Creative Uses for Wine Racks

Wine racks are great for holding wine bottles, but they can serve a lot of other uses. Here are a few ideas for what to do with spare wine racks.



1) Mail holder

Separate out everyone's mail with an empty wine rack, or use a few empty spots of your existing wine rack. If smaller mail keeps falling through, put a colored file folder in first to serve as a shelf.

2) File organizer

This is a similar idea to the mail holder, but for office papers or school papers. You could, for example, use a wine rack for eight bottles to hold six different kinds of files: one slot for mail going out, one slot for papers for next actions, a couple of slots for different kinds of reference materials, and the last slot for an active project. Or use the wine rack for a magazine holder or rack.

3) Pet bird perch

A friend of mine has a small parrot who decided his favorite spot was on a metal wine rack. He was so persistent about it, she finally flipped it over to make it sturdier, and now lets him sit on it all the time - in his cage. This works for parakeets and finches, too, if their cages are roomy enough to still give them room to fly around. Obviously this is for small wine racks only.

4) Tomato cage

Larger wne racks can be brought out to the garden and used to support tomatos or even heavier vegatables like zucchini or eggplant. If you have a robust sense of humor, put a few empty wine bottles in for a conversation piece.

5) Earring and jewelry holder

Showcase your jewelry with a wall mounted wine rack. You can fit earrings, necklaces and all sorts of things on an bottle wine rack. Smaller pieces of clothing also work on wine racks, like scarves and even high heeled shoes.

6) Utensil holder

Have you seen the grid system that hangs off the wall for kitchen storage. You can modify a wine rack to work the same way. Get some hooks and a hanging wine rack and you can put all your large cooking utensils and a few small pots up and out of the way. Coffee mugs can be hung this way, too.

7) Towel rack

Maximize air circulation in a new way: hang your towels on the wine rack. You can also roll dry towels up for easy access, and even toilet paper can be stowed in the lower holes. If you can find a box or container that fits the wine holes you'll also be able to stow extra soap and shampoo. This can be a great way to make use of a very small space in some bathrooms, and remember -- there's always wall space for a hanging wine rack.

8) Other bottles

Wine racks can also be great for holding cooking oils, bottled water, soda, and any other liquid that comes in a medium sized bottle or larger.

9) Silverware holder

Flip your wine rack over, drop in a clear glass or two, and you've got a handy holder for silverware. It can even be used to hold a flower vase.