6 Clever Wine Cork Hacks That Are Sure to Surprise You

Kara S.
by Kara S.
3 Materials
30 Minutes
Easy

Everyone knows (or is) someone who drinks wine. Once the bottle is finished off, you have all the extra corks lying around. I've got 6 useful wine cork hacks to make use of those extra corks!

How to prep the corks

Boiling the wine corks

1. Boil the corks

First, you must boil the corks. This makes them softer, preventing them from crumbling and easier to cut. I boiled mine for 15 min.

Draining the wine corks

2. Drain and dry

Next, drain and dry your corks. It's a little difficult to work with them when they are damp.

Cutting a wine cork

1. DIY chip clip

You can a slit into the cork bottom that goes 1/2 way up the cork. Then, gently stretch the two sides apart.

DIY chip clips made from wine corks

Simply roll down the tops of your open bags and slide on the cork. Boom - instant chip clip!

Wider slits in the corks

2. DIY phone stand

Repeat the same process as hack 1 but make the slit wider. This is also easier if you cut two parallel lines and hollow out the middle.

DIY phone stand made with wine corks

Now you've got the perfect phone stand. This came in handy when I was cooking so I didn't have to have my phone lying on the counter and having to pick it up with messy hands. It also acts as the perfect "cook book stand". It was so simple to read my recipe with the phone was standing up.

Mini clothespin and wine cork

3. DIY picture stand

This one is so simple. All you do is add a little hot glue to your mini clothespin and press it to your uncut cork.

DIY picture stand made with corks

This makes the perfect card, picture or not stand! Instant decor that is made in seconds.

Cutting the cork into discs

4. & 5. Cabinet stoppers & leg ends

Slice the cork like you are cutting a block of cheese. This makes you little disks of cork.

Using the cork discs

With the disks, I used them as cabinet stoppers. This way, when I close my doors they don't slam shut. I also put them under my couch legs to stop them from scratching my hardwood.

Drilling a hole in the cork

6. DIY self-watering plant hack

Simply get out your drill bit and drill the entire way through the cork. My bit wasn't long enough so I had to go in both sides. If you do this, just make sure they connect.

DIY self-watering plant hack

Replace your cork in your wine bottle filled with water and place this upside-down in your house plant. Voila! Instant self-watering plant.


DIY wine cork hacks

There are millions of things you can do with wine corks and I'd love to hear your hacks! Tell me in the comments below. I have to say, I love all these hacks almost as much as I love wine....almost.


DIY wine cork ideas

For more creative ways to use wine corks to make cute home decor, discover the best wine cork DIY ideas on Hometalk.

Suggested materials:
  • Wine Corks   (Amazon)
  • Exacto Knife   (Staples)
  • Mini Close-pin   (Michaels)
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
3 of 15 questions
  • Rachel Rachel on Jan 30, 2017
    some corks are aplastic like cork while others are real cork. Does this work on both?
  • Darrel Rose Darrel Rose on Feb 01, 2017
    On the wine corks on the cabinet doors how do you affix them to the doors, I did not see you use any adhesive of any sort, could you please advise me on what you used for adhesive, thank you for any suggestion you give
  • Margaret Margaret on Feb 01, 2017
    Does the wine cork stay pliable after the initial time of boiling in water or do you have to repeat this step later? In other words after a length of time of not using the corks do the corks go back to being hard and not pliable?
Comments
Join the conversation
2 of 164 comments
  • Car7449182 Car7449182 on Oct 12, 2021

    👍️ Great Ideas!! Thank you so much.🥰

  • Jud73375461 Jud73375461 on Feb 19, 2024

    We use corks that have been primed with a little Vaseline when my granddaughter and I make mini cheesecake bites to tap the graham cracker crust into the pap

    er wraps. The handle of a wooden spoon doesn't make the crust uniform

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