12 things you should be doing with Command Hooks

Command Hooks are great for temporarily hanging things for the holidays, like string lights, stockings or a wreath on your front door. But the rest of the year there are a number of ways in which you can use those plastic hooks more permanently.

Here's a bunch of things you should be using Command Hooks for!

A while back, we showed you a very helpful way to mount your tablet inside the door of a cabinet so you can read recipes (or...watch Netflix!) while you cook.

The thing is, you can use this same mounting method to hang your tablet on walls throughout your house. Maybe you want to hang it beside your bed, on the wall in the kitchen instead of inside a cabinet door, or in the bathroom to play your favorite Netflix show while you get ready in the morning.

Now, go crazy and mount tablets all around the house!

Not all trash cans are equal. Some are slightly undersized and not quite large enough to hold your standard trash bag in place as you fill it.

To fix this problem on any size trash can, all you need are a couple Command Hooks. Insert the trash bag and place two Command Hooks upside down on opposing sides. Stretch the two drawstring handles of the trash bag over the hooks and the trash bag will remain in place. 

If you've run out of space in your drawers or cabinets, you can quickly add more storage by mounting a small basket or tray inside the cabinet door or along the inside wall of the cabinet with some hooks.

For this, you will need a mesh metal or faux-woven plastic basket (pictured) and the medium-size metal wire Command Hooks.

Slide two metal hooks through holes in the mesh or faux weave on opposite ends of the same side of the basket. Apply the Command Strips to the hooks and firmly press in place.

To keep the basket from resting at a downward angle, it may be necessary to bend the ends of the hooks in. I also added several layers of double-sided foam tape to the bottom edge of the basket to give it some additional support and hold it up higher. You can throw lightweight toiletries, makeup or other small objects in this basket for safekeeping.

Aluminum foil, cling wrap, wax paper and all the other rolls of materials in the kitchen take up a ton of drawer space. Instead of storing them in the drawer, hang them inside a cabinet door with a couple Command Hooks. The hooks will hold the rolls in place as you choose a length and use the tear strip.

Of all the things in the bathroom, one of the worst things to store is a hair dryer. They tend to be rather bulky, oddly shaped and always in the way.

Most hair dryers, however, come with a small loop at the base of the handle to hang them. If you don't already have a place you like to hang your hair dryer, use a medium-size Command Hook to hang it inside your cabinet door. This makes it accessible while also keeping it out of the way.

If the Wi-Fi in your home isn't fast enough, it could be that your router doesn't provide great coverage. Try moving it to a more central location and placing it higher.

An easy way to do this is to mount it to the wall with Command Hooks (and hook and loop tape on the underside). This will help you keep the router away from possible interference and let you mount it as high as you want. Cable management, however, is the tricky part.

If, like me, you have a mostly open design standing desk, you know just how problematic cable management can be. But you can tame the cables using just two Command Hooks.

Group the cables together so that they all come to the underside of the desk at the same point. Pull them taut and adhere a Command Hook where it will hold the cables with a small amount of tension. This will keep them inside the shallow hook.

Take the second Command Hook and place it facing the opposite direction, close to the leg of the desk. Make sure this hook is placed so that it maintains the tension on the cables. With this setup, the hooks are pulling against one another, gently, but enough so that the cables stay in place but aren't difficult to reposition or readjust, if needed.

Since the second hook is near one of the legs, you can then use velcro straps or another tie method to group and hide them behind the leg.

We recently showed you how to build your own headphone hanger for your desk with some steel pipe and a few screws. Not everyone needs to bolt a large, L-shaped pipe to their desk though. Not everyone has a large pair of over-the-ear headphones, either.

Another way to keep your headphones organized and away from desk clutter is by installing a Command Hook on the side of your desktop monitor.

Next time you're done with your headphones, wrap them as you normally would and hang them on this hook instead of tossing them in the drawer and spending 5 minutes untangling them.

Another helpful use for Command Hooks in the kitchen is to hang a measuring cup or spoon on a storage container you use regularly.

For example, I like to keep a container of oatmeal on the kitchen counter, and I use a measuring cup to measure out exact portions. Rather than digging through the drawer in search of the measuring cup I use every morning, I slapped on a Command Hook and just hung the cup on the oatmeal container.

If you're constantly misplacing your sunglasses or leaving them in random places around the house, consider hanging them by the door with a Command Hook. Not all command hooks will work with all sunglasses, though. So you may need to get creative in the way you hang them or carefully choose the right hook.

You can even use more decadent hooks or make the basic white hooks look better with some spray paint.

If you have important documents that you keep on a clipboard or want to organize a few stacks of paper with binder clips, you can quickly get them up and off your desk with a Command Hook system.

I currently have a clipboard-style calendar hanging this way in my kitchen. If you don't like the way Command Hooks look for hanging decor, Command has started making clear and more stylish-looking hooks.

An easy way to hang your belts is over the hook end of a clothes hanger or adding some S hooks to the hanging system in your closet.

Another way is to make use of the unused space on the wall in your closet is by installing a Command Hook (or two) specifically for belts.