The Genius Kitchen Hack That Reuses Empty Jugs As A DIY Napkin Dispenser

Whether you cook in your kitchen every single day or meal prep just once a week, you understand how crucial it is to keep this area of your home sanitary and clutter-free — and how difficult these tasks actually are. Though a clean kitchen is crucial to food safety, cleaning your kitchen after cooking can be a daunting task that's often made easier with disposable paper towels. Using these all the time isn't the most environmentally friendly, but sometimes single-use paper towels are the more sanitary option. Of course, this means keeping a roll of paper towels handy, usually in one of those dispensers that takes up valuable real estate on your counter. Fortunately, there's a paper towel storage hack that keeps your counter space clear and keeps the absorbent roll from getting spattered with errant oils and sauces.

All you need is a large, empty plastic jug and a little bit of elbow grease. The idea is that you cut away the bottom of the jug and pierce a hole along the cut edge to hang it on a hook. The paper towels then easily fit down inside the jug where you can pull them through the neck of the bottle, which should now be pointing at the floor. This trick works with any plastic jug tall and wide enough to hold a standard roll of paper towels. If you only have access to smaller jugs or 2-liter soda bottles, you can double the lifespan of your paper towels instantly by cutting the roll in half. This helps it fit inside a smaller space while ensuring each roll lasts a little longer, saving you both space and room in your budget. If they're not fully hidden inside, though, the edge of the roll is exposed to moisture and dust.

Though a repurposed water jug doesn't look out of place in a garage or workshop, most of us want a less utilitarian look to our kitchens. That's why it's worth giving your jug a bit of a makeover before hanging it up. First, after cutting away the bottom and removing all labels (including any label adhesive), give the jug a thorough cleaning inside and out. Next, lightly sand the cut edge of the jug to reduce risk of injury and to ensure it's even. From here, the sky's the limit in terms of aesthetics.

Try spray painting the outside a solid color that goes with your kitchen, and zhuzh it up with a hand-painted message or botanical design. Stencils and stamps are your friend here; they help you create sophisticated patterns with little-to-no artistic experience. You can also create a geometric pattern with a gradient of colors. Just be sure to keep the inside of the jug paint-free and bone-dry to avoid moisture or chemicals wicking into your paper towels.