Hope Tull has revealed how a common household item can be used to double storage space on your bookshelf – and the hack has since gone viral on social media with people praising her method
We’re always on the hunt for clever hacks to squeeze a bit more storage out of our living spaces, and it’s a real win when we can repurpose something that otherwise would’ve ended up in the bin.
That’s exactly what book lover Hope Tull did, turning to TikTok to share her ingenious tip for shelf space maximisation using an everyday object destined for recycling. Her video has since gone viral online, with a staggering 4.6 million viewers tuning in to her wisdom.
The key to her success? Egg cartons. Hope penned the caption alongside her clip: “Haha so glad to have enough egg cartons I can rescue the Shatter Me series [books by Tarereh Mafi] that was being used as leverage.”
Her method is simple yet brilliant: she cleared her bookshelf, placed two egg cartons at the back, and then stacked books atop them. This created an elevated row, allowing room for another layer of books directly underneath – all on the same shelf.
The result? A perfectly visible double-decker display of book titles, effectively doubling her shelf capacity. TikTok users were quick to sing her praises, with one commenting: “Great way to reuse something rather than buying new!”
Another admired the cost-effectiveness, adding: “This is much smarter then buying those wooden risers. And cheap.” A third enthused: “Finding your page has made my BookTok experience so much better!” A fourth praised Hope: “That’s genius. So much easier then the cut stacked boxes I’ve dealt with for years.”
Meanwhile a creative individual shared their own twist on the hack: “I’ve been doing this for years. Also I put lavender and penny gum branches inside. Keeps bugs away from my precious books and smells divine.” To which Hope replied: “Such a smart idea! I put a drop of peppermint but I’ll have to try and add those too! “.
However, some words of caution were also offered among the comments, section including one response, which read: “Librarian checking in here. You should try to leave an inch between your books and the bookshelf for airflow. It helps books not develop mould.”
Echoing the sentiment, another penned: “Be careful of mould with the books touching the shelf. I would put a little purifier somewhere to avoid mould.” And third TikTok user noted: “Egg cartons can sometimes harbour cockroach eggs. I suggest using something else. The idea is great, though.”
