Store Leftover Acrylic Paint With A Simple Dollar Tree DIY Hack

If you're an artist, crafter, or parent, it's likely that you have a bin full of disorganized bottles of acrylic paint stuffed into a cabinet somewhere. It's no surprise why — these bottles are notoriously difficult to store and sort through thanks to their relatively small size, but it's also unlikely that one project will require you to use more than a few tablespoons of paint. Luckily, TikTok creator Lindsay McWilliams created a clever DIY solution to this problem using only items from the dollar store, meaning you'll have a more convenient way to store paints without breaking the bank on an expensive organizer.

Her video showing how to create this paint storage tower has amassed over 21 million views since it was originally posted, and it's likely this hack's ease and low cost that made it so popular. To do it yourself, all you need is three main items: a metal paper towel holder, four napkin holders, and zip ties. Each of these items is available at Dollar Tree, so, despite the chain's recent increase in prices at most stores, the grand total should still be less than $8.

Dollar Tree hack for storing acrylic paint bottles

To begin, you're going to want to gather your supplies. Dollar Tree only sells items online in bulk, so, unless you're planning to create an army of paint towers, it's best to head into your local store. You'll need one of their Cooking Concepts Nickel Covered Wire Paper Towel Holders, four of the Cooking Concepts Wire Napkin Holders, and a pack of their Tool Bench 8-in Nylon Cable Ties or any other zip ties you have on hand.

In her TikTok, Lindsay McWilliams begins with the paper towel holder standing upright. She turns the napkin holders on their side so the bottom is aligned with the vertical piece of the paper towel holder and zip ties the two pieces together. From there, she does the same with the other three, until she's left with a tree with four sections. After trimming down the zip ties, McWilliams is able to store about 24 standard-sized bottles of acrylic paint in the tower while still keeping them visible and easily accessible for future projects.

While Lindsay McWilliams uses her newly built tower for paint bottles, there are plenty of other uses for the same structure around your home. On the listing on Dollar Tree's website, this napkin holder is about 2 ½ inches deep and the rounded sections seem to have a width of just under 2 inches, so anything that's longer than 2 ½ inches with a diameter smaller than 2 inches should fit. One of the most commonly-shared ideas is to use this DIY as a rack to organize your spice cabinet, but it could also be used to display mini alcohol bottles as a party decoration or store travel-size bottles of toiletries for guests in the bathroom.

As with any other hack, you also have the ability to customize the final product to your liking. Spray paint each piece before assembling to create a tree that matches your space, look to different stores to find your items if you don't have a Dollar Tree nearby, or add a Lazy Susan underneath for even easier access in tight spaces. Alter the plan to what works for you, and you'll be sure to be left with a storage solution that's both useful and wallet-friendly.