Upcycle Empty Toilet Paper Tubes Into A Unique Home Storage Solution

Utilizing storage baskets is an easy way to make your home more organized. While there are so many great options available to purchase online and from home goods stores, that doesn't mean buying something new is the only way to acquire more storage solutions. There are a variety of items around the home you can repurpose into storage baskets, from cardboard packages and shoe boxes to old tissue containers. However, you can also repurpose something a little more unique into lovely home storage baskets — your empty toilet paper tubes, which will be cut, weaved, and glued together.

Rather than tossing those bare toilet paper tubes in the recycling, consider saving them for this creative DIY. The beauty of this impressive storage basket DIY is that it requires very little in the way of materials. All you'll need to build it is a handful of toilet paper tubes, scissors, a hot glue gun, a pencil, and a ruler. While the exact number of toilet paper tubes you'll need varies, you will use quite a few. At a minimum, you'll need nine tubes, although it certainly doesn't hurt to have extras. If you don't have that many already collected, it's time to either start saving them up or nabbing them from the homes of your friends and neighbors to weave into this creative storage basket.

Once you've assembled your collection of empty toilet paper tubes, kick things off by cutting each tube open lengthwise and then flattening them. Next, take a ruler and pencil, and mark out equidistant horizontal lines on the inner part of the tube, about a centimeter thick. With the paper turned lengthwise, mark a vertical line at the top of the roll about .75 inches from the left top corner. Then, cut along each horizontal line, stopping at that mark. Repeat this exact process on eight tubes, and fold them each along the uncut section.

Next, take two cut tubes, and lay one in front of you horizontally with the uncut section on the left. Fold every other alternating strip open to the left. Then, grab the other tube and place it directly above the first, with the cut pieces gently folded up and out of the way. With a hot glue gun, weave the pieces together by folding down and gluing one vertical strip at a time to the horizontal pieces until both tubes create a crosshatch. One piece will have some leftover strips, so fold and glue those down. Repeat this three more times until you're left with four crosshatched pieces. Attach the four pieces together with a hot glue gun to create the basket shape, and then flatten one of the remaining tubes and glue it to the bottom. You'll be left with a lovely little basket that's perfect for organizing many home items. Keep with the theme and use it as a clever toilet paper storage solution.

For another method, cut flattened tubes into five mini loops that are each .65 inches thick. Hold one loop vertically, and slip another over it at a perpendicular. Then, slide a third loop over the second one, again at a perpendicular. Take a fourth loop, and slide it over the third one, but also slip it through the inside of the first. Pull all four pieces tight so they create a boxy shape like the image on the left. Continue weaving and adding pieces in these mini quadrant shapes, slowly shaping them into a basket with walls as you go. Keep in mind, this method will use far more toilet paper tubes than the one we previously mentioned — somewhere in the ballpark of 40 tubes.

Once it's constructed, there's no shortage of fun ways to customize your new storage container. You can paint the tubes before you weave them together — try an industrial black or a more vibrant hue for a colorful storage solution. If you want it to have a handle, weave one together and then hot glue it to the basket so it's extra stable. Another nice touch would be to wrap the handle in twine for a rustic feel. To give the basket a cute farmhouse look, take a piece of ribbon or fabric and wrap it around its middle. Pearl adhesive stickers placed intermittently on the exterior of the basket can be another elegant touch, especially when combined with lace. Another great way to enhance the container is to line the inside with fabric.