If you use paper guest towels, then you most likely keep them in a rectangular basket near the sink in your bathroom. This is what I have always done. The problem is that our downstairs bathroom is tiny and there is not a lot of space to put things. This, plus the fact that we do not entertain very often, made the guest towels an annoyance to me. The basket was taking up space (and collecting dust), but I knew if I put it away, I would not remember to bring it back out before we have guests over. I thought that the new Kleenex hand towels, which come in a reinvented version of a tissue box, might be a good solution to my problem, but it still takes up space. You can also place it upside down on your towel bar, so the towels dispense from the bottom, but then I could not use my towel bar for our regular hand towels. Well, I came up with a solution with this easy DIY Kleenex hand towels holder . . .
(Click any image to enlarge)
SUPPLIES NEEDED:
3" Loose Leaf Binder (Round or D-Ring)
3 yards of 1.5" wide wired ribbon
21 key rings (1-1/2" diameter)
box of Kleenex hand towels
hot glue gun
hot glue sticks
scissors
Step 1. With your binder open (front cover to the left), place 5 key rings along the left edge with about a 1/2" overhang. Then do the same with 4 key rings each on the top and bottom edges of the inside front and back covers of the binder.
NOTE: I had to choose a D-ring binder because it was the only one in a color that would work with my bathroom. If you are using a D-ring binder, your first key ring on both edges of the back cover will go right around the levers that open the binder rings. If you are using a classic round ring binder, then you can just place the key rings on the back cover just like you would the front cover.
Step 2. To attach each key ring to the binder, put a bead of hot glue on the bottom side of each ring, covering at least 1/2 of the circumference, but not more than 2/3. Then immediately place the ring where you had previously planned and push it down firmly. (TIP: The hot glue cools against the metal after just a few seconds, so you must work quickly. Also, be aware that the metal ring can get very warm for those few seconds, so you should handle it on the end where there is no glue.)
Step 3. With the binder closed and sitting on its flat side, place your box of Kleenex hand towels inside the binder to help you with the next few steps.
Step 4. Unroll the 3 yards of wired ribbon from the spool and cut it in half with the scissors to make two 1-1/2 yard pieces.
Step 5. Tightly tie one end of one ribbon to the top binder ring.
Step 6. With the box of Kleenex hand towels inside the binder, feed the other end of the ribbon into the first ring on the front cover and then back and forth through the key rings to lace the front and back covers together, making sure the ribbon is not twisted.
Step 7. Feed the same ribbon through the first key ring on the side of the binder. Then feed it through back and forth through the next two rings. If you've done this correctly, then the end of the ribbon should hang down the front of your holder.
Step 8. Repeat Steps 5, 6, and 7 with the second piece of ribbon on the the bottom of the binder.
Step 9. Trim the ribbon that is hanging down the front of your nearly completed holder so that they are similar in length. Then dovetail the ends by folding the ribbon in half lengthwise and cutting the end off at a slant towards the folded edge.
Step 10. Tie the two pieces of ribbon into a bow, making sure to secure it to the center key ring while tying it.
The results of our project . . .
This holder for the Kleenex hand towels can sit on a flat surface, if you have the space. If you do not have the extra space like me, it can sit on top of your towel bar. The great thing is that you can still use the towel bar for your regular hand towels and the holder actually keeps the towels in place nicely. No more finding my hand towels falling halfway off the bar or on the floor!
Join the 14 million people who have already joined the Clean Hands campaign by using Kleenex Hand Towels, and click here for savings and more!
I was selected for participation in this campaign as a member of Clever Girls Collective.