DIY and Inexpensive Toilet Paper Holder Ideas – Back to Basics Series

End the fights about putting the toilet paper back on the holder with these DIY toilet paper holder ideas! These cute TP holder ideas are budget-friendly and simple to add and give your most overworked, underpaid item a spot to rest. 

Why You Need a DIY Toilet Paper Holder

Oh, toilet paper. It’s a must-have tool that gets used multiple times a day. If your family is anything like mine, we blow through toilet paper quite often—and I’m not complaining! I’d rather my kids used more paper than less…who’s with me? Trust me, any mom who has done her share of laundry has seen the unfortunate after-effects of not using enough TP. Shudder.

A DIY toilet paper holder may seem pretty unexciting. But, this is the “Back to Basics” series. And there are not many things more basic than toilet time. Am I right? Sure I am. You know it, and so do retailers. Which is why you end up paying a lot-o-cash-money for something as basic as the do-hicky that holds your TP.

Whether if you are remodeling your bathroom, looking to change it up, or just want a spot to store your backup TP, these cute and unique toilet paper holders are just what you need. That, and a toilet paper refill fairy!

How to Make a DIY Toilet Paper Holder

Just go to your favorite home improvement store’s website and type in “toilet paper holder”. You’ll see them in there for upwards of $25-30 each! WHAT?! For something I put paper on, with which I will wipe my duff? Seems a tad extreme.

Frankly, the crap (pun intended) that you can purchase for that $25-30 ain’t so cool. So, I’ve pulled together some way more fun, way less expensive TP holder ideas for you.

Hold onto your keister because these ideas are so fly they’re gonna make you wanna shake, shake, shake, shake your rump—just wipe it thoroughly beforehand, please. 😉

1. Rustic Rope Toilet Paper Holder

So easy, and so gosh darn cute! You can whip up one of these TP holders DIY-style in less than 5 minutes, and it will cost you less than $5. No kidding.

I can see this style of TP holder in a coastal cottage, a kids bath, a rustic cabin retreat, vacation home, etc.

Instructions for Making this Rustic TP Holder

The first thing to do when making this DIY toilet paper holder is to tie the loops in the ends of your jute/twine/what-have-you. You can watch this quick video below I made to show you how it’s done.

Once you’ve tied off a loop at either end of your jute, then you’re ready to install it! Pre-drill a hole into the drywall for your anchor, if needed, or into a stud (if lucky).

Once you’ve secured your wall anchor, then simply screw the hook into the wall.

Now hang your rope from the first hook.

You could use a level to make sure you are placing the other hook in correctly. Me? I like to live dangerously, so I eyeball it (see video below).

I just marked the spot I wanted to place my hook by pushing the end of the hook into the wall a bit, then used the drill to pre-drill in that spot.

Done! You’ve made an inexpensive, cute DIY toilet paper holder!

2. Bungee Toilet Paper Holder

For those “sporty” “adventurous” “crunchy” types, if you will. I could easily see this in a boys’ bathroom, college apartment, or a bachelor pad!

Instructions for Making this DIY TP Holder

The installation of this type of tp holder will be virtually identical to the rope style discussed above. Scroll back up and follow the directions step by step, except using a bungee instead of jute!

3. Twig or Branch TP Holder

Just screw a twig on the wall and call it a day! IT’S FREE! And talk about rustic charm! Doesn’t get more cabin-y cozy than a real piece-o-wood on the wall, right?

How to Make the Branch TP Holder

Seriously guys, it’s a FREE tp holder! Now you can save your money up to spend on something that’s sole purpose isn’t to help you wipe your booty. Gotta love that!

You definitely will want to pre-drill your stick/twig so that it doesn’t break when you’re affixing it to the wall.

And I simply used anchors, then drywall screws to put it on the wall. Took about 5 minutes, from the time I found the stick on the ground til now.

Of course, if you wanted to get fancy, you could clean the stick, then spray it with some acrylic coating in whatever sheen you like in order to preserve it and make it last longer.

4. A Basket, a Pail or a Bucket

A tisket, a tasket, stick your tp in a basket. Pretty novel idea, eh?

I know. Not at all. But seriously, this is what we use in one of my bathrooms here, and I’ll tell you what, I’ve never sat on the john thinking “wow, this experience would be so much nicer if I had me a $30 tp holder right now”.

Plus, I love old pails and buckets, and apple baskets and the lot.

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They make a nice addition to most spaces, anyhow. And usually, you already have something that would work lying around the house….so another potentially FREE idea (and we like FREE)!

That’s all the ideas I got for you here at our house. BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE…

I decided to scour the www a bit to see if there were any more fun, tp ideas around town, and here’s what I came up with for you!

5. Galvanized Piping Toilet Paper Holder

This little piece of genius is brought to you today by the blog Domestic Imperfection.  Pretty cool idea, no?

I love how this DIY toilet paper holder makes it super duper easy for anyone to slide a new roll of TP on when the old runs out.

6. Leather Strap & a Wooden Dowel TP Holder

Wouldn’t this make a great TP holder, too? Another easy-breezy DIY project here, this one done by Oh Oh Blog.

7. Pulley-Style DIY Toilet Paper Holder

What a fun, easy concept! A pulley, or big spool, or even an old doorknob could be used to hang toilet paper with some ribbon, colorful string or rope. This one was found at blogdecodesign.fr…those fancy French!

By the way, “a simple toilet paper holder” sounds so much sexier and fancier in French: “un support de papiere toilette tout simple”. SURE, I’ll have one of those fancy Parisian thing-a-ma-jiggers!

8. Nautical DIY Toilet Paper Holder

Got a coastal or nautical thing going on? How about this boat cleat and rope job? Looks pretty ship-shape to me!

9. Upcycled Wood Crate TP Holder

Check out the DIY toilet paper holder that junk goddess Donna of Funky Junk Interiors came up with! She calls it her trashy chic tp storage solution, which I think is hilarious too!

Hang a delectably old and banged-up crate on the wall…and give it another pop of character by adding a vintage license plate. What’s not to love?

10. Unique Toilet Paper Holder With a Dino 

And if you can’t think of anything else to use, and you’re about to just say “kiss my patooty, I’m just gonna shell out that $25 and call it a day…” COUNT TO THREE, take a deep, cleansing breath (NOT in the bathroom), and go grab an apatosaurus.

NOT a brontosaurus…they aren’t called that anymore in case you didn’t get the memo. Anyways, grab your dinosaur, or possibly a giraffe. Then, stick a roll on it. Voila. Instant DIY genius.

Plus, it’s just so much fun to look at!

Remember, Save Money With These Unique Toilet Paper Holders

And there you have it. 10 easy, low-cost DIY toilet paper holders that add way more personality than highly-priced potty paraphernalia.

Remember, when it comes to TP holders, we need rock “bottom” pricing, because there is no need to “waste” money on something used purely for “waste” (get it, get it?).

Tell those $$$ bed and bath stores to kiss your patooty because we don’t need their $30 spinning plastic roller any longer. We’ll be using our twine, or bungee, or a random stick from the yard, and shakin’ our squeaky clean moneymakers all the way home from Bed, Bath & Beyond with our wallets’ a bit fatter, thank you very much!

More Money-Saving Bathroom Ideas

Pin this post for later! And if you make one, leave a comment (or better yet, a photo) on the pin! That helps others know whether they want to try this project, too!