What To Do With Old Towels: 15 Ways To Reuse
You probably have some old towels lying around your house that you haven’t had a chance to throw away if you’re like most people. Take a moment to think about a few things before you bury them. In many instances, there is still plenty of high-quality towel material to be saved. We introduce 15 ways to reuse an old towel. Try now!
How Long Do Towels Generally Last
Nothing is permanent. There will come a time when something will no longer be as durable even if you can use it forever. You won’t have any choice but to alter them when this happens.
After a few years, you need to replace your towels because they don’t last forever. Even though you could always wash and reuse them, this is still necessary. Towels, however, are an exception to this.
Even if you wash them regularly, after a while they will stop absorbing moisture, become ragged, and have a lot of wool hanging out here and there. You ought to change them frequently because of this. But when do you do this?
The suggested usage period for towels is two years due to the frequent use they receive. You are required to swap them out for new ones after that. You might think that this is a waste of towels, but this is not the case.
Because of your hygiene, it is even recommended. Over time, towels start to accumulate germs that may not all be removed even after washing them.
Plus, if you think about it, two years is a long time to use something. So rather than pondering why you don’t like the idea of replacing your towels after two years, why not start looking for animal shelters in your area where you can donate your used towels?
Uses For Old Towels
Turn It Into A Washcloth
It’s possible that you won’t ever need to buy another washcloth. What a wonderful way to conserve resources and the environment.
Make A Bath Pouf
Make bath poufs from your old towels. These scrubby buddies are ideal for the shower. Consider the quantity of scrubbing you could create using an old towel. Your mission to save the planet will soon be underway. Salute to environmentally friendly initiatives!
Turn It Into Spa Slippers
For chilly weather, these plush slippers are ideal. Create one of your own using old bath towels. Old flip-flops, batting, and sewing abilities are all you need.
An Ironing Board Cover
Make new ironing board covers and pads out of old sheets and blankets, as seen on A Beautiful Mess. To cover an ironing board, use thick blankets. Just the right amount of the ironing board top should be cut off for the blanket pad.
Next, place the old ironing cover on your sheet and cut out the shape, making extra cuts for the board’s sides. Underneath the sheet cover, fit the blanket pad to the ironing board.
Cleaning Rags
A few rags for cleaning or dusting are necessary for every home. When washcloths become too worn to be used for dishwashing, they are ideal for dusting the surfaces in your home. You can use old hand towels as excellent cleaning rags to clean anything from patio furniture to cars.
Even bath towels can be reused as rags, and they work well for placing underneath projects like painting or any other surface you want to keep clean.
Packing Material
It might be worthwhile to keep those old towels around to use as packing material if you relocate frequently or if a significant move is soon to come. When it’s time to pack, simply store them on a shelf or in a drawer and use them to fill in the spaces between dishes, mugs, and glass trinkets.
The best part is that towels can fulfill this function flawlessly regardless of how thin or holey they are. Once everyone has settled in, reuse your towels by using them for one of these other tasks or store them away once more for the upcoming move.
Kids are the best in the world at making messes and having a great time while doing it. Whether they’re crafting, baking, or painting, the cleanup from these activities frequently involves removing stains from their clothing.
Give your children their own aprons and smocks if they are expert messers to save yourself some hassle on laundry day.
Towel Quilt
Have you ever considered using old, soiled towels as the base for a new quilt? Even though gathering enough towels to make a full-size quilt may require a lot of work, there are many inventive ways to complete this task more quickly.
For instance, you could approach your friends and neighbors and inquire as to whether any of them have any extra or outdated towels that they’d be willing to donate.
Dish Towels
Your towels may still be usable as towels even if they are becoming so thin that they are having trouble drying you. The material used to make dish towels is frequently thinner because they don’t need to be as thick and fluffy as hand towels.
Could you use the fraying or thinning hand towels you currently have as dish towels? You might discover that despite their advanced age, they are still more than capable of wiping down counters and drying off your dishes. Bath towels can be recycled in a similar manner.
A full-size bath towel can easily be cut down to size and used to create multiple dish towels. In order to keep the edges from fraying if you do decide to cut them, hem them first.
Reusable Paper Towels
Tired of having to purchase paper towels in endless rolls? Simply recycling your used cloth towels to make reusable paper towels can help you save a little money. Simply trim your towels to the size of a paper towel, or any other size you prefer.
Hem the towel’s edges to keep them from fraying, and choose a colorful fabric for the towel’s reverse side backing. To replace your paper towels, fold a stack of these towels and use them instead.
Use them to clean glass surfaces, counters, and spills. Put it in the washer after it gets soiled so you can use it again later.
Reusable Swiffer Pads
When you can reuse your towels for the same purpose, why buy endless disposable Swiffer pads? However, you can simply wash these after using them and reuse them the next time, as opposed to throwing them away after use.
Take an old hand towel and sew two side seams on it to create your own Swiffer pads. Create a stack of these reusable cleaning pads and take pleasure in the money you save on these supplies.
Dog Toys
Does your family have a canine companion? If so, you can turn your towels into chew toys by repurposing them. It’s an incredibly easy process. Simply cut the towel into uniform, five-inch-long strips. Use these strips to tie knots along the length of the towel. Chewing on it will be fun for your dog.
Miscellaneous Pet Items
Speaking of pets, why not show them a little extra tender care by using your old towels? Put a little extra padding in your pet’s bed using your towels. You might put this towel down to cover the chair if you have a cat that insists on sitting in it and leaves cat hair all over it.
Or you could use this towel to dry your dog off after a bath. There are numerous ways you can use your towels to show your pets extra love and care; these are just a few examples.
Donations
Typically, you can’t donate very old or worn-out towels to a thrift shop. What you can do, however, is donate them to any nearby animal shelters. A lot of animal shelters welcome donations of used towels, blankets, and even T-shirts to create cozy beds and homes for the animals under their care.
To be sure, check to see if your local shelter accepts donations. This can be a great way to ensure that your used towels continue to be put to good use if you have a love for animals or simply want to be helpful.
Bathroom Mat
This clever bathroom mat might be the ideal way to reuse your old towels if you enjoy crafting and creating do-it-yourself projects for your home. You’ll require two hand towels for this mat. They can be used and the colors can fade, but ideally, they won’t have a lot of holes in them.
Toiletries Organizer
Do you have a surplus of toiletries and other necessities on your bathroom counters and in your cabinets? Why not make a hanging organizer that helps you organize some of your surfaces using your old towels? Grab a suitable old towel and a sewing machine before beginning this project.