AutoHotKey script merger: double-click Windows Explorer to go up a folder level, double-click Desktop to toggle your icons.
Stardock WindowFX and Stardock Fences both offer the option to hide your desktop icons when you double-click the desktop. Both of those softwares are good, but a bit overkill if you just want to toggle your desktop icons.
Ejie Clover adds Chromium 54-style tabs to Windows Explorer, and a "double-click to go up a folder level" function. It is glitchy Chinese software (if you want to use it, I recommend this repack by ElChupacabra, which is up-to-date and uses an English-language installer). I currently use NurgoSoftware's TidyTabs, as it works a lot better with multiple windows than does Clover. It doesn't have a double-click to go up a folder level function, though.
That's where this Autohotkey script comes in, merging multiple existing sources to create one double-click script. When you double-click blank space in Windows Explorer, it will send you up a folder level. When you double-click your desktop, you will toggle the visibility of the mess you left there. Enjoy, and live long and prosper!