Here are 8 tips for using worn out clothes to save money and waste less! Just because that garment isn’t wearable anymore doesn’t mean it can’t be reused!
This is part 4 of our series on How to save on paper towels.
Read Part 1 – How to save on paper towels
Read Part 2 – Where do I get rags?
Read Part 3 – How to cut up rags
Here are some tips to make use of worn out clothing items before they’re ready to be used as cleaning rags:
- When a shirt is no longer wearable: I take a woman’s or child’s large T shirt and cut off the sleeves (saving those for rags of course). Then I cut up the sides of the shirt. It makes a perfect giant bib for a toddler that covers everything and is so easy to slide on and off of his head. It even catches all the fun stuff that toddlers manage to get on their laps and chair seats. I would wash these and use them again and again.
- When I was young I loved rag socks. I would cut the tops off of them to use for tops or dresses for my Barbie doll. I would cut a slit in each side for the arms and sometimes I would turn the top edge down for a collar or add buttons, lace etc.
- Cut off the top of men’s underwear to use as large rubber band. I know this is weird, but there are times when I need things bundled together and need a large rubber band, so I use this. When I say I let nothing go to waste, I mean it. I might be a little discreet as to where I would use this because I am sure your husband doesn’t want the company to see his underwear size 48 waist band holding that bundle of newspapers laying by the fireplace. : )
- If you know how to crochet or sew, you can use many types of clothing to make quilts or rag rugs.You can use sections of worn clothing to make bibs, totes or small bags of all sorts. Even thin strips of fabric make great yarn for knitting, crocheting or weaving.
- Even the smallest piece of fabric can be used to make buttons. Go to a fabric store and buy one of the kits to make your own buttons. Then you can the find a pretty flowers or pieces of embroidery on worn clothing and make them into buttons.
- You don’t always need a kit. I bought a bulletin board for my granddaughter at a thrift store. It was perfect but the buttons on it were the wrong color and I didn’t have the right color of buttons to replace them. I took fabric, cut a circle twice the size as the button, ran a basting tread around the edge, laid button in the center of the fabric, pulled up the basting thread ( like you would a yo – yo)and the button was covered. I hot glued them back on the board.
- Use old clothing for patches. I would always sew a “jean” patch which stretched from seam to seam on the inside of the knee of my children’s new jeans. You couldn’t see it was there, but it helped reinforce the knee so the kids wouldn’t get holes there as easily.
- Old sweaters are so much fun. They can be made into pillows. Cut off the bottom part of the sleeve to make fingerless mittens. Felt them or use a sturdy fusible lining and make into a purse. Up date by adding buttons, applique or embroidery.
Jill
I didn’t know there was such a thing as a kit to make your own buttons. I will have to check that out. Sounds great.
When you have little ones crawling sew a patch of a quilted piece inside the knees of their rompers, cover alls.
saves bruises on the knees. and saves the coveralls the same way it saves the jeans of older children.
save your knees by making a pad from old tee shirts or towels. Use the underwear elastic sewed around it and put these on when you scrub the floor or do gardening work.
I love the idea of reinforcing the knees in pants. I have a two yr old and that would work great and for my 8 yr old who always has holes in his pants.
I have heard of keeping the elastic out of underwear that have holes in them, and then if you have pants or a skirt that has an elastic waste band that has gone out, you will have extra on hand to fix it.
oh that’s a great idea. I used to knit my own gloves before.. I don’t know if I still have the skills though… Well, you can always use coupons right? :)
After last winter, my son still fit into his pants and shirts except the legs and arms were too short. For the pants which were pretty worn (almost all his clothes are used by his older cousin) I simply made cut off jeans to play in. I cut off the sleeves of the long sleeved t-shirts and made tank tops or short sleeves. We didn’t have to pay for a new wardrobe and he is still wearing those play clothes at the end of summer!
I also cut up old towels to make my cloth toilet paper. I wash them like cloth diapers and we save a ton on TP!
