When you think of a tension rod, you probably picture those somewhat temperamental rods that never want to cooperate when you're trying to hang curtains. Most tension rods, however, are much easier to use and can come in handy in several ways. All you need are a couple of tension rods and a space in need of organizing for these projects.
Do you need to create more room in a closet, organize kitchen cupboards or plant a miniature garden in the kitchen? For any of these tasks (and more) you can take care of them with nothing more than a tension rod or two. Gather as many rods as you need and get to work on these minor home improvements.
Shoe rackDo shoes take up way too much space in your closet leaving the floor in there looking like a mess? Clean up the area with two tension rods. If most of your shoes are flat, place the tension rods evenly and rest the shoes on top of them. If most are heels, stagger the heights of the rods so the heels shoes can hang over one rod while the flat part rests on the other.
Organize scarvesAs scarves become common items in everyday wear, you're left with the challenge of storing them. Shoving scarves in a drawer results in wrinkles or the scarves tangling around each other. Using hangers also creates a problem, because they take up too much space that could be used for other clothes. A simple solution is to hang up a tension rod and loop scarves around it. This will keep them wrinkle-free and easy to grab when you need one.
Organize drawersTupperware containers are good to have, but after awhile it's almost impossible to keep track of which lids belong with which containers. Fix this problem with a small tension rod. Hang it up toward the back of a cupboard, place the lids behind it and stack the containers in front of it. Now all of the Tupperware containers are organized and you won't have to dig through everything to find a matching lid.
Hang potted plantsIf you live in an apartment or an area with a climate that's not plant-friendly, you're going to have to create a garden inside your house. One way to do this is to put up a tension rod by a window. You can use this to hang potted plants where they'll get plenty of sun and keep countertops clear.
Get greasy film off kitchen cabinets and appliancesRemoving greasy film from cabinets and appliances is easier than you may think. The method demonstrated in the video below uses Murphy's Oil Soap.
Deep clean window tracksIf it's been a while since you've given windows a really good cleaning, you may have a mess in the window tracks. White windows will especially reveal how long it has been between cleanings. The secret to speeding up the process is to use the technique shown in the video below.
Clean the tankHow often do you open the toilet tank and peak inside? Many of the stains happening in the toilet bowl could be coming from your tank as well. Check out the video below to see how to fix this problem.
Hang nozzle bottlesThe cupboard under the sink is a useful place to store cleaning supplies, but it can also get a bit overcrowded if you're just shoving things in. Make a little extra space by putting a tension rod in the cupboard and hanging nozzle bottles on it. This will free up floor space for some of the larger cleaning items and make the nozzle bottles easier to find when you're ready for them
