorized, try out this tip from Michele Made Me. The stenciled font on these are lovely, but you can also just write it out in block letters with a marker. You can use it either to categorize the things on the shelves, or also for cute little inspirational quotes or even a message for your loved one!

20. Cardboard Tube Wall Organizer

I bet you never thought plain old cardboard tubes could look so glamorous! You’ll need slightly larger cardboard tubes for this purpose, but try to use different sizes for a more interesting display. Paint them and use them to store anything you like! Check out the complete instructions over at A Kailo Chic Life.

You can check out other posts in the Recycling Series here.

This post is a part of the Blogchatter Half Marathon.