My husband is no longer in need of his mechanic uniforms. The items are 65% polyester and 35% cotton. Any suggestions on what I could use these rags for? I don’t want to just throw them out, but you said that the polyester isn’t very absorbent. So any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
Jazmin good question. I’m not sure I have an answer to that but maybe some of our readers do. The only thing I can think of is you could cut it up into a quilt (using large squares and just tying it) for a picnic blanket. With the polyester in it it wouldn’t be totally water proof but would protect from dampness more then say are regular cotton quilt.
Use them for messy jobs. Keep a bunch in your car for checking fluids, keep them in your garage or workshop, use them for cleaning your tools, anything you don’t want to use your “good” rags for. Some blends do a decent job of cleaning mirrors and glass.
If there is any life left in them you could donate them to a school shop class.
My husband is a welder and he was thinking of donating his welding coveralls there until my son called and was complaining about the cost of new ones. So down they went to him.
That was 4 years ago and he is still using them.
I cut the tops off old socks and use for a quick bandage on arm or leg.
For old stuff that you don’t know what to do with, there are tons of ideas and tutorials on craftster.org :)
I give my daughter clothes with holes or stains. She makes doll clothes with them. Old clothes in good condition I take to a consignment shop (which is where I got them in the first place).
I cut up old towels and serge the edges for dish clothes. I use TearMender to glue patches my boys pants (I have 5 boys)the glue lasts a long time. I have a box I covered Martha Stewart style handy in my pantry, it’s my rag box, cut up T shirts, sweatshirts, etc. I cut up a worn out flannel night gown and made soft hankies-everyone appreciates them when they have a cold…I’ll shut up. LOVE your blog! and books.
I use the good parts for padding in pot holders I make and for lining in water bottle covers.
When I had long hair, I use to cut off the elastic of old sweat pants and use them as rubberbands for my hair. I left the fabric on and they didn’t pull my hair like rubberbands did. I have a home child care and do that with my little girls in the summer, to keep them cooler.
I must have missed the topic on the bibs last time I read this. I have a disabled granddaughter who must have some sort of bib. I have been using hand towels, dish towels and just tucking them into her neckline, but now, when she finishes eating she pulls them off, indicating “I’m done now”, making a mess. I like the T-shirt idea and am definitely going to try that.
Marilyn– If you find that the t-shirts for bib idea doesn’t provide enough protection for soak-through for your granddaughter, you can make a bib *like* the t-shirt with your hand towels. If you have sewing skills, you can either recycle the t-shirt neck ribbing, or buy new make neck openings to pull-over the head. Cut off-center (along length; centered along width) circle large enough to go over the head and stretch the ribbing to fit the opening and stitch. The fingertip terry towel bibs my mom made me like this were my favorite.
Another use for women’s shirts – cut off the sleeves and the neck ribbing (cut inside the seam, to leave a raw edge on the shirt part), then sew the bottom up (I use something like a french seam, sew the outside, then turn inside out and sew another, then a zigzag)
Instant ‘green’ shopping bag. Or overnight bag. Or picking vegetables bag… that goes in the washer with the other laundry.
I have a chenille sweater that has some holes in it. Its previous owner was going to toss it, but I read somewhere about a lady who makes new knitted things from old. Does anyone know about this?
Ck out Renegade Seamstress! You didn’t say if the sweater was a cardigan or a pull over, but she shows you how to take a pull over and turn it into a cardigan. She also shows how to take a long sleeve tshirt and turn it into a shrug. Rally cute and easy ideas. I have recently lost 26 lbs and a lot of my clothes are now way too big. I am going to pick the things that I love the material and make them over into something I can still wear and save$$ on not having to buy too any new clothes.
Dineen:
Thank you so much. Sounds like like a great idea
I am working on a project to make myself a new “feather bed” to go under my mattress pad for extra comfort. I recently bought several down filled winter jackets and coats from The Goodwill. I am going to cut off the arms, neck, buttons, etc. and piece them together like I would a patch work quilt. The quality of these coats is very high end, and the down is all soft feathers-better than ready made feather beds like Bed, Bath and Beyond carry. I got all the coats I needed for $8.50. I think I am going to love the savings from this project!!
