I’m pretty vocal about my distaste for unitaskers. Spending money on something I can only use for one task or in one specific way seems like such a waste.
The more ways I can use an item throughout my space, the more likely I am to be willing to spend money on it, and if it’s cheap , that’s even better.
Exhibit A: tension rods.
1. Keep container lids organized.
Admit it, you have a cupboard or drawer somewhere in your kitchen that’s bursting with Tupperware or similar plastic containers. Do they all even have lids? By stretching a tension rod or two across the end of a drawer, you can keep those lids where you can easily find them.
2. Hide cluttered bookshelves behind a pretty curtain.
If you have a set of shelves that are important for storage but not the most attractive, you can put a tension rod along the top shelf and hang a curtain from it. This is great for small spaces where there isn’t always the closet space to store things away.
3. Add storage to your shower.
Piling bottles and washcloths along the edge of the tub isn’t just cluttered, it can trap water and cause a mess. Adding a second tension rod along the back of the bath or shower stall gives you a place to add hooks and baskets to keep things neat and ensures they can dry.
4. Add a paper towel dispenser under the sink.
Yeah, you can buy paper towel holders, but either they end up taking up space or hanging out from a counter. Plus, they break my unitasker rule. A tension rod works great and you can add other things to it, like garbage bags.
5. Hang a bed skirt without covering the frame.
Bed skirts are a good way to cover up the things you’re hiding under the bed, but for beds like the ones pictured, a standard skirt would cover the nice wood. The problem is solved with a few tension rods and fabric.
6. Store and dispense your ribbon collection.
If you’re a crafter, you probably have a few (dozen) rolls of ribbon and they can be a pain to store. With a tension rod stretched in a shelf, you can see them all and even unroll what you need.
This would also work for washi tape.
7. Organize your shoes.
You can create an area in your closet to store and easily find matching shoes without buying a shoe rack. Again, tension rods come to the rescue.
8. Turn any drawer or container into a filing cabinet.
Maybe you don’t have space to add a whole new piece of furniture or maybe you just don’t feel like spending the money on a filing cabinet. Some narrow tension rods can give your hanging folders a home.
9. Hide the litter box.
We love our kitties, but we don’t love their litter boxes. A tension rod and some fabric can curtain it away while still letting the cat in and out.
10. Hang tools and supplies within easy reach.
This idea is great for the craft room or the workshop. Just add some S hooks to your tension rod and you can pretty much hang anything you need handy.
11. Corral that wrapping paper collection.
I need to do this in my front closet. Every time I remove the vacuum, one or more rolls of wrapping paper come tumbling out.
12. Organize a perfect spice drawer.
I am insanely jealous of this cooktop and spice drawer setup, but even if I can’t have that beautiful range in my home, I can mimic the smart use of tension rods for my spices.
13. Organize under the sink by hanging spray bottles.
Hanging your spray bottles makes it easy to find and retrieve what you need and makes space in the cupboard for other things.
14. If you have a lot of jewelry, tension rods can help.
I don’t have a bracelet collection quite that impressive, but I do have a bunch of necklaces that are tangled in my jewelry box. This would work great for them, too.
15. Install some café-style curtains.
Curtains can be a pain to install, and in many rental spaces, you’re not allowed to hang anything anyway. Of course, that means it’s time to get more tension rods.
Café-style curtains are an awesome way to add some privacy while letting in a ton of light from the upper window.
For the full instructions, check out the tutorial from Simple Stylings.
16. Add an awning to your window.
Fabric awnings can make a space feel really cozy, and all you need is a pair of tension rods to get the look for yourself.
17. Hang wet washcloths to dry right in the sink.
This is far more efficient and tidy than my current habit of hanging the wet cloth from the faucet, where it’s constantly in the way.
18. Create some fabric drawer dividers.
You can buy drawer dividers made of plastic or wood, but I love this idea for using bright fabric hanging from tension rods instead.
This project was shared on Hometalk by Julien K.
The best part is that it’s entirely sewing-free! You just need some fabric glue. For best results, I’d choose a heavier fabric.
19. Up your window treatment game with faux Roman shades.
Roman shades are super classy looking and never go out of style. If you’re not concerned with covering the whole window, you can fake the look with three tension rods.
These blinds won’t open or shut, but they’ll add a chic look to your space.
Check out the full instructions on Hometalk , where they were shared by a user named Joanne.
