At first glance, silicone baking mats don't seem all that hard to store, right? They're practically weightless, so you should be able to store them anywhere. The problem is that they're floppy and won't stand up on their own.

So what do you do? Roll them up! But now the problem is that they don't want to stay rolled, and that is a dilemma. Rubber bands don't slide on easily, and twist-ties are awkward. I've seen a fairly involved technique involving wrapping them up in a dish towel and tucking the ends under, but why would I want to add bulk inside any of my cabinets? And of course, you can buy a special gadget — which looks like a slap bracelet from the '90s — just for these purposes.

Fortunately, we've come up with a solution that's better than all of those ideas.

Just use scissors to cut a four-inch segment off the empty paper towel tube; it doesn't have to be exact. (And yes, a toilet paper roll works just as well.) Then, roll up your baking mat and slide it through so that the tube sits in the middle. See? You don't need to use the whole tube because that would be too hard to push the mat through, so just a few inches is perfect.

This smart upcycling technique is brilliant for a couple reasons. Paper towel tubes are the perfect width to accommodate a rolled-up baking mat, they're free (once you use up those paper towels), and once the mats are in the paper towel tubes it's so much easier to figure out how to store them. You can stick a roll into a drawer, slide it in between items on the shelf, or stack a few next to your baking sheets.

Related: Why Every Home Baker Should Own a Silicone Mat