How To Replace A Loose Toilet Paper Holder With A More Durable Alternative

A wall-mounted toilet paper holder is an item of the ultimate convenience. It allows people to neatly access just the right amount of toilet paper when it's most needed. Over time, though, toilet paper holders can come loose. This can be caused by normal wear and tear that happens during toilet paper roll changes or from an improper initial installation. Not only is a loose toilet paper roll holder unsightly and inconvenient, but it can actually cause damage to your bathroom wall. As the brackets shift, dents and scratches can occur and, if left in disrepair, the brackets can come out of the wall entirely, taking chunks of drywall with them.

If you notice that your toilet paper holder is coming loose, installing a new toilet paper holder as soon as possible is a good idea so you aren't stuck with even bigger issues. In order to make sure you no longer have the same issues months down the road, it's smart consider switching out the wall-mounting hardware to toggle bolts. 

A toggle bolt, also referred to as a butterfly anchor, has a spring-loaded wing at one end that spreads after entering the drywall. These wings help distribute the weight of the toilet paper holder evenly and increase the surface area of the drywall with which the bolt is in contact. This is in contrast to plastic wall anchors, which are relatively slender and cover only a small amount of inner-wall surface area. Toggle bolts are significantly more durable than plastic wall anchors and are also surprisingly easy to install.

To install a toggle bolt into your bathroom drywall, you'll need to first remove the wings from the bolt, slide on your new toilet paper holder bracket, and then screw the wings back on. After you drill a hole in your wall large enough for the winged bolt, you'll simply push your toggle bolt through the hole until the wings expand on the backside of the wall. Lastly, you'll pull your toggle bolt toward you until the wings are flush with the inner wall and tighten your bolt until the bracket is flush with the outer wall. While this durable toilet paper roll holder alternative is fairly simple, you'll want to be sure that you install the toggle bolts exactly where you want them since removing a toilet paper holder that doesn't have set screws is a process you may not be used to.