Try This: Personalized Bathroom Towel Rack

Enlarge Image Image Gallery What better place to keep memories of those watery seaside vacations than with a bathroom photo gallery? This one just happens to lead a double life as a towel rack that encourages even the smallest family members to hang up their towels.

Here’s a quick project that does quadruple duty. First, it’s a towel rack. Then it’s a photo gallery. Next it recycles some of those pesky jewel cases we seem to collect. Last, it combines all those things to solve a laundry problem. By personalizing a space for a towel for each family member, they can keep track of which towels are theirs and are more likely to hang them up and reuse them. No more nameless heaps of towels on the bathroom floor on bath day.

1. Remove all paper inserts from the jewel cases. Cut black and white photos to fit: 4-3/4 inches wide by 4-7/8 inches tall. Insert them into the jewel cases with the hinge at the bottom.

2. Cut a 1-inch-by-8-inch board about 42 inches long. Paint or stain as desired. Exterior-grade mounting tape works well to attach the jewel cases to the board because it is strong and resists water. Space the jewel cases evenly down the length of the board, leaving extra space on either end.

3. Align the top edge of the jewel case to the top edge of the board and press firmly into place. Drill a hole for a handle, knob, or hook to hang the towel under each photo. Mount the towel rack to your bathroom wall with screws at each end.