Wow, lots of great ideas. I have to admit though, expensive or not–I am still going to buy toilet paper that flushes :)
My husband had alot of old white dress shirts with very soft material. They wouldn’t make very absorbant rags but I couldn’t just throw them away. I took pinking sheers and cut them into handkerchief sized squares and put them in an old kleenex box. Whenever I need a handkerchief I pull one out. With my alergies that means all the time. I wash them and put them back into the box and they have lasted me for years. Sometimes I leave them in my pants pockets when I wash. Not to worry. They just get washed with my pants and no lint to deal with like Kleenex. I buy about 1 box of Kleenex a year and only use it when I’m trying to impress someone or when a visitor asks for a tissue.
Just today I used a stained t-shirt to make a sling for my husband, who is nursing a shoulder injury and wanted to immobilize his arm.
I cut the t-shirt in half from top to bottom, then opened up the side, so that his ar could rest inside the sleeve and the sling could be tied in the back, behins his head.
Another project I took on with worn out clothing, that I am very proud of, is a large quilt. It was given as a gift at Christmastime a few years back. My son treasures it; it made the trip with him when he moved from Connecticut to New Mexico – so that he would be reminded of home. There’s a picture of it on photo bucket: http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w297/ctmom05/th_quilt.jpg?t=1283657369
Good idea Chris. One idea for a young man’s (or girl’s) is to take their favor t shirts with special sayings on them or from their sports team that they have loved over the years and use them to make a quilt from. They have fusible stabilizer now which you can easily iron on to the back of the block to make the t shirts much easier to sew and work with.
after my divorce 9 years ago i had to take this to an extreme, I have just fixed a house dress i bought when my son was born (he is 19 now, lol) and my sewing sucks so after my repair I will add bows and lace to make the repair look rustic and decorative I get compliments on my cloths all the time it just take a few minutes to save 40-50 dollars on a new skirt (I am a large women and cloths in my size are pricey) I also recommend classic clothing not trendy
I had a mattress pad that would not stay on the bed. I took DH worn underwear elastic and used safety pins to fasten the corners diagonally. One half elastic for each corner. Now the pad stays put. I used this elastic to make play shorts when my kids were little. Elastic sock tops make nice extenders for pajamas.
Now, that’s the best idea for underwear elastic! No one should see it there!
You can get kits to make belts and belt buckles. Scraps are great!
Old tee shirts make great potholders. Cut a long strip about 8″ wide off the tee & then fold over one end until it is the width you want. (Maybe 6″) Continue folding it over so that it has some thickness to it. When it is the thickness you want, zigzag around the edges. Then tack it in the center in several places or just sew a design of your choice in the middle. Mine is made from my ex-husband’s tee shirt; I have been remarried 21years! For awhile after my divorce, I hoped that every time I used it to get a hot dish from the oven, my ex felt a little scorched.
I use old tee shirts for drying hair. I have very curly, fine hair and towels are too rough. Put the tee shirt on over your head, then bend over and pull it “off” over hair, but not head. Twist like a turban. This works great for drying very long hair. Those expensive turbans they sell are not long enough for my sit upon length hair, but a man’s tee shirt is. You can cut sleeves out if you want to.
When you have an old skirt you no longer want to use, cut it along the sides. Cut out the back to the waist band. Fold over the top of the back and thread elastic or tape through it. Front and back can be used as aprons. The waist band that is left on can be used as a tie for the front of the skirt and the back of the skirt will have the tape as the tie. So from one old skirt you get two aprons.
Sabita from India
I cut the elastic band off of old pantyhose and they make great “rubber” bands to hold boxes closed etc.
Cloth toilet tissue – disgusting!! It was bad enough when the kids were in diapers but grown ups???
When blue jean get worn out, the bottom part of the legs are usually still in good shape. I cut the bottoms of the legs off and keep them to use when we go camping. They are great to put our dirty pie irons in to transport home to clean. I also use them for our smaller cast iron skillets, the skillet slips right down into the leg. For the larger skillets and dutch ovens, I split one seam and use them to keep my cast iron skillets and dutch ovens seperated during storage.
I always make sure I have buttons by cutting the buttons off of old shirts.
