Use A Toothpaste Hack To Hang Pictures Perfectly Every Time

No home is complete without something on the wall. Imagine creating the perfect gallery wall in your living room or having your favorite family photos line your entryway. This can also look like dressing up your bedroom walls with eye-catching prints. Of course, the hardest part is hanging the pictures — or so we thought. There's a toothpaste hack circulating the internet that eliminates the guesswork, so you don't end up with a constellation of holes on your walls. Just grab some white toothpaste, dab it onto the frame hanger, and press it against the wall where you want to hang your artwork. This leaves a mark that shows you exactly where to place your nail or screw. Simple, right?

You want every detail to be just right when hanging items on the wall — whether it's how high to hang your pictures or their spacing. Luckily, with this simple trick, you won't have to fuss with measuring tools to achieve precision. Plus, we all (hopefully) have a tube of toothpaste in our bathrooms, hence there's no reason not to give this picture-hanging method a try.

Here's how it goes: Start by squeezing a small amount of toothpaste on the back of your frame where the hook is. Make sure not to use too much; you want that mark on the wall to be as accurate as possible. Gently press the frame against the wall in your desired spot, then carefully remove it so you can prep your assembly tools. Try not to smudge the toothpaste (we don't want any inaccurate markings on the wall, so aim to get it straight on the first try). From there, secure the nail or screw in place and give the wall a quick wipe to remove the residue. Add your wall art, and that's about it.

While this toothpaste hack is an easy way to get your pictures hung just right, there are still some DIY pitfalls to watch out for when nailing into walls. For example, there could be electrical wires lurking behind there. It always helps to have a wall wire detector on hand to make sure the area behind the wall is clear before poking through. Even better, use a stud finder (like the JAXWQ 5-in-1 Stud Finder Tool) to find wall studs without making holes. Hanging your framed pictures on studs will keep them nice and secure. Oh, and don't forget: You can always take out your ruler to double-check that the frame is actually centered and properly aligned.