18 Clever Ways To Repurpose Key Hooks Around Your Home & Garden

Key hooks and hook racks come in all manner of designs and aesthetics, from primitive and rustic metal and wood pieces to sleek silver or chrome designs. While they are amazing for holding your keys so they don't get lost, you may not know how handy these small hooks can be for other places and uses in your home. Individually or in rack formation, key hooks can be perfect for valuable storage and organization, as well as for decoration and display. Need a closet organizer or a mug display? These multi-functional small hooks can work wonders.

Many key hooks come already attached to larger racks, be they 2-D wall-mounted versions or small cases designed specifically to hold keys. But you can also purchase the small hooks or pegs alone, many of which just screw into the wall or other wooden surfaces. These loose hooks, along with the racks, can be used in many contexts and allow you to space them as needed. Larger and small racks can often be found in thrift stores, garage sales, and estate sales, and are a great thing to grab to repurpose for many different areas of your home. 

Screw-in key hooks work wonderfully in a number of places in the home, including the kitchen. Drive them into the wall or the bottom of your cabinets to create a space to hang pots and pans, or other essential objects like graters, strainers, and measuring cups. Hanging them up keeps them at the ready and visible, but also frees up cabinet or drawer space in a small kitchen. Create a DIY hanging pot rack wall by adding screw-in hooks to narrow wood planks.

Use key hooks, singly or on a rack, to hold other kitchen implements like ladles, spatulas, whisks, and spoons right near the stove or over your counter. The small hooks keep the pieces in easy reach and eliminate crowded silverware drawers where everything is in a jumble. It's a great approach if your kitchen lacks enough drawers and is a useful alternative to storing them in a crock pot on the counter if space is limited. For more discreet storage, use an over-the-door set of hooks to hang dishwashing brushes and tools on the inside of your cabinet.

Wall-mounted key hooks are very useful for hanging kitchen towels and other linens to keep them dry and fresh. They also make a great display for your novelty tea towels or cute potholders and aprons you may want on display in your kitchen. Allowing used dish towels to dry while hanging eliminates the danger of mold and bacteria growth that can be a problem if you keep them on the counter. If you lack wall space, you can also buy small key hooks that have a magnetic base and stick easily to the side of fridges, stoves, or dishwashers. 

A great use for an unused key hook or peg rack is drying flowers or herbs in small bundles where they'll be as pretty as they are functional. Wrap the stems of your clippings in twine and loop a knot around the hooks to hang. Flowers dry best in well-ventilated spaces, so place your repurposed key rack and dried blooms in an open and arid space for best results. Hang a rack of hooks in your garage or dry them on your porch or patio for a pretty display of your garden's yield. 

If you have a large collection of baseball caps from your favorite teams, why not place them on display? Storing them on the wall will keep them safe from damage or crushing that can happen boxes or drawers. A hat wall is great in a closet, but can also be fun in a kid's room, man cave, or other space to add interest to the walls, especially if you love collecting memorabilia from your favorite team. You can also hang hats individually by using screw-in key hooks driven directly into the wall spaced evenly apart.

Small key hooks also work wonderfully for storing tools and implements you use outside like clippers, hand rakes, and trowels. Screw individual hooks into the studs in your garage to hang garden essentials, or use a rack of them to store many items at once. You can also create cute DIY garden tool storage from bits of salvaged wood, old windows, ladders, and other rustic pieces by simply placing a few small hooks in them. Place your DIY rack on your porch or in a garden shed for easy tool storage. You can also add screw-in hooks for extra storage on your potting bench.

Pet leashes can sometimes be an unruly tangled twist, particularly if you use many leashes or have more than one pet. A great alternative to messy or missing leads is to use a small key hook rack for storage right near the door, which makes grabbing them simple on even your groggiest mornings when taking out the dog. Hang smaller baskets or wicker bags from the hooks to store things like plastic bags, treats, toys, or other things to take with you when you go out. 

If you're one of the many people who always forgets to grab your reusable shopping bags before you get to the store, hanging them in a prominent place as you enter or exit your home may be the solution. Use small individual hooks or a key hook rack to organize your shopping tote collection right where you can see it and easily grab them on the go. A key hook rack also makes a great display for your favorite tote bags if you are a collector looking to show off totes with sayings or creative designs. 

