I have been trying to be more conscience about the amount of trash we produce as a family, and I realized one of the big contributors was paper towels. I purchased these cloths from Trader Joe’s and had been keeping one on the counter behind our sink.
Reaching for that, instead of a paper towel was definitely reducing our waste, but I was not a fan of the rag just laying there next to our faucet.
I wanted to make a little rack to hang it on and after some consideration about materials, and a stroll through Home Depot, I thought copper pipe could do the trick.
By purchasing a $9 pipe cutter I was able to make all the cuts I needed from one pipe, with some to spare. All materials totaled about $20, including the cutter which I know I will use again. They supplies are all easily found in the plumbing supplies aisle at Home Depot.
From your length of pipe you will need to cut the below pieces:
Marking and cutting the pipe is quite simple. For visibility in these photos I use a Sharpie, but a pencil works well and comes of easier, should you need to remove it.
Measure your lengths and mark with your pencil.
Make sure your cutter is open enough for the width of the pipe and line up the blade with your mark.
Tighten the cutter firmly around your pipe and start to twist. You’ll see that it is making a groove in the pipe.
Tighten after each turn (you’ll feel it give a bit when you’ve made a complete rotation), until you’ve cut through.
Do this until you have all the pieces cut. I found this process fun, and almost soothing in a way. It was definitely satisfying to hear that ‘pop’ come when I broke thru the pipe . I will need to come up with more pipe projects so I can make more cuts.
Now it’s time to assembly the pieces, like grown up Tinker Toys!
First, attach a T connector to the bottom of a 4-1/2 inch piece, and then insert (2) 1-inch pieces into the ends.
Then cover the ends of the 1-inch pieces with 2 of the caps.
Do this for both legs of the drying rack.
Next take the 3-inch piece and add your elbows to each side.
The top bar will now attach to the 2 legs and your rack is assembled!
I thought about painting the copper white and/or champagne bronze to match our kitchen fixtures, but for now I’ll keep the copper and see how it patinas.
I think having this little sytem in place by the sink with help me continue to reduce our dependence on paper towel and in return help the environment and maybe even save a few bucks.
Mug Makes! 