What To Do With Old Towels – 10 UK Eco Options
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Wondering what to do with old towels that are threadbare, holey, stained or past their best? Don’t bin them – here are heaps of sustainable ways to give them a new life, with a specific UK focus.
You may no longer have a use for your ripped, holey, threadbare or stained towels. However, that doesn’t mean you have to toss them straight into the bin.
There are heaps of ways that they can still serve a purpose. Did you know you can upcycle or reuse them at home in a practical way? I’ve got eight clever upcycling ideas to help inspire you.
Alongside that, I’ve got two extra tips on how to donate them to good causes, or send them away for recycling so that they can be made into other items.
How To Reuse or Upcycle Your Old Towels (Even If They Are Worn Out)
Ready to get started? Here are eight ideas for upcycling or reusing your old towels:
How To Make Reusable Cleansing Pads From Old Towels
If your towel has a rip, hole or stain, then there’s probably heaps of fabric that’s still usable. If that’s the case, one great way to repurpose the towel is to make reusable cleansing pads – perfect for an eco-friendly skincare routine.
To make your own pads, simply cut the towel into small squares or circles, then sew or serge the edges to prevent fraying. These soft pads are ideal for removing makeup, applying toner, or gently exfoliating, the zero-waste way. Once used, just toss them in the wash and reuse them.
Turn Old Towels Into Cleaning Cloths
Ripped or holey towels may not be great for getting dried with, but when cut up into squares, they can make brilliant zero-waste cleaning cloths.
All you need to do is cut your towels into manageable sizes – smaller squares for wiping down surfaces or larger pieces for mopping up spills. Similar to the cleansing pads, I’d recommend sewing the edges to prevent fraying.
Make Reusable Kitchen Roll
If you’re looking to ditch single-use kitchen rolls, then you’re going to want to save up those old towels. The A Beautiful Mess blog has a handy DIY guide on making reusable kitchen roll.
They recommend using new terry towelling, but you could definitely cut up your old (clean!) towels, allowing you to use all the usable bits of fabric.
Make An Oven Glove
Old towels can also be given a new lease of life as an oven glove. The blog Michele Made Me has a handy tutorial to make one – it’s a great way to make something super practical from something that may otherwise be binned.
Make A Draught Excluder
If you’re looking to keep your home cosy and cut down on textile waste, then a DIY draught excluder is the way to go.
The Hometalk blog has a handy DIY guide to make a draught excluder from a pair of old jeans. This can then be stuffed with any old textiles – including your old towels – to help keep the draughts out. Just make sure to cut up your towels and other textiles you may use into small pieces. This helps stop the excluder from being lumpy.
Make A Reusable Mop Pad From An Old Towel
Disposable mop pads can be quite wasteful, and microfibre options can shed microplastics when you wash them.
For a sustainable and zero-waste option, try this reusable mop pad DIY from Hello Sewing. Use your old towel to make your pads, and then just put these in the washing machine when you’re done, ready to be used again.
Make A Bath Mat
Stephanie from the blog Somewhat Simple Living has a great DIY to transform an old towel and an old bed sheet or pillowcase into a stylish upcycled bath mat. You do need to have some sewing skills, and access to a sewing machine would make this project easier.
Use Old Towels As A Packing Material
If you’re moving house any time soon, then old towels make for a great sustainable alternative to bubble wrap. Simply wrap your delicate items in towels to protect them during your big move.
It’s a great zero-waste solution, and you can use the towels for cleaning or other purposes after they’ve done their job.
How To Donate Towels To Animal Shelters
If upcycling isn’t for you, then you can donate them to animal shelters.
Animal shelters and rescue centres – including my local shelter, The Edinburgh Cat & Dog Home – often welcome donations of towels to use as bedding for cats, dogs, and other animals. They’re also often used for drying off animals after baths or for cleaning up little accidents.
Call ahead to your local shelter to see if they’re currently accepting donations, and if so, the condition they prefer the towels to be in. They probably won’t want ripped towels, but old ones that have lost their fluffiness or ones with some staining on them may be acceptable.
When you drop them off, you’ll get a nice warm, fuzzy glow that your old towels are helping animals in need to thrive.
How To Recycle Your Towels In The UK
Finally, if you’re not feeling particularly crafty, don’t worry. There are heaps of ways to recycle old towels – although it should preferably be your last resort if you can’t find an alternative use for them.
Old towels can’t go in your kerbside recycling bin, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be recycled.
Most towels are made from cotton, which is recyclable through textile recycling schemes. You’ll often find textile banks at supermarket car parks or local recycling centres. And many high street retailers offer take-back programmes.
Dunelm, for example, runs a great textile recycling scheme in conjunction with the Salvation Army. Simply visit the Textile Take Back page on the Dunelm website to get all the details of how to recycle them at your nearest store.
Dunelm accepts all home textiles for recycling, including towels, bathmats, and tea towels. It doesn’t matter if they are worn out, damaged, stained or marked – just keep the ones not fit for re-use in a separate bag from any textiles you are donating that are in reusable condition.
Alternatively, most charity shops accept donations of rags, as these can be sold on to textile recyclers.
It’s best to always phone ahead to make sure your local charity shop does accept rag donations. If they do, pop them in bags clearly marked as rags so that it’s quick and easy for shop volunteers to sort them into the right piles.
Looking For More Reuse & Recycling Guides?
If you are looking for more ways to upcycle, reuse or recycle other textiles, then I have got you covered! Try some of these handy guides I’ve put together:
- What to do with old clothes that can’t be donated to charity
- What to do with old socks
- What to do with old underwear
- What to do with old jeans
- What to do with old shoes
- What to do with old pillows
And if you need to replace your old towels, try my big guide to eco-friendly towels for lots of sustainable options.
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