How to Recycle Old Towels

Almost everyone has some nasty, ratty old towels lying around their home. You could donate them to charity or to the Salvation Army, but if they are too ratty, they will probably not be able to sell them. Instead, save those old towels and try some of these neat ideas.

Dog Toys

I make all types of dog toys from old towels. You can cut them into different animal shapes and sew them together, then stuff them with the towel scraps and remnants that you have left over. I like to make little cats that my dogs can rip apart. It's much cheaper than buying new dog toys, especially when they are just going to rip them apart.

Another fun dog toy that can be made from recycling old towels is a knotty rope. Cut the towels into strips lengthwise about five inches wide. Tie knots all along the length of the towel close together. Dogs will have lots of fun tugging and chewing on these. Because the towels already smell familiar to your dogs, they will feel more comfortable playing with them.

Donate to Animal Shelter

Animal shelters are in constant need of old towels, so donate any that you do not plan to use. Recycled towels can be used for lining pet cages, cleaning up messes, drying off wet dogs, and providing warm bedding for unwanted pets. If you are crafty, you can even make the towels into dog toys and donate those to the animal shelter as well. The dogs would really appreciate it.

Baby Quilt Batting

When looking for something to use as batting in my handmade baby quilts, I found that towels make the best lining. Use them as you would use regular batting by placing the cut piece of your towel in the middle of the two layers of quilt and sew the whole thing together.

Pot Holders

You can recycle towels into pot holders as well as cold drink coasters in the same way that they can be used as quilt batting. Cut several layers of towel to use in a pot holder to provide enough insulation. Cold drink coasters, on the other hand, only require one layer of towel.

Cleaning Rags

Old towels can be cut up and recycled into cleaning rags or cloth menstrual pads by stitching around the edges to keep them from coming apart in the wash. Using cloth rags is better for the environment and cuts down on the number of trees used to create paper towels as well as reducing the size of our landfills. Used cloth rags can be tossed into the laundry and washed with the rest of your clothing.

If you have a mechanic in your family, he or she may appreciate having a few of your homemade rags. They can be used for all types of cleanup in the garage. Fold a few and keep them in your glove compartment in case you need to clean something up in a jiffy or keep a few in your trunk to use at the gas station and to check your oil. Keep a large towel in your trunk in case you need to clean up a spill or if you break down in the rain.

Baby Items

Old towels can be cut up and made into useful baby items instead of buying those items new. Burp cloths do not need to be fancy, for example. All you need is a square cut from an old towel that has been sewn tightly around the edges to keep it from falling apart in the wash. A towel can also be laid down under a baby and used as a changing pad on a changing table or on the go. If you are using cloth diapers, towel remnants can be sewn into diaper doublers.

Nursing Pads

If you plan on using washable nursing pads, you can make your own from old recycled towels and some thin nylon material. To learn how to make cloth nursing pads, read my instructions here: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/471218/how_to_make_your_own_cloth_nursing.html