There’s a tube at the center of every roll of toilet paper. And there are many, many rolls of toilet paper. Every bathroom, every home, every business, every plumber, millions and millions of rolls. And you recycle ‘em, sure, but what if you could keep them out of the bin all together?

Well, you can. That little piece of cardboard can serve a multitude of functions, and I don’t just mean children’s craft projects. Here’re my top ten best ideas:

1. These DIY gift boxes are amazingly adorable and I can’t believe they’re made of TP rolls. They’re just perfect for the upcoming holiday season – and they’d be great for holding a simple handwritten card, too!

2. Speaking of the upcoming holiday season, you can keep your wrapping paper from unrolling and getting crumpled, simply by cutting a TP tube down one side and then slipping it over the paper roll, like a sheath.

3. In a similar vein, sections of TP tubes are the perfect size for napkin rings! Just cover them in scraps of pretty fabric, contact paper, wrapping paper, glitter, or anything else you can imagine. They look adorable and no one’s the wiser.

4. Use TP tubes to organize cables and cords, by neatly folding the cord and then slipping the roll around the middle. For small enough cords, like iPad chargers, the entire cord will fit inside the TP roll. Then you can stack a bunch of rolls, side by side on their ends, to contain and display your various electronic accessories. Electricians from Charlotte all the way to Seattle have known this trick for eons.

5. Re-roll your string. So your cat (or kid) got into your knitting basket and made a mess of your precious yarn. To re-roll everything up and keep it from getting all tangled, just make a slit in one end of the TP tube and tuck one end of the string in there. Now, wind the string around the tube, moving it up and down so it evenly distributes. Leave the bottom half bare for a little “handle.”

6. Organizing your “bands.” By which I mean, the rubber bands in your junk drawer, the hair ties in your bathroom, etc. You'll be able to keep everything clutter-free and easy to access.

7. Use them as hair rollers. Yup! Just add bobby pins and a shower cap, and you’re good to go.

8. Start seedlings in them. This is an awesome DIY project for getting your spring garden all set up in perfect little compostable containers.

9. Make a simple bird feeder by spreading peanut butter over the tube and then rolling it in bird seed. Once it’s dry it’ll slip right over a skinny branch, for super easy set-up.

10. At the very least, use your tube as kindling to start a fire. To make the kindling, just cut the roll into thin strips. Or, to make a little “log,” stuff a whole tube with newspaper, packed tight, and tape up the ends. Once you get the “log” going, it can help act as an intermediate between the quick-burning kindling and a slow-starting piece of wood.

Updated May 1, 2018.