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How to Turn a Toilet Paper Tube into a Car Dash Mount for Your Phone

Jun 17, 2012 05:37 PM
Jun 17, 2012 05:39 PM
Smartphone next to a cardboard tube.

Everyone knows that using your phone and driving is illegal, and rightfully so. Tons of people die on the road everyday due to careless people texting or calling someone. Everybody knows that it's wrong, yet everyone still does it anyway.

Unfortunately, there are some of us that actually need to use our phone while driving. Some use it as a GPS or to track miles, and some of us even need it for employment (mainly delivery drivers).

Even more unfortunate is the fact that store-bought phone dash mounts can cost upwards of 20 dollars! So, I'm here to solve that problem, as long as you can get over the obvious aesthetic issues.

Materials

  • Cardboard toilet paper tube
  • Cotton Swabs
  • Duct tape
  • Razor blade

Cut the Tube

Using your razor blade, cut the toilet paper tube length-wise into one sheet of cardboard.

Utility knife next to a wooden holder on a countertop.

Measure and Fold

Slide your phone into the cut tube and fold the edges over it so that there is a small gap in-between.

Hand holding a smartphone with a cardboard holder.

Fold the Tube

Fold the tube in half with the creased edges you measured in the previous step facing outwards.

Origami paper wallet on a textured surface.

Reinforce

Remove several strips of duct tape and begin reinforcing the cardboard.

Roll of gray tape being unrolled on a dark countertop.

Remember the important places such as the edges.

Cardboard structure with silver tape on its sides.

And the front.

A partially opened package wrapped in silver tape.

Support the Back

Remove a strip of duct tape and place it on the backside of the mount, stretching from the bottom to the top.

Cardboard model with duct tape detail on a wooden surface.

Fold Cotton Swabs

Take two cotton swabs and fold the tips on both swabs inward.

Two cotton swabs arranged in a butterfly shape on a brown surface.

Add More Support

Take the two folded cotton swabs from Step 6 and affix them to the underside of the tape you placed in Step 5.

How to Turn a Toilet Paper Tube into a Car Dash Mount for Your Phone

These will make sure your phone doesn't topple back out of the rig. Place your phone in the rig to make sure it is sturdy enough. If it doesn't support your phone fully, add another cotton swab. Once you have found the correct number to support the weight of your phone, wrap duct tape around the swabs to keep them in place.

Pencil holder made from cardboard and tape.

Secure It to Your Car Dash

Now the only thing left is to place the mount on your dash. If you're only going to use it once, then a rolled up piece of duct tape should do fine to secure it. However, if you plan to use it a lot, consider two strips of sticky backed Velcro.

Smartphone mounted on a car dashboard.

Your mount is now finished! Do you have any better ideas on how to make a phone dash mount? What are they? Sound off below!

The next big software update for iPhone is coming sometime in April and will include a Food section in Apple News+, an easy-to-miss new Ambient Music app, Priority Notifications thanks to Apple Intelligence, and updates to apps like Mail, Photos, Podcasts, and Safari. See what else is coming to your iPhone with the iOS 18.4 update.

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