5 clever ways to use a tension rod around the house – the tried and tested uses to make your life easier

Here at Ideal Home, we love to explore the different clever and creative ways to use an underutilised tool, item or even an area of a home. A tension rod is on the menu this time around as there are many useful ways to use one around the house that will make your life so much easier and, in some cases, more aesthetically pleasing.

The sheer potential of tension rods is rarely discovered as most simply see it as a way to put up curtains in a rented home, whether that’s in the windows or in the shower. But in fact, a tension rod like this one from Amazon selling for just £7.99 makes for the perfect wardrobe, living room and kitchen storage idea.

‘When you’re trying to get creative in your home with storage solutions, it sometimes takes a little bit of clever ingenuity to find solutions that don’t cost the earth and looking at items that perhaps we wouldn’t normally look at using,’ says Siân Pelleschi, founder of Sorted! and APDO president.

‘The tension rod has long been established as a solution to hanging the shower curtain. But whatever the need when it comes to either hanging or utilising wasted space, there’s a use for an extendable rod.’

These are 5 of my favourite tried and tested ways to utilise this underappreciated tool.

1. Use it to hang a Christmas garland

If you want to decorate your window, a doorway or a walkway for Christmas - or any other holiday or special occasion for that matter - then going for a garland is the perfect way to do it. But hanging it could be a challenging feat – but not with a tension rod to hand as many social media content creators have discovered and made the DIY door garland hack go viral last Christmas.

It’s just as popular this festive season, however, you could use this hack during any season of the year and hang up an Easter-themed garland in the spring, a floral one in the summer or a Halloween garland design come October.

2. Hang clothes or accessories

‘In wardrobes, they can be great as an additional hanging rail if you need to change the hanging options around,’ Siân says.

This handy wardrobe organiser is the perfect place to store scarves, hang hats on some S hooks like these from Amazon or any other wardrobe accessories for that matter. ‘In wardrobes, rods can organise scarves or hats, keeping them accessible,’ says Sam Sutherland, Flitch interior stylist.

3. Organise your kitchen utensils

Both my drawer reserved for cutlery and kitchen utensils and my worktop utensil holder are at full capacity. So finding more space for my utensils is a priority. And while I’ve considered a rail, I’m renting so therefore I’m not at liberty to make holes in the tiling. But using a tension rod instead of a rail is the perfect alternative.

‘In kitchens, they can act as a hanging rail for utensils, saving counter space,’ Sam confirms.

4. Maximise under-sink storage

‘Utilise them in spaces that would otherwise be wasted space like under sinks,’ Siân recommends.

Tension rods are indeed the perfect tool for organising under the sink and hanging your spray cleaning products – that way making space for other products and utilising dead space. But equally, you can use a tension rod in utility rooms or even the shed to hang various tools.

‘Alternatively, use them for hanging tools in your garden shed or garage, for shoes in your entrance hall or anywhere where you may need to hang things,’ Siân says.

5. Create an indoor herb garden

‘Use them in windows to create a hanging herb garden,’ Sam suggests.

If you want to incorporate some herb plants into your kitchen but lack the counter or windowsill space, then suspending your herbs from a tension rod using hooks and some macrame plant hangers like this set of three at Amazon will make sure they don’t take up any precious space but still get enough sunlight.

How are you going to use a tension rod in your home? The possibilities are endless so I’m curious.