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Uses for Toilet Paper Rolls

By , About.com Guide

Toilet paper rolls are as useful as the toilet paper that comes on them. Check out these clever uses for toilet paper rolls. Then, invent your own.

Seed Pots

Toilet Paper Roll Seed PotPhoto © Erin Huffstetler

Cut down on your seed starting costs by making your own seed pots out of toilet paper rolls. It's easy and environmentally-friendly, too.

Protect Seedlings from Cutworms

Fight cutworms the non-chemical way. A simple collar cut out of a toilet paper roll and tucked around the base of your seedlings will keep cutworms from munching on your young plants.

Compost

Compost Toilet Paper RollsPhoto © Erin Huffstetler

Tear toilet paper rolls up into smaller pieces, and add them to your compost pile. In the world of compost, they count as a brown.

Bird Feeder

Coat a toilet paper roll in peanut butter; roll it in bird seed; and you have a classic bird feeder.

Tame Cords

Organize Cords and WiresPhoto © Erin Huffstetler
Keep extension cords, Christmas lights and electronic adapters tidy and tangle-free when there not in use by winding them up and slipping them inside of a toilet paper roll. You can even make a note on the roll to remind you what the wire is for.

Organize Hair Elastics

Organize Hair ElasticsPhoto © Erin Huffstetler

Keep your bathroom vanity neat – and your hair elastics easy to find – by slipping them over a toilet paper roll.

Store Wrapping Paper

Organize Wrapping PaperPhoto © Erin Huffstetler
Tired of having to wind up your wrapping paper again and again? Just cut a slit all the way up one side of a toilet paper roll, and slide the resulting cuff over your wrapping paper to end the problem permanently.

Store Kids Artwork

Organize Kids' ArtworkPhoto © Erin Huffstetler

Roll up any of your kids' art projects that you want to keep, and slip a toilet paper roll over each one. Then, store all of those precious creations upright in a clean wastebasket.

Tip: Write your child's name and the date on the toilet paper roll, so you won't have to rely on your memory years from now.

Fire Starters

Toilet Paper Roll Fire StarterPhoto © Erin Huffstetler

Stuff a toilet paper roll with dryer lint, and you have the perfect fire starter without any outlay.

Pet Toy

Skip the pricey pet toys. Hamsters, gerbils and rabbits all enjoy playing with (and munching on) empty toilet paper rolls.

Tip: If you don't have any small pets, many animal shelters accept toilet paper rolls.

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