Creative Ways to Recycle Old Clothes

Many people put their old clothing out to the curb when they become worn out. This wasteful practice helps to increase the size of our already burgeoning landfills and depletes the Earth's resources. Fortunately, old clothing can be very easily recycled. There are many different ways reuse and recycle these clothes, so that they save you money and also help to save the planet.

Recycle Old Clothes: Make Cleaning Cloths

Many old articles of clothing can be recycled into cleaning cloths, such as old terry cloth socks. Simply cut the sock open along the back edge. Use the terry cloth side to clean surfaces as you would a wash cloth or towel. Light socks are very good for cleaning surfaces such as bathroom counters and windows. Dark ones are useful for cleaning floors and dusting tables and shelves, since they make it easier to see how much dust and dirt you've removed.

Recycle Old Clothes: Make Cloth Crafts

Why run down to your local craft store to pick up cloth for craft projects when you have free material hanging in your closet? Old clothing is particularly useful for making puppets. Old socks and sleeves from shirts and coats are the best materials to use. You can even recycled old clothing such as sock material into finger puppets. Use pieces of the recycled clothing to make a shirt, a tie, a scarf or other clothing for your puppet. Use buttons from recycled clothing to put buttons on crafts such as snowmen. Use larger pieces of recycled clothing to cover a photo album or make bows for a decorative wreath. Make old clothes such as blue jeans into purses or coasters.

Recycle Old Clothes: Give Your Old Clothing to Charity