The $11 Space Saver That Keeps Clutter Off My Bathroom Floor

When you live in a small space, every inch counts. My Boston apartment is 520ish square feet, and I try to make the most of every one of them—especially in my less-than-spacious bathroom.

What is it with bathrooms that don’t have toilet paper holders already attached to the wall? I get wanting to avoid additional holes in questionable drywall, but this seems like a basic thing an apartment should come with, no? Especially since the freestanding options are all so terrible. My lemon wallpapered WC is no place for a Victorian-inspired brass and porcelain stand, and every snoozy-looking chrome- or nickel-plated find from big box stores hardly sparks enough joy to warrant its encroaching footprint.

I thought about bolting a simple yet modern matte black rod to my wall, until I found a less permanent solution that ticked all my boxes. Thankfully, there’s a category of TP storage that is “over tank,” meaning it hooks over the back of your toilet and keeps the paper nearby and off the floor.

This unobtrusive under-$11 solution comes in bronze, brushed, and satin, and stores two rolls within arm’s reach. And since they’re stored vertically, it also eliminates the age old fight over which way the roll should go, over or under (for the record, I’m team over, which is the correct way according to the 1891 patent).

Other bonuses: you can’t accidentally knock it over, subjecting your TP to an errant post-shower puddle; it won’t ever be juuuuuust out of reach from the throne that you have to do an awkward bare-bummed hobble to grab it; and there’s room for a second roll, so you should always have a backup.

See? You barely notice it in the image above, which is how I like my toilet paper—invisible until you need it. And I didn’t have to drill any holes in the wall. I call that a win.