- For a quick and easy trick, loop your charger’s cord in a circle and wrap the phone over the charger. Let the phone rest in the bottom of the loop on top of the cord.
- You can buy a sleek and simple phone holder that attaches to your wall for $10-20 if you want a simple, permanent solution to your problem.
- If you’re feeling crafty, you can cut a phone holder out of a used shampoo bottle or sew one out of fabric.
Hanging Your Phone Charger Trick
Plug your charger in and form a loop with the cord. Plug the charger into the outlet and plug the other end into your phone. Form a large loop with the cord by bringing the phone up and to the left so you’re your phone is on top of the charger. This hack is a little risky if your phone case is super heavy. If you’ve got one of those giant industrial cases that can survive a fall from the top of a skyscraper, you may want to remove it before doing this.
Set your phone down in the bottom of the loop. Keep one hand on the loose end of the loop to keep it underneath the charger. Wrap the cord over the charger’s body and pull the phone down on the right towards the bottom of the loop. This should look a little bit like a swing for your phone. The bottom of the loop is the “seat” and the charger itself is the bar holding the swing.
Balance your phone on the cord and let it charge. Lay your phone across the bottom of the loop and very gently allow the phone to weigh the cord down a bit to remove the slack. Then, adjust the loop and phone until your phone is laying flat in the air and let go! Keep your hands underneath the phone for a few seconds in case it falls as the phone settles. While this works, keep in mind that you are letting your phone dangle in the air by a single cord. There’s always a risk your phone falls. If you can, leave a pillow or something soft underneath the phone.
Buying a Phone Holder for Your Wall
Buy a loop mount for an outlet for a simple, cheap solution. Want a lightweight, simple shelf for your phone that you can attach to any outlet? Look for a lightweight wall mount that loops around the outlet or the charger online and pick one up. It shouldn’t cost more than $10-20. There are rubber shelves that hang on the charging port when it’s plugged in, like this phone holder by Bobino. Alternatively, there are shelves that loop around your entire outlet, like this shelf manufactured by Wali.
Install a cheap wall pocket for your phone with screws or tape. If you have a wall outlet you regularly use in your home, why not install a permanent wall mount for it? There are plenty of small wall units for this precise problem! If you don’t want to screw anything into the wall, pick up a holder with a sticky tape backing and stick it on to your wall. Alternatively, you can use a holder that requires screws for a permanent option. There are plenty of phone holders in this style that come in all different shapes and colors. This particular mount is extremely well-reviewed and only costs $9!
Hang a magnetic holder for a slick, modern option. Want something a little cooler than a boring old shelf? Go magnetic! For most of these holders, you simply peel off some sticky tape and stick one side of a magnet on to the wall next to your outlet. Then, you attach a tiny magnet to the back of your phone case. When you want to charge it, simply plug the cord in and then stick your phone to the magnet! According to New York Times, the iOttie magnetic mount is the best phone holder for the car.
Cutting an Empty Bottle Phone Holder
Remove the labels from an old bottle and rinse it out thoroughly. Find an old lotion or shampoo bottle and peel off any labels. Rinse out the bottle to be sure there isn’t any residue left. Dry the bottle thoroughly with a cloth or let it air dry. If there’s sticky residue left from the labels, use a warm water and soap to get rid of it.
Create an upside-down U shape on one side of the bottle near the top. Use a permanent marker to draw the upside-down U so that the curve of the U is about 1–2 inches (2.5–5.1 cm) from the top of the bottle. While the curve of the upside-down U should take up as much of the bottle's width as possible, the legs of the U only need to go halfway down the length of the bottle. The U shape will be the portion of the bottle that you’ll attach to the wall.
Flip the bottle over and draw a horizontal line halfway down the bottle. Use a permanent marker to draw a straight line right across the middle of the bottle. Connect the upside-down U shape and horizontal line on the left and right sides of the bottle so that they're both connected. This should look a little bit like a basic plateau. The horizontal line will become the opening of the pocket for the phone.
Trace your charger inside the upside-down U shape. This is where the holder will fit over the hook or adapter. Place your power adapter in the center of the U shape's curve and trace around it to create a hole large enough to fit over it. Another way to get an accurate square is to measure your adapter and transfer the measurements to the bottle. If you make a mistake while using the permanent marker, use a paper towel or cotton ball soaked in acetone to erase the lines.
