19 Bungee Cord Hacks to Get Hooked On
Updated: Apr. 21, 2021
These fantastic elastic cords are useful for more than just tying down tarps.
Hold buckets while hauling
I use a lot of five-gallon pails to store tools and other construction gear in my pickup. But I was frustrated because they were always sliding around and tipping, and I couldn’t always reach them without climbing up into the bed. My solution: Secure them in the pickup bed with long bungee cords. Now they stay put! —Tim Horky
Custom cord wraps
Make your own cord wraps using old bungee cords and synthetic wine corks. Drill two holes in the cork, thread cord through the holes and tie off the ends. You can make them as long or as short as you want. They’re lightweight and work great for securing air hoses and other things, too.
Check out these other ways to use corks around the house.
No-tip garbage cans
There really is a simple way to keep those garbage cans from getting blown or knocked over. For each garbage can, all you need are two 3/4-in. screw eyes and a 30-in. hook-end elastic cord from the hardware store.
Try tackling one of these clever home improvement ideas under $200, too!
Store paper towels between studs
There are many bungee cord hacks, and in my home, we were in desperate need for some extra kitchen storage space. We don’t have a pantry off of the kitchen and wanted an out-of-the-way storage solution to hold our extra paper towels. We created this bungee cord paper towel storage solution in our garage with four eye hooks, two long bungee cords and a wall with open studs. All you have to do is attach two eye hooks to the base of the wall and attach the other two hooks parallel and at the height of your choice. Now just stretch the long bungee cords to fit into the corresponding hooks, and they’ll hold a large stash of paper towel rolls out of the way yet within easy reach. —Mike Davenport
Here are 10 things you shouldn’t be storing on your kitchen countertop.
Two-in-one tarp storage
As the owner of three ATVs, I use large tarps and bungee cords to protect them from the weather. When they’re not in use, I store the tarps on lengths of two-in. PVC pipe with two PVC end caps. I stick a cap on one end, put my bungee cords inside the pipe, snug on the top cap and roll the tarp around the length of pipe. Things stay orderly, and it’s a lot easier to roll a tarp around the pipe than to try to fold it. —Gregory Jones
Brilliant way to store bungees
Bungee cords always seem to end up in a tangled mess. To keep them organized, screw a scrap piece of wire closet shelving to the wall and hook the cords along its length. It’ll be easy to find the one you need. —Phillip McRae
Here are 40 brilliant home organizing hacks you’ll wish you knew sooner.
Build a ball tower
Some kids are into balls—any kind of balls. So they accumulate. It’s hard to find a storage system to keep them all handy, including the ones on the bottom of the pile. Here’s an ingenious system using bungee cords. They’re firm enough to keep the pile organized, but stretchy enough that you can squeeze the bottom ball out.
Don’t miss these other genius storage tricks for your garage!
Handy towel holder
Here’s a tip I learned from my father. Attach a roll of paper towels to the inside of your car trunk lid with a short bungee cord. The towels will be handy but won’t take up space (or get wrecked) rolling around your trunk. —Donald Boland
Find out the things you shouldn’t be cleaning with paper towels.
Tie down trash bags
I am not a fan of bungee cords because they usually don’t hold well. Evidence of this is the number of cords that I’ve picked up along the highway during my runs. But I found a use for them as a means of holding trash can liners in place on my large workshop trash can. Simply overhang the trash bag along the top of the trash can and secure the bungee cord on top of the bag. You can hook two long bungee cords together, if one isn’t long enough to go around the top of your trash can. —Ed Hunkele
Check out this hack on how to use garbage bags the right way.
Painting gear organizer
I used to have a hard time keeping track of my painting tools, and I could never find what I needed. Then I drilled two holes in the side of a large plastic container and knotted the ends of a bungee cord in the holes. I stand up all my tools in between the cord and the side of the container. Now it’s easy to see everything I’ve got, and I can grab exactly what I need. —Art DesGroseillers
Find out how to choose the right paint brush for your project.
Elastic tool holder
Use elastic cords to make a portable tool organizer for chisels and other hand tools. Fasten one end of the cord to a 1×8 with an electrical staple, lay the cord straight without stretching it, then staple the other end. Add staples every three in. to create holders, leaving the staples just loose enough so the cord can still move. Then fasten the 1×8 to the wall. —Stanley Hushen, Jr.
Here are 100 home improvement hacks you’ll want to try today!
Safe cord storage
To store elastic cords safely and neatly, pull out the spine of an old three-ring binder. Punch out the rivets and screw the spine to the garage wall. The rings are the perfect spot to hang cords without dangerous tension.
You’ll be glad these hilarious DIY disasters didn’t happen to you!
No-spill grocery bags
It’s a pain to crawl deep into the trunk to get all the groceries that spill out of your bags on the way home from the store. Here’s a simple solution using common household items: Run a long bungee cord through the bag handles and hook the ends to the sides of the trunk. Keep the bungee cord in the trunk so it’s there when you need it. —Vern McMeans
These 40 kitchen organizing ideas will save your sanity.
Under-shelf paper towel holder
Our laundry area is cramped, and the roll of paper towels we keep on the shelf near the sink kept falling into the sink. I solved the problem by slipping a bungee cord through the roll and hanging it from the wire shelving. Works great! —Robert Stambaugh
Check out these handy hints that make doing the laundry less of a hassle.
Hang gloves to dry
It’s easy to rinse off grimy latex gloves and hang them over the bathtub to dry after a cleaning job, but I found the insides of the gloves would often stay damp and smell funky the next time I used them. Turning them inside out is a chore and can tear the glove, so I came up with this simple solution to let both the inside and outside dry at the same time. Place a binder clip on the neck of both of the gloves and loop a rubber band or a bungee cord through the clips. Next, use a pushpin in the wall to hang it up. Works great, and your latex cleaning gloves will be set to go for your next job! —Chris Register
Bookmark this checklist for a healthier home.
Make a circus train for stuffed animals
In 1880, a German company named Steiff became the first commercial company to create a stuffed toy—and kids have been cuddling them and collecting them ever since. If the kids in your life are like most, they have a lot of toys to cuddle—and stow. These circus trains are storage boxes in disguise. They can be used in two modes: Hooked together for play and stacked atop one another for storage. The bungee cord bars stretch to make it easy to slide toys in and out when playing or when the cars are stacked. It’s a great project to do hand-in-hand with kids.
Check out these brilliant ways to put ice cube trays to work!
Bungee cord organizer
Elastic cords can quickly become a tangled mess. Find the one you need at a glance with this handy rack made from three- or four-in. PVC pipe. Just drill 1/2-in. diameter holes in the pipe to match the slightly stretched lengths of your cords. Keep it in your trunk or shop, out of the reach of children.
Check out these things that electricians always do in their own homes.
Vinyl siding helper
Long lengths of vinyl siding can be tough to install by yourself, so I came up with this trick. I hung a bungee cord on the wall above the siding and used it to hold the siding in place while I nailed it off. The elasticity of the bungee cord made it easy to pull the siding down to snap it into place before nailing. —Michael Winter
These are the things people with organized garages have in common.
A better bungee cord
When you have to tie something down—to the roof of the car, to a wall of the garage—you sometimes need a bungee cord without a rough metal hook at either end. Avoid the scraping and gouging with fasteners!
Next, check out 20 spring cleaning tasks you can do in one minute or less.
