​How To Recycle Your Bedding

How to recycle your bedding

There are so many ways to use your old bedding, once it is no longer right for your bed, whether through age or style. Here are ten tips on recycling your bedding and giving it a new lease on life.

Tip 1. Use old blankets to upholster furniture

Old blankets and sheets have the makings, with a bit of sewing know-how, of becoming fantastic new ironing board pads and covers. A few layers of blanket, cut to size and shape, make an excellent board pad that reflects the heat of the iron back onto your clothes, and if you use the sides of flat sheets, you can often find parts that have never even been slept on, that can make stylish new covers.

Tip 2. Donate your blankets to animal shelters

Your local animal shelter is always on the lookout for blankets and towels to help keep their charges warm and dry. For the warm, fuzzy feeling that you’ll get from helping something fuzzy be warm, send your good quality, clean bedding and towels along to the local shelter.

Tip 3. Create a hangable shoe rack out of sheets

If you are overly blessed in the shoe department, you may have run out of storage options for them. With some well-placed stitches, you can use your old sheets to make a hangable shoe bag rack. You can also make individual shoe bags, if you’re packing away the fancy footwear, or even little gift bags for those special occasions. Again, using the rarely used sides of your sheets will give the best quality material.

Tip 4. Use an old bed sheet to protect your car

In the wintertime, if you are unfortunate enough to get ice or snow on the car, drape an old sheet across the windscreen, holding it in place with the wipers and car doors. In the morning, simply peel the sheet away from the windscreen, take it inside and throw it in the dryer, in preparation for the next night.

Tip 5. Create cleaning rags

For budget conscious cleaning, tear up your old sheets and pillowcases to make your own rags and cleaning cloths. This is especially fun to do with the kids, as you are giving them a legitimate reason to tear things up. Not only does this make room in your linen closet, but it also means you’ll have a huge supply of easily expendable cloths to deal with cleaning up those unfortunate accidents.

Tip 6. Use your old bedding as a picnic blanket!

Keep some of your old bedding in the boot of the car for use as impromptu picnic blankets for those nice sunny days. You can also use them as seat protectors if you’ve been down to the beach with the kids, or have been caught out in the rain. A nicely worn flannelette sheet can double as a cosy towel if that happens, too.

Tip 7. Upcycle!

Upcycle to make your car, your house, or your self look delightful. Old sheets can be used as curtain material or cushion covers, removable car seat covers, so you don’t stick in the summertime, or (depending on your skill with the sewing machine) a new dress, or lining for a jacket. These options are best of the sheets are still newish, or in an excellent condition, but no longer needed for bedding.

Tip 8. Create a new pet bed

You could make your pets the happiest animals in the world, by sewing together a bunch of old pillows to make a comfy new pet bed. To make it more consistent, texturally, sew the pillows together, then cover with a couple of layers of old blanket, then add an outer sheet cover. They obviously already love you, but they will be so much happier with something cosy to sleep on

Tip 9. Donate to charity

Do your heart some good, while you’re making space at home, and donate your unwanted bedding and towels to charity. Please make sure that they are all well laundered, undamaged, and still in fairly good condition, if you are considering this option, as they will be going on to help less advantaged people.

Tip 10. Use it for arts and crafts

Art and craft projects with the kids can be great fun, and old, unwanted material can be a great place to start. You can make protective smocks to protect your kids’ clothes, and yours too. Old sheets can be used to cover the furniture if you are expecting to be especially vigorous in your creativity. You can cut up old sheets and pillowcases into strips, plait the strands together, and use them to make woven bags, for instance, or you can use an old sheet as a canvas for the kids to paint on. Pillowcases can also be handy bags to keep all the odds and ends in, in preparation for the next project.

And there we have it! That is our ten tips on how to recycle your unused bedding! If you want any more help with anything mentioned above or have any other questions, our team of experts are ready to help! Simply reach out to us via email or you can call us! Take a look at our contact details here.