10 Clever Ways to Reuse Your Old Bath Towels
There are more articles on recycling towels, but if you’re anything like me, you’ve forgotten to take them out of the dryer before the heating bill skyrockets or had an unfortunate run-in with your white bath towel. Not exactly a great result for your ever-depleting stocks in the towel department.
In the spirit of conservation, here are a few uses for your old towels that you should try out next time before making a trip to the store.
1) Wear them as pajamas
Ok, so this one isn’t too creative…but it’s still worth mentioning because wearing bath towels is like bringing your own portable beach with you wherever you go (without all the hassle of finding sand at every destination). This blogger sees nothing wrong with these comfy clothes and neither do I! If he can pull it off, then sign me up too. *slow clap*
2) Cover up exposed brick or concrete walls by stapling them to the wall like wallpaper
It’s probably not the healthiest option, but covering the hole in your wall with a pretty towel would definitely do the trick until you can afford to hire someone to patch it up correctly. Plus, you’re saving on paint…and who doesn’t love that?
3) Bandage wounds by wrapping them up like a mummy
Maybe you’ll luck out and be able to convince your doctor or nurse friend to use towels instead of gauze…or maybe they won’t even bat an eye at your makeshift bandages. But if you’ve got nothing else, this DIY project might just save your life one day! Just think about all those times you or a loved one have scraped a knee or elbow and didn’t even use a band-aid!
4) Make bathrobes, beach cover-ups, and hand towels
Towels can easily be transformed into robes by cutting holes on opposite ends of the towel (one for your head to fit through) – just make sure that it’s long enough to reach the floor when worn. If you’re looking for something less & & complicated, just try using smaller hand towels around your waist like you would an obi sash…or tie them up in knots to create your own fresh beach cover-up. Also, why not transform your old towel into a rug? This is what I do when I can’t find a bath rug to match my bathroom decor.
5) Craft something out of them…like baskets!
This one takes some serious creativity, but if you have the time and patience, why not recycle your towels into something useful? Handy women might consider turning them into storage containers or even potholders. On the other hand, if you’re all about that DIY life, crafting baskets out of towels is definitely the way to go!
6) Wash your car with them
Whether you use old towels to wipe up messes or things like bird poop, don’t forget that they make great reusable alternatives instead of paper towels at the car wash!
7) Use them as rags to clean up the house
There’s no need (and it’s wasteful!) to use sponges or cleaning pads when there are towels at the ready. You can even try cutting them into smaller pieces and using them instead of steel wool…the rougher the better for some tough scrubbing.
8) Transform old towels into new pillows (or duvets)
If you’re tired of your old, flat, stained pillow or duvet – just turn it inside out and sew all along its borders! This is actually incredibly simple since towels are already hemmed for you. Just make sure that the color or pattern on the other side looks intentional because you’ll be able to see it…and then just stuff it with your favorite pillow filling and voila! You’ve got yourself a brand new bed accessory.
9) Clean up pet hair by using them like lint rollers
Do you love your dog but hate having its hair all over your clothes? Well, why not use old towels to remove all of that excess fur before heading out the door? Simply rub back and forth across any surface (like carpeting), and watch as stray hairs collect right off of your clothes…or furniture…or car seats…or pretty much anything else.
10) Make an emergency ice pack
If you need to keep a cold compress on hand, try suspending your ice packs in large, clean towels. Just stuff them full of rice or gel-ice cubes before tying them back up and using whatever you have available to secure the towels in place so they won’t fall apart! If you need any further instructions, just use this DIY tutorial.
Conclusion:
There are so many other cool ways to make use of old towels…like using them as a bathing suit cover-up, for camping, travel and more! I hope this list inspires you to be a little more creative with a simple item most of us have to lie around our house.