What You'll Need
I've been messing around with those $1.25 cooling racks from Dollar Tree, and honestly, they're way more useful than I expected. Sure, you can cool cookies on them, but that's boring. Here's what else they can do.
- Dollar Tree cooling racks (how many depends on the project)
- Zip ties
- Floral wire (also at Dollar Tree)
- Command hooks or screw hooks
- S-hooks, binder clips, clothespins (optional)
The Hacks
1. Wall-Mounted Message Board
Skip the corkboard. Hang a cooling rack on your wall or fridge with Command hooks. Clip notes, bills, keys, and whatever else needs a home using binder clips, S-hooks, or clothespins. It's magnetic-friendly too if you stick it on the fridge.
2. Message Board + Paper Organizer
Zip tie a Dollar Tree napkin holder to the bottom of the cooling rack. Now you've got a spot for clipped papers up top and planners or notebooks stored in the napkin holder below. Two hacks in one.
3. Jewelry Organizer
Hang it in your closet or bathroom. Necklaces and dangle earrings clip right on. Wrap bracelets around the wires. I used to keep my sunglasses in a bucket, but standing them vertically on this rack keeps them from getting scratched. Way safer.
4. Under-Cabinet Storage
Bend a small loop of wire at each corner of the rack. Hang it from Command hooks under a cabinet (hooks facing outward so tension holds it). Use S-hooks to hang utensils, measuring cups, or kitchen tools. If you're hanging something heavy, use permanent screw hooks instead.
5. Bent Shelf (Vertical)
Bend the rack lengthwise with your hands or pliers to create an L-shape. Command hook it to the wall. Great for cookbooks in the kitchen, magazines in the bathroom, or planners in your office.
6. Bent Shelf (Horizontal) with Barriers
Bend the rack widthwise instead. Wrap floral wire around each end to create a little barrier so small items don't slide off. Hang it in a bathroom for toiletries, inside a pantry door for spices, or in a closet for odds and ends. Stack a few of these and you've got a whole shelving system.
7. Countertop Caddy
Bend the two outer quarters of the rack inward to form a C shape. Zip tie the bent sides together. You get a little square bucket that sits on your counter or desk. Use it to display jewelry, store paperwork, or corral pens and supplies.
8. Mini Cubby Shelf
This one takes four racks. Zip tie four racks together horizontally. Attach a fifth rack halfway into the second one on one end. Lift it up — it folds into a shelf shape. Zip tie that into place. Add a rack to the back for stability, then overlap two more racks on the back to make it look finished. You've got a little cubby shelf. Heavy stuff goes on the bottom, light stuff on top. You can add extra shelves inside by zip tying more racks horizontally.
9. Paper/Craft Organizer
Take the cubby shelf design and keep adding shelves all the way down. Perfect for scrapbook paper, craft supplies, or office paperwork.
10. Display Stand
This one's from a previous video. Take a Dollar Tree paper towel holder and attach four cooling racks to it — two on bottom, two on top. Zip tie the racks together first, then zip tie them to the paper towel holder. Hot glue binder clips onto the racks if you want stationary clips, or use S-hooks for adjustable ones. Spray paint the whole thing one color to make it look intentional. Use it for snack displays at parties, art prints at craft shows, or jewelry at a booth.
