10 Clever Ways To Repurpose Your Ratty Old Bath Towels

Are your towels looking a bit dingy? If it’s time to upgrade your towels, you may be tempted to simply toss your old ones. But even if your towels have seen better days, there are still many uses for them besides drying off after bathing. Check out these 10 clever ways to repurpose old towels.

1. Outdoor Throw Pillows

If your old towels are of the beach variety and have fun patterns on them, they can make cute pillow covers to use on throw pillows for your patio, deck or any other outdoor space. The material even makes them perfect for withstanding a little bit of weather. HomeJelly has a tutorial here.

2. Stuffed Animals

Ever marvel at those adorable animal-shaped towel designs at hotels? You can actually take the concept a step further by using old towels to make stuffed animals. Check out this tutorial from Thaitrick on YouTube that will show you how to make a butterfly, frog and puppy, and they’re all adorable.

3. Cleaning Rags

When I was growing up, old towels went straight to the “rag bag” at our house. Ripped up old towels are perfect to clean everything from floors, counters, appliances and more.

4. Bath Pouf

With the help of a sewing machine, you can turn an old towel into a rose-shaped and durable bath pouf. Ruffles and Stuff has the directions so you can do it yourself. How cute!

5. Dog Chew Toy

Dogs generally love chewing on anything they’re not supposed to, so instead of letting them grab towels from the laundry, trick them by making their very own chew toy made from old towels. Thrifty Fun shows how it’s done, no sewing needed. Genius!

6. Car Sponge

Using an old towel to cover a sponge makes for the perfect cleaning tool for the exterior of your car. Plus, it saves the sponge, so you can get more use out of it, too, Michele Made Me points out.

7. Child’s Bib

Sure, you can buy all kinds of adorable and overpriced bibs, but at the end of the day, the bib serves one purpose, and that’s to catch food while your baby eats. Repurpose an old towel for a no-nonsense and super-practical bib instead. Vanilla Joy shows how she did it here.

8. Pet Bed

Does your dog love to snuggle up on a pile of dirty towels? You can use old towels to fashion a proper bed for dogs, cats and even rabbits, as shown in this YouTube tutorial from Buzzcargo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhC8Bs67oAs

9. Packing Material

If you’re getting ready to move or just need to transport some breakable items like glasses or dishes, you’ll need some packing material. Instead of buying bubble wrap, you can use your old towels to cushion anything fragile. It’s better for the environment and cheaper, too.

10. Reusable Makeup Remover Pads

You can spend a fortune on makeup removing cloths or just cotton pads if you wear makeup daily, so using an old towel to make reusable pads is a great way to save. Condo Blues has directions for sewing your own.

What else from around your home have you repurposed?