I take old towels and cut them to a size for my largest baking dish (about 11×14) – double them and serge around the edges. This makes a super nice pot holder for my baking dishes without having to worry about pot holders slipping under the pans.
I also take old pants/jeans legs and turn wrong side out – serge the end and then fill with all those leftover grocery plastic bags – serge the other end and handy dandy door or window draft stopper.
Oh and BTW – homemade cloth potty rags – that is over the top gross. You’d save more in water/drying if you bought the 99 cent potty paper
I love to read your articles. Re: use of old clothes. When I go into a secondhand store I like to look at the pretty old bridal dresses /fancy cocktail dresses/prom dresses. Look for the dresses with full skirts. The fabrics are often lovely with beading and sequins ———they generally have enough fabric to make gorgeous throw pillows for living room or bedroom. Fancy fabric/beaded pillows are very expensive—and these dresses can be purchased for a few dollars to make decorator pillows. Also, look for full skirts (cotton works well) to make window valences. I use worn out quilted mattress pads to pad potholders—–the edges are never worn out. It is hard to find really good potholders—I like mine large and well-padded. The homemade ones done up in cute fabrics make handy gifts. Thanks for all the good ideas. Tommie
Cloth toilet wipes? Grama used wash clothes to wash the cousins’s behinds for diaper changes. I got to wash those along with cloth diapers. I think I’ll keep using TP. But as a part of a emergency kit, some rags might be used for that. I have lots of old telephone books for wiping media in case SHTF scenario. If that works for that lady and her family, more power to her. I’ll not knock her usage.
Old socks….I find these are very good bandages for critter legs. I have used these through the years on my horses and mules. Just cut across the toe area and pull up as a regular sock. Works good alone or as a dressing cover. If needed, they can be washed for reuse. Also as a hand cover when using a curry brush to keep the hair and dirt off your hands when using the types of brushes that fit over your hand. Temporary nose band cover if your bridle wears at a certain point. Helps to cushion if on a trail ride and have to do a repair to the bridle.
And if you carry a rubber hoof boot as a backup to a lost shoe and the boot is loose, a sock or two works just like loose fitting shoes on humans to make a snug fit. And split the old sock up both sides, leaving toe area intact. Use as a cooling necktie on a hot day. Just soak it and wring out water and put on your neck.
Bed socks for cold feet and hands too.
Tail wrap to protect tails on show horses if you don’t have a regular wrap.
And a washrag, just put the bar of soap in it. So I’ll quit horse’in around here.
I use old t-shirts and crochet them into rugs. I cut off the seams and short sleeves, etc. until I have two large pieces. Then starting at the outside edge, I cut a long strip, moving in a spiral towards the middle of the cloth, until all the material is used. Cut the strips about an inch wide, and keep cutting the material until you have one long ribbon of material. Your strip doesn’t have to be exact. I roll the strips into balls, and save them until I have enough for a rug. Stretch t-shirts, made of mostly cotton and a bit of spandex work best. Slightly ribbed t-shirts do not work well, as the ribs create friction when you crochet. When it is time to join strips together, I just tie a good solid knot, and leave longish (3 or 4 inch) tails. You can crochet the ends in as you go, or just leave them exposed for a country look. Crochet the rugs with a simple single crochet stitch, using a very large crochet hook. These are great for bath mats, or scatter rugs. They wash right up, and will last for years. When they are on their last legs, I use these rugs to line the dog kennel. I also use old cotton rags and towels as replacement heads in my antique kitchen floor mop. It has apart that you screw down on the head, that exposes a bar. You wrap your rags in half over the bar, then tighten down the clamp that holds the rags in place. The rags can be removed for washing or replacing at any time. Before I found this mop with it’s ancient large wooden handle, I used to go through kitchen mops every 3 to 6 months. I found my mop in an abandoned building over twenty years ago, and haven’t bought a floor mop since.
I had one of the old mops you are talking about Mary Jane and I loved it soooo much. I used it for years and then it got lost in one of my moves. I was just sick. They had several neat things like then ( long before swifler and others) that worked so good and were easier to use. Cheaper to use too.