How to Reuse Old T-Shirts and Flannel Sheets

Once your old t-shirts, jersey knit sheets, flannel sheets, cloth diapers and other items made from soft, absorbent fabrics are no longer suitable for their intended use, you can bring them new life reclaiming the fabric for other uses.

Just because your t-shirt is stained or your flannel sheets ripped, that doesn't mean you have to throw them out. Instead, cut them up and reclaim the fabric to make useful, soft cloths for household tasks and personal care. This is a great, eco-friendly way to do your part to reduce, reuse and recycle - and save lots of money while you are at it.

Just think about it, you will be reducing your consumerism (since you won't be purchasing new dusting cloths, cotton pads, etc.) by reusing items you already have by recycling them and reclaiming the fabric. This is a great opportunity to save money on items you use every day, which you would normally have to purchase, and also to limit the waste that you send to landfills.

There are plenty of ways to reuse old t-shirts, sheets and cloth diapers - particularly if you know how to sew or are the crafty sort - however, right now, I'm going to share with you some ideas that require no crafty skills and are so super simple that there is really no excuse for not doing them. The following tips are easy ways to get a little greener and amp up your eco-friendly living efforts while saving money.

Reuse Old T-Shirts, Sheets: Facial Cleaning Cloths

Replace disposable cotton pads, tissues and the like with these nifty reusable facial cleaning cloths. Simply cut up your old t-shirts or flannel sheets into small squares and use them to apply toner, wash your face, remove face make-up or eye make-up, wound cleaning (soaked in witch hazel) and for all those other little tasks that usually require cotton pads.

Reuse Old T-Shirts, Sheets: Post Shaving Cloths for Men

Similar to the above, you just cut up the fabric into small squares and make super soft, reusable cloths to use after shaving. Since we are eco-minded and as chemical-free as possible, my partner uses witch hazel after shaving (rather than commercial aftershaves). One of things he didn't like about this was that the cotton pads he used to use to apply the witch hazel would get caught on his stubble. Now that he is reusing swatches from his old t-shirts, this is no longer a problem - and the soft fabric feels nicer than cotton pads as well.

Reuse Old T-Shirts, Sheets: Reusable Baby Wipes

Reusable baby wipes are really the way to go for eco-friendly wipes that limit waste in landfills, as well as the chemicals that touch your baby. Of course, if you make and use your own baby wipes you will also save quite a bit of money. Cut the fabric into squares that are about the size of commercial baby wipes, fold them and place them in a covered container, add enough witch hazel to saturate the cloths (and a couple of drops of skin soothing essential oils, if you would like) and just make sure to keep the container closed when not in use so that they won't dry out. These great reusable baby wipes are easily washed and will last well into your baby's childhood for all those other quick clean-ups that baby wipes are so handy for.

Reuse Old T-Shirts, Sheets: Reusable Dusting Cloths and Cleaning Rags

This is a bit of a no-brainer and I'm pretty sure that most folks are already aware of using old shirts, boxers and whatnot as dusting cloths and household cleaning rags. But, it bears mentioning just in case there are a few folks who come across this and hadn't thought of that yet. The soft fabric is great for picking up dust and is gentle on pretty much any surface. When you cut your old t-shirts and sheets up to reuse them as dusting cloths and cleaning rags, be sure to cut large pieces - remember that you an always fold them for easier handling and there is nothing more annoying than a rag that is too small.

Reuse Old T-Shirts, Sheets: Reusable Toilet Cloths

Okay, you might not be ready to go this far down the road to green living quite yet, but reusable toilet cloths are growing in popularity and truly are a great way to limit how much toilet paper you buy and what you send into the sewer. Reusable toilet cloths are basically like baby wipes, just for everyone. Sometimes called Family Cloth, reusable toilet cloths can be kept in a container in the bathroom and placed into another handy - and hopefully covered - container after use. They can be used dry, or can be saturated with witch hazel like the baby wipes I mentioned above. Then, just like with reusable baby wipes or cloth diapers, they can be laundered and reused over and over again. Even if you are a bit leery of this one, consider just using them for the urination and continuing to use conventional toilet paper for the rest. It will still lower your impact on the environment, reduce your demand for toilet paper (and the trees it's made from) and reduce the amount of toilet paper that you send into the sewer.

Reuse Old T-Shirts, Sheets: Reusable Rag Rollers

Cut into 2 inch x 8-9 inch strips, the fabric from old t-shirts and sheets makes the best rag rollers. You simply wrap your damp hair around them in strips, tie them in knots and go to bed. You will have soft, luxurious curls when you take them out the next morning - without energy-using hot rollers or curling irons. I love my rag rollers and they are really easy to use. This is a great way to reuse t-shirts, flannel sheets and any other soft fabric.

Reuse Old T-Shirts, Sheets: Reusable Feminine Cloths

Pads, feminine napkins, feminine cloths - whatever you like to call them, they cost a lot of money and cause a lot of waste, but are absolutely necessary for those of us who just can't get the hang of using one of those menstruation cups, or for folks who prefer not to use some of the eco-friendly brands of tampons. This one does require some minimal sewing skills, but there are plenty of patterns online for making your own reusable cloths for that special time of the month, and old flannel sheets, t-shirts and cloth diapers all provide some great fabric to reuse for this purpose.