10 Uses for Old Towels

I love towels. I know, it’s strange, but a warm and fluffy towel after getting out of the bath is pretty close to perfection in my mind. I absolutely adore the big bath sheets that I pick up whenever they’re on sale. They’re huge and fluffy and…sorry, I got lost for a second in the memory. Like it or not though, sometimes my favorite towels don’t last forever which means unless I want to toss them, I have to find new uses for old towels sometimes.

Because sometimes, even my favorite towels just can’t hang on and they end up ratty with holes and surely bound for the trash can. Call me silly, but I like to reuse as many items as I possibly can so when my towels are ready to be laid to rest, I tend to look for new uses for old towels before I toss them.

It helps to save as much money as possible and helps us to stay on our goal of having a zero waste home.

Uses for Old Towels

I’m not kidding about finding ways to reuse things though. In our home, we find new ways to use everything we possibly can.

It drives my kids nuts sometimes, but the amount of money that we can save each year by reusing things is worth the trouble for us.

Just a few of the things we reuse are:

• ways to use old sheets
• ways to use empty milk jugs
• ways to use old bottles
• ways to use coffee mugs
• ways to use coffee filters
• ways to use WD-40 
• ways to use newspaper
• ways to use leftover wrapping paper
• ways to use {clean} cat litter
• ways to use orange peels
• ways to use apple peels

I even have a list of 52 items to reuse to save money that I follow! What doesn’t get reused normally, gets composted after and some things even get composted after they are reused.

Why You Should Reuse As Much As Possible At Home

I’ve been asked quite a few times why I bother reusing things. Most folks want to know if we are hard core zero wasters who believe in reducing everything we do to the smallest amounts possible in order to save the planet.

No. While I do think that we should all do our part, the truth is that everything zero waste that we do is motivated by one thing; our money.

Both Steve and I work incredibly hard for the money we have and since both of our incomes are variable it means that while we have an income this month; next month that income may not be livable.

When you don’t know for sure that your paycheck will cover your living expenses next month, it is a full motivator to save as much money as possible.

Reusing things and finding reusable products to swap for disposable ones (like THESE) while it isn’t going to make us rich, does reduce the amount of money we are spending for other things.

and reducing your spending is one way to build wealth and savings.

Ways to Use Old Towels

While they may no longer be great at drying your body off, finding new uses for old towels gives them one or two last steps before they’re tossed or recycled.

If you get creative, you can come up with far more ways to use old towels than I could ever list in a single blog post.

It all comes down to how creative you’re willing to try and be, how much you’re willing to make at home and stop buying and how much work you’re willing to put into things.

If you’re willing to do the work involved though, your budget and bank accounts will thank you.

Ways to Reuse Old Towels to Save You Money

Make Homemade Baby Wipes

 Let’s face it, disposable baby wipes are expensive. Instead of spending your hard earned money on them, reuse old towels to make homemade baby wipes.

Cut your ratty towels into squares, put them in an empty baby wipe box and add make your own homemade baby wipe solution. You’ll save a considerable amount of money and your baby will never know the difference.

Homemade cleaning cloths 

There is no point in using your good rags or towels to clean up nasty, grimy residue like what you’ll often find on your toilets, counters or floors and paper towels are expensive.

Instead of throwing ratty towels away, cut them into squares and use them with a homemade all-purpose cleaner to help keep your home clean and sparkly for cheap.

They also work really well for making reusable fabric softener sheets, homemade swiffer cloths and other homemade cleaning supplies.

Reuse old towels into a homemade kids craft apron

Craft time is messy, and kids craft aprons can be expensive, but a simple homemade smock can keep your kids clothes in pristine shape.

Instead of throwing out ratty towels, cut a hole big enough for your child’s head to fit through and let your little one wear it while they work on crafts, painting or other messy activities.

Once they’re done, toss in the wash so that your makeshift craft aprons are ready for next time!

Create a masterpiece

Ready for some free family fun? Grab some colorful kids paints and head out doors to splash it around.

Use your old ratty towels, sheets or any other fabrics and let them create a splash paint masterpiece!

Throw paint balls, use empty water bottles full of water paint, flick paint brushes full of paint or let them use homemade finger paints to create their very own creative work of art.

Once your play is done, let them dry fully then save one or two for them to look back on when they’re older.

Make a unconventional upcycled towel quilt

 If you’ve wanted to take up quilting, but haven’t yet, using old towels into a quilt is a fantastic way to upcycle old towels. 

Cut your towels into 12 inch by 12 inch squares then sew each square together. Add quilt batting and a fabric backing if you want and you’ve got yourself a spiffy new quilt that was incredibly easy to make and super budget friendly!

How to Upcycle Towels

Keep your hands clean in the car 

  You never know when you may have to change a tire, check your oil or just generally be poking around under the hood of your car.

To help keep your hands clean when that happens, keep a few old towels in your car to clean your hands on.

It’s not an upcycled towel use, but it does extend the time that your ratty towels are useful.

If you want to take your hand cleaning kit one step further, add a container of homemade goo gone and a gallon of water with the towels so that you can really keep your hands clean.

Make a homemade not-feather duster by reusing old towels

Old towels make excellent homemade dusters believe it or not.

 Cut them into squares and use them with a bit of homemade furniture polish to dust desks, dressers, accent tables and more.

Want to dust a space you can’t reach? Wrap your old towel around a mop or broom and use a binder clip to keep it in place.

Make an upcycled rag rug with old towels

 You can easily reuse old towels by making them into comfy bath rugs with a few simple tweaks.

Grab a latch rug canvas and cut your towels into strips that are 6 inches long by ¾ inch wide.

Thread your strips through the rubber gridded mat one at a time and tie them into a double knot. Continue doing this until your entire mat is covered.

These actually make really nice gifts and they give your towels one more use before they’re done.

Make a homemade picnic blanket from old towels

Most people bring a blanket when they go on a picnic, but doing so can easily ruin your blanket. Instead, reuse old towels to help keep your nice blankets nice.

Grab a few towels, cut away any areas that might have holes and sew them together to make a big picnic blanket.

If you want a nice sized square blanket, sew three towels wide and three towels long. The more towels you use, the bigger your blanket will be.

Reuse old towels to make homemade baby bibs

Having a baby is really expensive and baby bibs are one item that is super expensive. Most of the time they’re priced around $5.00 for something that has a sole purpose of getting messy.

Instead of spending all of that money, reuse old towels to make homemade baby bibs. 

To make yours, simply cut your towels into four equal sections then cut a hole into each section big enough for your child’s head. Slip over their head and enjoy lunch time!

Saving money in life, saving money in your home really boils down to a handful of things. One of them is looking at new ways to use old items.

If these ideas don’t strike your fancy, use your imagination and find a way to use them. Even if you only get one last use out of them, that is one less time that you had to spend money.

Do you have any other ideas for ways to use old towels? I’d love to hear them. It’s almost time for me to buy new ones.

Looking for More Ways to Reuse Household Items? Try These:

Have you ever used Fels-Naptha soap? It’s so much more than a laundry soap that these 52 ways to use Fels Naptha might just shock you! In fact, I think you’ll love these uses for Fels Naptha so much it will be a new favorite!

Do you have old sheets lying around? Who doesn’t? These 17 “new” uses for worn out sheets will have you looking at them in a different light…and maybe saving a buck or two in the process!

Holding onto empty milk jugs? Put them to good use! These 14 “new” uses for empty milk jugs will blow your mind!

Have a box of unused coffee filters laying around? They’re great for SO many more uses than simply making coffee! You’ll love these “New” Ways to Use Coffee Filters!