Key hooks and racks serve as an excellent way to store paper or reusable masks during cold and flu season. You're less prone forget them on the way out the door if they are visible, and hanging them up keeps them dry and less likely to collect dust or allergens while you're at home. It also gives you a chance to show off cute mask designs or pretty fabric pieces rather than stashing them hidden in a drawer. Hang your masks right with your keys for a dual purpose rack, or devote a whole rack to mask storage. Create a decorative DIY mask holder with small key hooks and a piece of wood or word art.

If you lack space on counters or cupboards to store your produce, try hanging them in mesh bags from a key hook rack. Storing things like fruit, onions, and potatoes out in the open not only adds rustic European kitchen vibes, but allows you to more easily to assess when you need to restock or use up produce. Keeping fruit out in view also makes you more likely to opt for something healthy when you're feeling snackish. For less visible produce storage, you can also use opaque woven baskets or bags. 

Small hooks are perfect for hanging items in your shower like sponges, washcloths, loofahs, poofs, and brushes. Use a key hook rack in your shower or near your tub to store hanging bath accoutrements. Hanging these items up allows them to dry much faster and gives them less opportunity to collect mold or bacteria right after use. Store your razor using two hooks placed together, or hang dispenser bottles for bath gels, shampoo, and conditioner on your hook rack. If you are placing it on tile, look for hook racks for single hooks or pegs that attach via suction.

Finding a place to stash hair tools can be a challenge, particularly if you lack under-vanity storage. A great solution is to use individual or racks of key hooks as a place to hang up hair dryers, curling irons, and brushes. Hanging them will keep them off the counter and prevent cords from tangling together. Place the rack on the wall in your bathroom or use an over-the-door hook rack inside the cabinet under your sink or in a linen closet, or use metal double hooks to hold hot tools when in use away from surfaces.

With their small hooks, key racks make an excellent place to store hanging jewelry out in the open where you can easily see what you have. It also makes a pretty display of all your favorite pieces above a dresser or vanity. Use upper hooks for shorter objects like bracelets, chokers, or hair accessories, while the lower hooks can hold longer pendants, strings of beads, and chains. For a cute DIY jewelry organizer, take the route of this stylish wooden key holder and use a piece of wood dotted with tiny screw-in hooks or pegs that allow you to customize placement for ideal storage.

Key hooks can be invaluable in a closet, where they are great for storing all manner of smaller objects, including ties, belts, and scarves. For belts, slip the buckle over a rack of mini hooks to hang them on the interior wall of your closet or a door. Use a mix of hooks and shower rings to create perfect storage and display for scarves or wraps. Or place small screw-in key hooks on the wall in your closet or wardrobe room to hang purses, totes, hats, or other accessories where they won't get lost. For a cute belt storage, add several screw-in hooks to the bottom of a vintage wooden hanger. 

Small hooks or pegs can work wonderfully for storing small items where you need them, even if you can't hang them up. Just loop the handles of your favorite small baskets (like these from Amazon) or straw totes on a key rack. Use them to stow away items like pens, notebooks, reading glasses, hair ties, or other quick-grab essentials. This kind of storage also works in a home work space or craft room for stashing often-used supplies up off of work surfaces efficiently where you can easily grab them.

Key hooks can be a great way to store and display your sunglasses collection where you won't forget to grab a pair on the way out the door. It not only makes them easily accessible and hard to miss, but will prevent scratches and damage that can occur if you keep them in your bag or a drawer with other objects. It's an especially great way to store them if you have a stunning visual collection of pairs and want to use them as part of your wall décor in an entryway, closet, or above a vanity or dresser. Or repurpose this genius IKEA basket key rack DIY for glasses instead of keys. 

Small screw-in key hooks can work excellently to help guide hanging or climbing plants, indoors or outdoors, on a wall, the side of your home, or along a fence. Their small size means they will be less visible than other means of fostering plant growth. Just screw them in and drape your plants and vines over them as desired along the surface. You can even place them in a creative configuration like a zig zag or diamond pattern for a stunning wall of greenery or flowers that will stay firmly in place. If you are renting or don't want to place holes in the wall, use small command hooks instead. 

Many key hooks are just the right size for holding mug handles, making them great for displaying and storing your collection. Use a key hook rack to hang mugs above your counter or coffee bar. Make a DIY rack with some hooks and piece of wood for a cute sign or art piece that does double duty as a mug rack. Space small hooks on 1x2-inch slats of wood or paneling and hang them in vertical formation on your wall dotted with hooks to create an entire wall display to show off your coffee and tea cup collection, or use screw in hooks under a narrow shelf.