How to Dispose of Old Cotton Clothes

Your old socks can be turned into helpful household items.

Disposing of old clothes can be an issue, especially when the local donation center refuses to accept your contribution based on the amount of wear and tear. Many also hold that if the clothes are in such a poor state that you would not wear them yourself, it is unlikely that someone else would wish to wear them. When old clothes can no longer be worn by another person and reach a state of disposal, alternative solutions are available which can still put your old clothes to a new use.

Things You'll Need

• Old cotton clothing
• Phone

Instructions

1. Call local non-profit donation centers and ask if they accept clothing for use as rags. Many of these worn out textiles are returned to the industry by being shredded and used for products, such as paper and blankets.

2. Contact your local zoo or animal shelter and ask if they accept old cotton rags and shirts which may be used as blankets and toys for the animals.

3. Make a quilt. If you don't sew, ask around and see if any quilting societies would be interested in receiving your clothing.

4. 

   Cut your clothes into small pieces and use them as wiping cloths or cleaning rags.

5. Use old socks as dusters or for shoe-covers. Slide the sock over your shoes and store in your suitcase when traveling to protect your other travel items from getting dirty.

1. 

References

• The Bradford Jonnycake Center of Westerly: Donations to the Jonnycake Center
• The Good Human: EarthTalk: Recycling Worn Out Clothing
• Cameron Park Zoo: Easy Being Green
• Fun in the Making: Cleaning Rags Made from Old Clothes
• "The Huffington Post"; Green Cleaning: 37 Reuses For Old Clothes; Dave Burdick; Feb 2009

Resources

• This Green Blog: Musings, Tips, and Hard Information on Green Living: Home Page