9 Surprising Uses For Bungee Cords

Uses for bungee cords include hanging up paper towel rolls, keeping shopping bags under control in the car, toting your yoga mat, and even adding curtains to a curtain rod with no hardware.

Bungee cords are a bit like duct tape; there are so many uses for them that it pays to keep them on hand! I know my husband has a pile of bungee cords somewhere in our garage, but I hadn’t considered how I could put them to good use until recently.

In this post, I’ll share a few surprising uses for bungee cords you may not have thought of before. From securing and storing your stuff to getting more organized, that pile of bungee cords in your garage has plenty of hidden potential! :-)

9 Things You Can Do With Bungee Cords

Use a bungee cord to suspend your canning jar lids under a shelf.

1. Store Canning Rings

Use a short bungee cord to hang up your canning rings! It keeps them up out of the way, but you’ll still be able to see them. It’s a much better storage solution than tossing them into the bottom of a dark drawer!

Thread a bungee cord through a roll of paper towels and hook the ends on something sturdy for an easy paper towel holder.

2. Hang Paper Towels

Make a temporary paper towel holder using a short bungee cord. Just slide the cord through the center of the roll, then hook it onto something sturdy at both ends. This is a great way to keep paper towels handy while camping or at outdoor parties!

You can use a bungee cord to make a handle for carrying your yoga mat.

3. Yoga Mat Carrier

If you have a bungee cord on hand, you can make a handy strap for your yoga mat! Just hold the center of the cord along the center of your mat. Pull each end of the cord around the mat, and hook each end to the section you’ve held against the mat. The mat will stay rolled up, and it makes a great carrying handle too!

Use a bungee cord stretched over the back seat of your car to suspend baby's favorite toys -- like a toy mobile!

4. Road Trip Entertainment

Need to entertain a baby on a long car ride? String up a bungee cord between the handles in the back seat. Then hang your baby’s favorite toys from it! It’s like a toy mobile that’s perfect for the car.

Related: Healthy Road Trip Snacking

Attach one end of a bungee cord to a post on a car headrest and string it through shopping bag handles before hooking the other end of the bungee cord on the other post. Keeps your shopping from rolling all over the car!

5. Prevent Grocery Bag Spills

Have you ever loaded your groceries into you car, only to have them all spill out of the bags by the time you get home? So frustrating! But you can easily keep your grocery bags upright with just a bungee cord. Feed it through both the handles of each bag, then secure the cord around the headrest of one of your car seats.

Use a bungee cord to keep your groceries from rolling all around - simply string it between the two sides of your trunk and thread it through the bag handles.

You can also implement this system in the back of your car. Just feed the bungee cord through both handles on each grocery bag. Then hook the ends of the cord on either side of your car!

Use a bungee cord around the can to keep trash bags from sliding down.

6. Keep Trash Bags Secure

Speaking of frustration, another pet peeve of mine that bungee cords can solve is trash bags that slip down into the bottom of the garbage can. All you have to do is put the trash bag into the garbage can, then wrap a bungee cord around around the rim and hook the cord to itself. No more slipping and sliding trash bags!

Use a bungee cord around the posts of metal shelving to help keep the items on the shelf from falling off.

7. Shelf Barrier

Wire shelving can be a great way to add extra storage to any room! But you can’t typically fill the shelves too much, or things might topple right off the edges! You can help keep your items on the shelf by stringing a bungee cord across the front edge. You’ll be able to keep more items on the shelf without fear of them falling off.

Need to add a blackout curtain but there are no extra rods on your curtains? Use a bungee cord stretched from one end to the other to hold an extra curtain - you won't be able to see it at all!

8. Add Layers To Curtains

You can use a bungee cord to add another layer to your curtains without installing any additional hardware. Slide the bungee cord through the top of the curtain, and hook it onto your curtain rod at either end. This is an easy way to add a layer of blackout curtains behind your existing curtains to help block more light in a bedroom!

Stretch bungee cords vertically between shelves to keep sheet pans upright while being stored.

9. Cookie Sheet Storage

Storing baking sheets vertically can save you a LOT of space in the kitchen! Use bungee cords to create a brilliantly simple vertical storage solution for your baking sheets. String up a few bungee cords vertically between shelves, then slide your baking sheets between the cords!

Looking For More Posts Like This?

I’ve written dozens of blog posts about creative alternative uses for everyday items, and now there’s a quick and easy way to peruse them!
Check out all of my “Uses For” posts here.

Do you have any other bungee cord uses to add to this list?