Saw these for sale in Hobbycraft...

[rosebud5678]

Literally couldn't believe my eyes...who pays to buy egg cartons?? If you're interested, they also had cardboard tubes and bags of garden stones...

[quote WhoWouldHaveThoughtThat]@rosebud5678 - I don't think I really want to know the answer but feel compelled to ask... Which bit of your cats do you use pipe cleaners on? [/quote]
I really hope Rosebud's cats play with the pipecleaners...

Do they also sell empty Fairy Liquid bottles? I remember those being popular on Blue Peter.

Yes, the pipe cleaners are for the cats to play with! (tries to forget disturbing image of alternative usage)

Also typical Brownie pack (or whatever) is about 20 kids.
Brown Owl - "can everyone please bring a couple of old toilet roll tubes next week for crafts"
Next week....
Brown Owl - "who has got their toilet roll tube?"
2 hands are slowly raised....
Brown Owl (thinking inside her head) - "Okay great just great there goes this weeks activity. I should have gone to Hobbycraft"

The toilet roll H & S thing isn't new. I was a primary school teacher 20 to 30 years ago and it was a thing then.

Anything made out of toilet rolls is just wrong. not envy!

@Alloverthegrapevine

"🤢 you might as well lick a flush handle if you’re willing to handle toilet roll tubes as they can’t be effectively cleaned."

What? Reasons this makes no sense:

• no one touches the cardboard tube during normal use
• the tube is almost always covered in tissue
• no one licks the tube whilst making a craft project
• there will usually be enough time elapsed between the tube being finished and the project that any germs are long gone anyway

Not everyone has them on a holder though. I've been in loos where you have to hold them! It's a risk I don't need to take...

Pipe cleaners are great for nose wires in masks! Cut up egg boxes...

My favourite pointless craft items are the toilet tube rolls.

I recall my children collecting toilet roll tubes, washing up bottles etc in the 80s but I believe that now schools are not allowed to do this!

@TroysMammy

Regarding the cardboard tubes, we are not allowed to use toilet roll tubes for craft in Brownies.

I've heard that said many times, usually about schools but guidance from the HSE says it's ok.

www.hse.gov.uk/myth/august.htm

Of course at the moment schools (if it weren't the holidays) would probably be more cautious about anything coming in from pupils or teachers homes to schools.

Pipe cleaners are great for cleaning out the drainage hole in the fridge if it gets gunked up and for spouts on teapots if you don't have a little brush.

But they’re not even whole egg cartons?! Just the little cuppy bits?

Ffs, if you are scared of toilet roll tubes, you shouldn’t be working with children in the first place - they carry colossally more germs than the average toilet roll!

I am an absolute slattern but always felt queasy at mine coming out of nursery with craft made out of old bog roll inners

I’ve bought stuff like this in hobby craft before. I didn’t tend to keep egg boxes and other cardboard just in case my kids wanted to make something so I’d just buy them. The stones are nice for kids that love to paint 20 stones in one craft session who have parents like me who can’t be arsed to go and collect stones.

My friends daughter has a severe egg allergy so she would never let her use proper egg cartons.

My parents used to buy gallon containers of washing up liquid and refill the same bottle every time. Which, for a child who adored Blue Peter and always wanted to make the things, was a great hardship. So, I kind of understand this. But also, ask a friend to save theirs!

My issue with toilet roll tubes is the same with every other craft item that could be brought from home - there are one or two homes that I wouldn't want anything brought in from (I also remember my parent's grim home when I was a young child before were removed by grandparents). We instigated all the kids washing their hands on arrival long before Covid for a reason.

Obviously though we couldn't possibly say to some children to bring things in and not others. Between that and some families not having egg boxes/empty bottles it's much better to just work out the budget and buy the stuff.

My DM and I were discussing whether pipe cleaners had any other use rather than craft these days.

Rosebud - i have been cutting them to 10cm lenghts and sewing them in the face masks i've made. They're great because they're a lot easier to sew than plain wire.

Vegans

Pipe cleaners are great for making armatures for needle felting.

I use green pipe cleaner to attach things to the christmas garland on the bannister

I have a friend who has used pipe cleaners for the nose bit in her face masks she has been making,

As lots of people have discovered, they don't wash well. A friend's DH has been through many mask patterns and now makes a channel for the nose wire piece and the pipe cleaner or whatever is now inserted prior to use and removed before washing.

[quote WhoWouldHaveThoughtThat]@rosebud5678 - I don't think I really want to know the answer but feel compelled to ask... Which bit of your cats do you use pipe cleaners on? [/quote]
Sorry but I'm 😂😂😂😂

Cats like to play with pipe cleaners. You don't use them to clean any bit of them.

And they needed to be wrapped in plastic, why?!

@Di11y you buy reusable metal straws and clean them with disposable pipe cleaners??