Say Goodbye To Traditional Paper Towel Holders: This DIY Is Perfect For Your Garage

If you do anything in your garage that involves getting dirty, you'll definitely need rags or — even better — paper towels. Paper towels are disposable and super convenient, as long as you don't have to carry the roll around with you or deal with a flimsy or space-consuming dispenser. If you want an alternative to the traditional holder that won't sit on your workbench or threaten to fall over every time you need a piece, you can make a hanging paper towel holder in a few minutes. There's no compromise needed for this DIY garage organization idea — your shop towels will stay secure and close at hand, but they'll also stay tidy and out of the way. The best part of this project is that it uses PVC pipe, which is cheap to buy if you don't already have some kicking around in a corner.

This design comes from YouTube channel ratherelevated. The hanging holder attaches to the underside of a work bench, though the design is easy to adapt to other situations, such as hanging from a wall over the bench or firmly attached to the side or top of the bench. The only variable is whether or not you need a 90-degree elbow and an additional short length of pipe.

The simple materials list calls for certain PVC pipe sizes and lengths that will comfortably fit a roll or paper towels and extend about 2 inches from either end. A 15- to 16-inch length of 1 ¼-inch pipe should do. In addition, you'll need a 1 ¼-inch PVC flange that you can screw into a wall or table, a tee connector, and (optionally) an elbow and a short (4- to 5-inch) length of pipe. 

To ensure the pipe that actually holds the paper towel roll is long enough, measure the length of the roll and add 4 inches. This leaves enough pipe extending from both sides to insert into fittings. You can cut PVC pipes with a hand saw, but the edges will be smoother if you use a PVC pipe cutter. When you use a saw, be sure to smooth and deburr the cut edges with sandpaper. If you forget to do that, the pipes won't fit easily into the fittings.

On one end, the PVC piece that will hold the paper towels fits into a tee, which prevents the roll from falling off. On the other end, it fits into a PVC flange attached to a wall or bench top with screws. If you want the roll to hang below the workbench as a space-saving alternative to the basic countertop holder, insert the pipe into a 90-degree elbow. Then, inter another short length of pipe into the other end of the elbow. The short pipe fits into the flange screwed to the underside of the bench.

You can assemble this paper towel holder completely without glue, because PVC fittings fit tightly enough to stay together unless you actually pull them apart. However, you may want more stability, in which case you could glue pipes to the flange, as well as the elbow, if you use one. Clear PVC pipe cement should be invisible if you don't use too much, and be sure to leave the tee unglued so you can remove it to change the roll.