Cut the bottle according to your markings using sharp scissors. Go along the lines you made with the permanent marker and cut off the top of the bottle so that you create a pocket where your phone will sit. Don’t worry if the cut edges of your bottle aren’t perfect or pretty—you can always cover them up later if you’d like. Use a precision knife instead of scissors, if desired.
Decorate the bottle with washi tape or stickers for a playful look. If you don’t care for the plastic bottle vibe, add a few decorations to the bottle to finish it off like tape, ribbons, or any other craft supplies you have. For example, you might add washi tape along the edges of the bottle to make them softer, tie a ribbon around the bottle for a cute look, or cover the plastic bottle in your favorite stickers or glitter. Use acetone and a cotton ball to remove the permanent marker from the bottle if you didn’t perfectly cut.
Use spray paint or acrylic paint on the bottle to cover it completely. While this takes a little more time, it will help make sure your phone holder looks less like a plastic bottle. Use a paint or foam brush to cover the outside of the bottle in acrylic paint or use a can of spray paint to quickly transform the bottle. You could even paint patterns or flowers on your bottle for a unique design.
Attach an adhesive hook to your wall to hang the holder. Purchase a removable hook from your local big box store, remove the adhesive, and place it next to your outlet. Hang the phone holder on the hook using the hollow circle at the top of the bottle and place your phone in the pocket you made by cutting the plastic. It’s okay to hang your new phone holder overtop the adapter if you’re only charging it for a few minutes. Otherwise, hanging it next to the outlet is safer so the holder doesn't accidentally touch the metal prongs and cause melting or other damage.
Sewing a Fabric Phone Holder
Cut 2 fabrics to make 11 in × 6 in (28 cm × 15 cm) upside-down U shapes. Use a pen or marker to draw a large upside-down U on 2 pieces of fabric. Make the U roughly 11 in (28 cm) long and 6 in (15 cm) wide so there’s plenty of room for your phone. Use sharp scissors to cut each piece of fabric. Use any type of fabric you'd like to make the holder.
Sew the fabrics together to create the back of your holder. Place each of the upside-down U shapes on top of one another so they’re all perfectly even. Use a needle and thread or a sewing machine to sew around each edge of the shape to keep them together. It doesn’t matter which type of stitch you use to sew the fabrics together as long as they’re secure. Use sewing pins to keep the fabric in place while you’re sewing if you’d like.
Cut 7 by 6 in (18 by 15 cm) rectangles and sew them together. Pick out 2-3 pieces of fabric and draw a rectangle on them that’s 7 in (18 cm) long and 6 in (15 cm) wide. Once they’re all cut out, place them on top of one another and sew them together. The multiple layers of fabric will help make a thicker and sturdier phone holder. Use sewing pins to keep the rectangle in place against the upside-down U shape.
Place the thick rectangle on top of the U shape so it’s centered. Situate your upside-down U shape so the fabric that you’d like displayed is facing upwards. Set the rectangle on top of the U shape at the bottom, lining up the edges so they’re perfectly in line with the backing. The upside-down U and the rectangle are both 6 in (15 cm) wide, so they should fit nicely inside one another.
Sew the left, right, and bottom edges of the rectangle onto the U shape. Use a needle and thread or a sewing machine to carefully sew the rectangle onto the upside-down U. Only sew the left, right, and bottom edge of the rectangle, leaving the top edge loose to create the pocket.
Cut a large hole in the top of the upside-down U shape. Create a hole large enough to fit over the hook you’ll use or your phone charger’s adapter. Use scissors to cut out the center and add ribbon or string around the hole to hide the cut edges of the fabric if you’d like. Place a circular object or your charger’s plug on top of the fabric and trace around it with a pen, if needed. Glue or sew ribbon around the edges of the hole to make them look better.
Add decorative elements like ribbons onto the edges, if you’d like. If you want to hide the sewn edges of your phone holder, glue ribbon around each edge. Use hot glue to finish it quickly, or even sew the ribbon onto each edge so it’s super secure.
Hang the phone holder on a hook next to a charger to use it. Purchase an adhesive hook and attach it right next to your outlet. Place your phone in your new phone holder using the pocket and put the holder on the hook. Plug the charger in, and you’re all set! It's best not to put fabric directly on top of the adapter in case it accidentally touches the metal prongs, which can be a fire hazard. Always put the fabric holder next to the charger if possible.
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