Make Paper Towel Tubes Useful

Do you find yourself with paper towel tubes lying around and not sure what to do with them? Besides recycling, here are a bunch of really useful way to utilize those nifty little tubes. (Making them into swords did not make the list)

List is courtesy of mnn.org

• Stuff plastic grocery store bags into one tube (can hold about 20) and keep in your car to use anytime a plastic bag would be convenient on the go. (via The Frugal Duchess)
• Tightly roll up a special piece of children’s artwork and place it in the tube. Identify what is in the tube on the outside of it with a permanent marker. (via The Frugal Duchess)
• Flatten a paper towel tube, duct tape one end shut, and you have a perfect sheath for a picnic/camp knife. Use toilet paper rolls for smaller cutlery (via Reader’s Digest)
• Transport paint brushes back and forth to painting class. Just stuff a paper towel in bottom and drop brushes in. (via make-stuff.com)
• Store cords in the tubes. Wrap the cords and then slip a tube over them for tangle free storage (via Lifehacker)
• Make pots for seedlings by cutting the tubes into thirds, folding the bottoms together, and filling with soil (via Restoring Simplicity)
• Make kindling bundles for campfires or fireplaces. Snap twigs the length of the tube and pack in tightly enough that they don't slip back out. Keep them on hand to use to build a fire, or to toss in to revive a dying one. (via The Frugal Life)

Can't wait to try some of these out actually myself. Do you have any other uses we should know about? Let us know in the comments below.