Keep Your Wrapping Paper Organized With This Genius Toilet Paper Roll Storage Hack

Don't throw away your used toilet paper rolls! Those little tubes of cardboard have a ton of different uses and really come in handy more often than you might realize. From pen and marker desktop organization to clever, tiny gift boxes in a pinch, the cardboard tubes that toilet paper comes wrapped around are versatile tools for crafts and storage. As the holiday season rolls around — or really, any time when gifting is involved — you may find yourself reaching for these tubes to keep your wrapping paper in line. Toilet paper tubes can be used as wrapping paper sleeves, keeping the roll from unraveling while also preventing any potential damage to the paper that might be caused by the use of tape to hold it in place.

Taping down the edge of your unused wrapping paper is a good way to get it to rip or, more glaringly, peel away the print from the paper. This marred edge is then either unusable or has to be hidden when you wrap your next gift, and that paper you loved in the store starts to feel like a burden. Similarly, if it's constantly unrolling itself in storage, it's getting wrinkled and crimped with other rolls doing the same thing, and the next time you need to wrap something, everything looks a mess. Much better to avoid all that headache with this simple toilet paper roll hack.

This hack is really very simple. If your remaining wrapping paper roll is small enough, simply slide the used toilet paper tube over it. If the tube as it's made is too narrow, cut a slit lengthwise from one end all the way through the other, so your tube has an opening to work with. Stretch this opening just wide enough to snap the tube over the wrapping paper roll. Both of these methods will hold your wrapping paper in place so it doesn't unravel. For long rolls of wrapping paper, you can use two tubes.

However, this method works best for wrapping paper that you store horizontally. If you store wrapping paper vertically, the toilet paper tube may simply slide down the length of the roll, allowing all but the bottommost section of the wrapping paper to fan out. This could still leave a high potential for wrinkled, crimped paper or even possible tears, defeating the purpose of the tube hack in the first place. The only way to avoid slippage in a vertical hold would be to tape the tube to the paper or use a rubber band, although these options may cause tears or wrinkles as well. A horizontal storage solution, either under the bed, on a high shelf in a closet, or in another designated space, is the best option for this hack.