Empty Toilet Paper Roll Craft Projects?

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In my internet travels I am frequently running into posts featuring simple craft projects made using empty toilet paper rolls. Perhaps it is just the clean freak in me but I cringe each time I see one. What is especially concerning is that these craft tutorials are often aimed at young children.

Recycling items to be used in craft projects is great but please do not re-use any paper products previously used in your bathroom and this especially more so for those items used for toilet functions. The toilet area can be the perfect breeding
ground for germs and bacteria and hands that reach out to grab that toilet paper may be laden with nasty stuff that a cardboard roll can easily come in contact with.

I don't know the odds of someone catching E.coli from these cardboard rolls but I find the mere thought of using them as a craft supply frightening. Their reuse should never be encouraged and especially when there is such a plentiful supply of other recyclable cardboard that can be used in their stead.

The Toilet is a Breeding Ground for Bacteria

Each person who uses the same bathroom as yourself has the potential to leave behind any illness, bacteria, or germs that they carry along with them. A bathroom can also have a life of its own when it comes to being the perfect breeding ground for mold, bacteria, and germs. There are logical reasons for this.

We all know what goes on in the bathroom. When you have completed your task and the toilet is flushed it sends out a fine mist spray much like that released when a person sneezes. Anything in the toilet at the moment it is flushed has the potential to land on yourself and any other surfaces present within that little room. It's a scary thought.
To ensure we remove any potential contaminants we may have picked up in our visit we generally wash up after having used the facilities but, we may also unwittingly leave behind those very same germs and bacteria that we are currently busy washing off. Our hands are generally not washed when we reach for the toilet paper, flush the toilet, or turn on the tap. Now take just a minute to think about that. So what potential nasties could you be exposing yourself and others to?

As most bathrooms have the potential to be a moist area they are also the perfect room for mold and mildew to grow in. Cleanliness in the bathroom area and of the items leaving it, is very important to keep these risks to a minimum. There are many but here are the most common ones:

e.Coli
Streptococcus aureas
Staphylococcus
Shigellosis bacteria
Hepatitis A
Salmonella
Athlete's Foot or Fungus
In rare instances STD

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There Are Many Cardboard Tubes That Can Be Used

There are a multitude of cleaner cardboard cast offs that can be safely used to satisfy most crafting needs.

Cardboard gift wrapping paper rolls
Paper towel rolls
Kitchen plastic, tinfoil, and wax wrap rolls
Parcel Post tubes
Cardboard art tubes
Construction weight card stock paper.

You can also easily make your own cardboard rolls from a recycled cereal box. This cardboard is the perfect weight to be used in many craft projects. All you have to do is cut the front and back side off of the box and you will have 2 sheets of craft weight cardboard. Cut the cardboard sheet into the required size for your project, roll it into a cylinder, then tape around it to hold your work in place.

Children learn through their play and crafting is an excellent way for them to learn a variety of new skills. It is also a great way to encourage their imaginative nature to emerge. Just insure to stay within their age capabilities and to always play safe.

Just For Fun Let's Build a Car

These are the supplies that you will need:
A small cardboard tube (for the body of the car)
2 sheets of coloured cardboard ( for the windshield and tire detailing)
A cardboard cereal box flap (for the tires)
Wood or bamboo skewer (for the tire axels)
Glue
Circles (to trace out the tires and hubcaps)
Scissor
Ruler
Marking pen
Stickers (optional)

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It is a Quick and Easy Craft Project For Kids

Follow these directions to build your cardboard tube car.

Draw 3 lines to create a windshield for your car. Cut out the 3 lines to form the windshield and the now loose cardboard up to see how it will look once your car is complete. Now lay the cardboard flap back down.
Cut a piece of construction paper to fit around the cardboard tube. This will be the colour that you want your car to be. Cut out the appropriate size and shape.
Put glue around the edges of your cardboard tube as well as around the shape of your windshield then roll your construction paper around it. Cut around the windshield flap to allow it to be raised.
Use a larger circle to draw tires onto the cereal box flap. Cut these out.
Use alternate colour construction paper to draw smaller circles (hubcaps) and a small flap (glass of windshield) then cut these out.
Glue the hubcaps onto the centre of each of the 4 tires you previously created. Glue your windshield onto your car's windshield flap.

Now it is Time to Add the Tires

You can add the tires in one of two ways. You can glue the tires directly onto the sides of the car or you can create a front and rear axle made from a wood skewer. Just snip the skewer to the appropriate size being careful not to use the pokey end of the stick. As young people are often the ones making these projects we don't want anyone to get hurt.

Poke holes in the tires and also the car where the axels will connect to the tires. Pop in your axels and use a glue gun to affix them in place.

There are Many Quick and Easy Children's Crafts

There is a very good reason as to why toilet paper roll craft tutorials have become so popular, most are easy to create. These projects are generally super simple to create so for young children they are the ideal crafts for them. It is really quite astonishing how many items can be imagined from that small paper cylinder. With a snip or two of the scissors, a splash of paint, a few extra add ons and a dab of glue in the appropriate place kids design a wonderland of creative play. There are hundreds of kid friendly projects that can be made and each in its own personalized way.

1. A man, woman, worker, or any other person you can desire to make.
2. An animal
3. An insect, bat, bird, or snake
3. A dinosaur or dragon
4. A gift box
5. A flower pot
6. A bowling game
7. A race car, family car, boat, ship, or train.
8. A watch
9. A cardboard teacup
10. A fish or two or three

You are only limited by your imagination in the number of projects a cardboard cylinder tube can create. Just ensure the cardboard you use for these crafts does not come out of your bathroom or anyone else's.

Most Paper Products Can Be Recycled

Teaching our children green environmental practices is important but there are also important lessons in cleanliness that also must be learned. Hand washing is an important method to prevent contamination but when it comes to the bathroom our hands are generally washed after we touch toilet paper rather than before. There are a lot of germs and bacteria in a bathroom and they will gather on any surface to which they are exposed. Many schools have banned cardboard toilet paper rolls from being used in their craft projects and with good reason.

Re-using an article rather than trashing it is generally a good thing but there are times when an article is better off being disposed of in a more appropriate manner. Empty toilet paper rolls are one of these items. Most paper waste can be sent to your local recycling centre to be turned into new paper products and this is where you should be discarding these empty rolls.

When you participate in the Reduce Reuse and Recycle theology you help our environment stay a little greener. Recycling items can greatly help to reduce the amount of waste in landfills. Recycling can also aid in the reduction of greenhouse gasses that are produced both in the production and disposal of a product.