5 WAYS TO RE-USE TP TUBES

We're saving tp tubes now?

There was a time when I loved arts 'n crafts. I probably could have figured how to reuse a lot of things, as my kids often do (they don't have Play Station so they get pretty creative in their free time). Toilet Paper tubes are still bio-degradable that means we can do a lot of safe things with them. Here are 5:








1. Cable holders

Image: GoodHousekeeping

Are your cables in a bunch? Look at the area behind your telly or stereo and tell me all is well. I know, it's like a cable orgy, right? Well, some genius somewhere suggests that we can end this mess by folding up our cables neatly and squeeze into the TP tube as a cheap way to keep your cables organised. You could also label the cable, letting you know which equipment it belongs to, or go as far as decorating it with fancy tape to match your curtains!

Image: GoodHousekeeping

2. Pen Holders
How now? You'll need about 6 or a dozen for this to look sensible. Using maskin tape, stack the TP tubes next to each other and tape them together. There's your pen holder! I'm a teacher so I love this idea because now I can actually floss my pens on my desk instead of hiding them in the drawer. But maskin tape is ugly, so why not paint the tubes in different colours then stick them together using glue. Now you have a beautiful pen holder.

Image: The Seaman Mom

3. Phone Stand
I've always wanted to keep my phone upright while I do my work. Why does it have to lie flat on the table just sleeping when everyone else is busy doing the grind? Phones should stand. That's why some geek somewhere created the first ever phone stand using toilet paper tubes. Genius right? You'll need to cut out the cross section shape of your phone on the tube so that you can slip your cell into this hole/slit. Use thumb tacks to form 'legs' for the stand and voila, a mobile phone stand. This could be useful for...

Image: Bright Settings

4. Napkin Rings
I don't use table napkins so I'm not sure why you would need napkin rings. Besides, I would rather create an origami fold with the napkin. But if you're into table napkins and you want to look classy but lack the mula to get real ones, then you can use TP tubes. I think it would be wiser to use the kitchen paper towel tubes for this because it's just more sanitary. Simply cut up the tube into several rings. Give it some beautiful paint job to match your napkins and there you have it.

5. Seedling Pots
Now how could I write a post without giving tribute to the environment or mother nature? I couldn't resist. Simply cut one end and fold to create a bottom for the little pot. Put in some soil and plant your seeds. When the seedling is ready for potting, you could simply pot it along with its TP tube since TP tubes are still bio-degradable and will eventually break down as nature intended. And guess what, these TP seedling pots look better undecorated. Just plain. Earthy. Beautiful.

Image: Recycle for Wales

There are thousands of ways to re-use toilet paper tubes (yeah, thousands...!) but these are my best 5. Are there other ways to repurpose household 'trash'? Tell me. I promise, I won't trash it.