I have read a LOT of the restoration blogs like Dad's Pipes and others and watched the pipe cleaners pile up. I discovered yesterday that after the first few, they can be reused nicely. I work in our spare bathroom, using the sink and hot water. Running a small stream of hot water over/through the stem and stummel while cleaning them makes the pipe cleaners go through much more easily, AND, the cleaners rinse fairly clean during the process. Of course, the fuzz wears off after a couple or three times through the nasty parts, but they do go in fairly clean and come out dirty. I am using probably half as many cleaners now with no downside at all. When the fuzz wears off, or they are too kinked or just don't come clean in the running water, then they go in the scrap heap.
