Ways to Recycle Old Socks

If you're a "crafty" sort of person and you tend to save various items in hopes of using them for further projects, you're likely wondering what in the world to do with all of those socks you've been stock-piling. It's always a great idea to save old clothing, socks and other various fabric items for future craft or sewing projects - you never know whether you'll just happen to have something on hand that would be perfect for a current project you're working on.

So, what do you do with all those socks you've got stock-piled? Use your imagination, there are many different things to do with old socks that can help your craft projects or even simply getting household chores done. Slipping an old sock over your hand is a great way to dust furniture, polish shoes, shine glass and even wax your car.

While using old socks for cleaning your home, vehicle or for other household purposes has absolutely nothing to do with crafting or projects - it will help you save money, decrease paper waste in your home and you may even get some new craft ideas for old socks when working with them.

Old socks make great puppets for children. You can add yarn or "furry" material to the very end of the toes for hair, add two buttons or beads for eyes and sew on a ribbon mouth. Or, for a very simple sock puppet, simply use permanent markers to draw in a face, hair and other features. This is a great rainy-day project for small children and it will provide them will hours of amusement.

You can also shred old socks into very fine strips and use them for stuffing small homemade toys, pillows and other items. If you've got enough old socks, this can truly save you a bundle on poly-filling or other types of stuffing. The best part about using old socks for stuffing small items? You can usually wash them and put the in the dryer without worrying about melting.

Fashion doll clothing can also be made from old socks. You can simply cut arm-holes, neck-holes and even use small strips of ribbon as waist-ties for dolls. This is an especially fun project for kids, especially when you've got several "crazy-patterned" socks that can be used to create unique "fashions." These sock-fashions CAN be hemmed or finished on the edges or even taken in around waistlines, but for a quick amusement, a pair of scissors and a pile of socks is all you need to help your child make "new" fashion doll clothes.

There are many different craft projects out there that you can use old socks for, but don't discount the idea of using old socks to help organize your craft supplies either. You can drop multiple pairs of scissors into an old sock, spools of thread or even keep paintbrushes in them. This can help keep your craft storage areas neat and organized.

When it comes to re-purposing items, the sky's the limit. Use your imagination and see what YOU can do with old socks.