She Used 2 Tension Rods to Store Paper Towels — So I Had to Try It Myself

I have a busy family of six, which means organizing often falls to the bottom of my to-do list. Hidden spaces like my pantry are especially easy to ignore. On top of that, my kids are very messy, so I buy paper towels in bulk. I keep a few extra rolls in the pantry and store the rest in our basement, but it’s far from a perfect system. My kids go through paper towels at an alarming rate and never want to run downstairs to restock. 

I officially hit my breaking point when I caught my son wiping his hands on his clean jeans because, according to him, we were “out” of paper towels, even though we had at least a dozen rolls in the basement. Expanding our pantry wasn’t an option, so I started looking for a solution I could implement quickly and cheaply. That’s when I came across a trick on Apartment Therapy that uses a simple, no-drill storage trick that took just minutes to set up. I had to try it.

In a video, creator Aly McDaniel (@downtownaly) uses two tension rods to create a DIY paper towel dispenser in her pantry. The method is refreshingly simple — by installing tension rods vertically inside a pantry shelf, you can store paper towel rolls in place and instantly create more usable pantry storage, no tools or drilling required.

Once my tension rods arrived, I got to work. I installed rods across the front of the shelf to act as a barrier and turned the rolls so the cardboard tubes faced outward. The rolls slid out easily, and I was even able to create two rows of paper towels on the same shelf.

This tension rod system solved several problems at once: I can store more paper towels in my pantry without them falling onto the floor, and it’s instantly obvious when we’re running low. Adjusting the rods takes seconds, so I can accommodate different roll sizes as needed.

Another bonus? Tension rods come in tons of finishes, which makes it easy to match them to your pantry’s look. I started with basic white rods, but I’m already considering swapping them for a metal version for a more elevated feel. They worked so well, in fact, that I bought a smaller black set to organize toilet paper rolls in our guest bathroom.