8 Ways To Repurpose CD And DVD Storage Racks Around Your Home And Garden

Perhaps it's a trick of memory, but it seems like old media formats simply evaporate once we move on to the next big thing. The recording industry sold 4.4 billion dollars worth of 8-track tapes in 1978. When was the last time you saw one? And so it was with cassettes and CDs. They seemed to disappear, but the storage racks we bought to keep them organized seem to live on forever. For the crafty DIYer, this is an upcycling opportunity, not a waste stream.

As we'll see, there are a few ways to repurpose an old CD or DVD rack, from basically calling it something different to breaking the entire thing down for parts. The storage racks were often compartmentalized with dividers, usually made of plastic, that gave each CD case a slot of its own to easily slide into. Or not so easily, as was sometimes the case. These dividers are used in some upcycled creations, eschewed by others, and actually sought out by a few. Only you can decide which approach to take, but you don't have to. If you're planning the perfect Y2K-inspired bedroom, just keep the CD racks as the perfect throwback storage solution.

When you classify CD rack repurposing projects, whether or not to remove the plastic dividers is one key taxonomic factor. In general, some of the more inventive leave the dividers in, while some of the more refined remove them. But for a project like DIYing a toilet paper storage cabinet, fit trumps everything else. This DIY is easily accomplished by simply removing the plastic disc dividers and stacking rolls of the right size in the compartments.

At the other end of the spectrum from the simple genius of a toilet paper holder, you can get infinitely elaborate with this inventive solution. Many hobbyists need dynamic workbench or craft room storage that will adapt to various demands. One high-effort way of accomplishing all this is 3D printing a modular shelving system that can slide into your existing CD rack and create custom storage for your most-used items. There's a lot of un-simple genius in this project, though it might be too much for some.

We're back to quick-and-dirty with this utilitarian wall-hung shelf project. It involves removing the MDF shelves from a CD rack, turning the vertical rack sideways, and replacing a few of the shelves to create dividers. Mount the unit to a wall using standard metal shelf brackets, and you have a serviceable horizontal shelf. Painting the unfinished shelf bottoms (now sides) and all the unfinished edges would do a lot for the aesthetics of this project.

Discovering that two things accidentally fit together is the secret sauce of easy, useful DIY projects. And so it is with the discovery that clear acrylic drawers from Dollar Tree fit CD holders, creating super-functional, super-organized towers for small objects like craft materials. You can leave it as-is, but if you want to add an extra layer of convenience, adhere some LED puck lights to the underside of the top shelf of the rack.

Before we leave the dollar store universe, have a look at a similar project that makes use of the happy coincidence of drawers fitting into CD holders. Removing the plastic dividers that create CD-ROM storage in a computer cabinet leaves just enough room to replace them with plastic drawers from a Canadian chain called Dollarama. If you don't have a Dollarama handy, shop around. While the key to making this work are the width of the little drawer units, the black drawer handles and dividers make this upcycle look like a factory inclusion.

Old stereo cabinets with built-in CD storage are no longer necessary if you've moved on to streaming your music digitally, but a sleek wine bar is timeless. This DIY involves simplifying the cabinet's trim, removing the CD dividers, and adding shelves to make the space more useful. Then, mount wine glass holders where there's room, such as above the space where a receiver, CD player, or tape deck would have been. It's a nice conversion that's sure to serve you well even as technology evolves.

We can never get enough genius craft room organization hacks, but they're made even more fun when you can turn the creation of your storage system into a craft itself. This CD holder-turned-marker-holder recycle is all about the craftiness. Take your CD rack and place some simple cardboard dividers in the slots to create separate compartments for various pens and markers. This approach would work just as well for any craft or art supplies that fit, but it's especially great if you're tired of digging through a bin to find a specific-colored writing utensil.

Some upcycling projects are more like salvage operations. Rather than working with the existing piece, you break it down and rebuild it into something you'll actually use. With this approach, you can create just about anything, including this cute rattan entryway storage unit. Using wood from tall CD racks is a good choice because it's already the perfect size to create a shallow entryway storage shelf. Just pick up some simple trim and rattan for the doors, and you're good to go.