You’ve got a new mirror to hang, or maybe a heavy shelf that needs to go up in the living room. You look at that wall—plain drywall, smooth and innocent—and wonder: will it hold? The answer is yes, but only if you use the right anchor. Drywall is strong enough to hold a painting or a small clock with just a nail, but once you start talking about heavier loads like a towel bar, a floating shelf, or a flat-screen TV, you need something that grabs into the wall deeper than a nail can reach. That’s where wall anchors come in.

Wall anchors are clever little devices that expand behind your drywall to distribute the weight of whatever you are hanging. They turn a simple hole into a solid grip that can hold ten, twenty, even fifty pounds depending on the type you choose. The key is matching the anchor to the weight of your item and the thickness of your wall. Most interior walls are made of half-inch drywall, which is actually pretty tough once you give it the right helper.

The simplest kind of anchor is the expansion anchor, often made of plastic. You drill a hole, push the anchor in, and then drive your screw into it. The sides of the anchor expand outward like little wings, gripping the back of the drywall. These are perfect for medium-weight objects like a coat rack or a small medicine cabinet. They are cheap, easy to find at any hardware store, and you can install one in about thirty seconds.

If you need something stronger, consider a molly bolt. A molly bolt looks like a metal sleeve with a screw inside. When you tighten the screw, the sleeve collapses and forms a broad flange on the back side of the drywall. This gives you a much bigger surface area to hold the weight. Molly bolts are great for things like curtain rods, large mirrors, or shelves that will hold books. The only catch is that if you ever remove the screw, the molly sleeve stays in the wall, so you’ll have a permanent sleeve sticking out unless you cut it flush.

For the heaviest items—think a heavy mirror, a wall-mounted desk, or a big TV—you want a toggle bolt. A toggle bolt has a spring-loaded wing that folds back as you push it through the hole, then pops open once it is past the drywall. When you tighten the screw, that wing presses against the inside of the wall, distributing the load across a large area. Toggle bolts can hold several hundred pounds if you use enough of them. The down side is that drilling the hole has to be big enough to let the folded wing through, so you need a larger diameter hole. And if you ever need to remove it, the wing will fall off behind the wall, leaving you with a small metal piece rattling around in the cavity. That’s okay for most home projects, just something to be aware of.

Another popular option is the self-drilling drywall anchor, sometimes called a Zip-It or a drywall screw anchor. These are shaped like a coarse screw with a sharp tip. You can often drive them straight into the drywall without pre-drilling. As they go in, they cut threads into the gypsum and pull tight against the board. They are fast and convenient, great for hanging items like a towel bar or a small shelf. However, they don’t have the same holding power as a toggle bolt for very heavy loads.

When choosing an anchor, always check the weight rating printed on the package. Most manufacturers list the maximum recommended load for half-inch drywall. It’s wise to go a little lower than that for safety, especially if the item will be bumped or if you have children around. And remember that the mounting location matters: if you hit a stud, you don’t need an anchor at all—a screw driven into a wood stud can hold immense weight. That’s always the best option, so try to find studs with a stud finder whenever possible. Anchors are for those spots where there’s no stud behind the drywall.

Installation is straightforward. Mark your spot, drill a pilot hole the size recommended on the anchor package, tap the anchor in flush with the wall, and then drive your screw into it. For toggle bolts, you put the screw through your bracket first, attach the wing, then push the whole assembly through the wall and tighten. The trick is to not overtighten—you can crush the drywall or spin the anchor loose. Stop when the bracket feels snug against the wall.

So next time you need to hang something that a simple nail cannot handle, reach for an anchor. They might look small and humble, but they turn a weak spot into a solid mount. And that peace of mind—knowing your shelf won’t come crashing down in the middle of the night—is worth the few extra minutes it takes to install them correctly.