The Three Rs
When we think of the three Rs – Reduce , Reuse, Recycle – reduce and reuse seem to get forgotten in favour of recycle. In the next few posts I want to focus on reusing clothing for it’s material value once that clothing is no longer wearable. You see, I tend to wear out my clothing, so it is rare I send anything to the charity shop to be resold. My tops are usually stained beyond redemption at the armpits and my trousers have holes or stains that prevent them being resold in a charity store. Underwear of course is not generally accepted although lightly worn bras are making an appearance these days. Many charities sell on clothing in large bundles to be recycled into rags or used for the fibres.
When I’m done scrubbing deodorant stains from the armpits and performing repairs, I prefer to reuse and recycle my clothing at home, often getting 3 or more uses out of something before it’s completely done. This not only gets maximum usage from the cloth but saves on buying things like kitchen paper and cotton wool.
So many posts that talk about zero waste and reducing carbon footprint start with you having to buy some new fabric and follow a complicated pattern This frustrates me as not only are your buying additional material when you probably already have some you can use but the complexity level is off putting and sets the bar unnecessarily high for most of us even if the finished product does look amazing.
I want to show you some simple ways I reuse my clothes for their fabric value. Let’s start with some no sew options before moving on to more complex items. I’ll also take a look at some of the “riches” or cost savings you might get from switching to reusable products.
1. Cotton Wool Replacement
As I mentioned above, underwear and specifically knickers (panties) can’t be sent to the charity store once it’s been worn. If you have cotton knickers that have been well worn you will notice the cotton is very soft. The top section just below the waist band can be used to make cotton squares to use for make up and nail polish removal. These squares can be washed multiple times before needing to be discarded if used for make up. I got 45 squares out of 2 pairs of knickers (yes, I have big pants)
- Cut the gusset/crotch section from the knickers.
- Cut off the waist band. You should be left with a band of material 2-3 inches deep and the circumference of the knickers.
- Cut off any leg seams that may still be there and the side seams.
- Cut the remaining material into squares approximately 2-3 inches square. Stack neatly in a box or on a small dish in the bathroom for use.
- To wash, gather the used cloths and put in a wash bag. (see below for how to make a draw string bag) wash on a hot cycle and dry thoroughly. The cloths tend to ball up after washing. This doesn’t bother me but you will need to smooth out if you want to re-stack them, otherwise just pile them in a bowl or use straight from the bag.
2. Kitchen Paper Towel Replacement
We no longer buy kitchen paper. It was so much easier than I expected to make the change. I new if we were going to do it we would need a replacement but what to use? Every Pinterest pin and blog I read required an inordinate amount of work and the purchase of material. Inspiration struck when I was sorting out clothes. We have a ridiculous number of t-shirts between us. Sorting through them many were worn out, a lot didn’t fit and I had too many sleep and gardening/DIY t-shirts. I keep the best of the bunch and sorted the rest by colour. The white t-shirts got cut up to make kitchen towel replacement and the dark ones became cleaning cloths. I then installed a basket and a small bucket in the kitchen. The basket for the clean cloths and the bucket for the dirty ones. Simple.
The transition was much smoother than I expected. We had to learn some things along the way – wet cloths go mouldy quickly so you have to hang them over the lip of the bucket to dry. Heavy grease such as from wiping fat out of a pan doesn’t come out well so those cloths have to be discarded. The nice thing is because the t-shirts are 100% cotton, they can go into the composting. The method to make them is similar to above:
- Lie t-shirt on a flat surface
- Cut from the bottom to the shoulder along the side seams. Take off the top below the neck and remove the bottom hem
- Keeping the front and back together, cut the pieces into appropriately sized cloths. You can see in the picture I got 10 from my t-shirt.
- Keep in a basket on the counter top ready for use. Put used cloths in a small bucket until you have enough for a wash.
- Wash on a hot wash and dry thoroughly before reuse.
- 100% cotton cloths can be composted once they are too stained or worn for use.
Note: these cloths are not going to stay pristine and white. Washing on a hot wash ensures the cloths are clean and helps remove stains but if you can’t handle a bit of discolouration or a few stains this may not be project for you.
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3. Bags for food or laundry
The body of a top or the leg of a pair of trousers can easily be made into draw string bags for storing dry foods, vegetables or using in the laundry for delicate items.
There are a couple of things to bear in mind. The weight of the fabric if you are going to use it for bulk items at the supermarket and the how colour fast the fabric is if you are using it in the washing machine. Generally, if you are utilising older clothes there is no issue with colour leeching but it is still worth checking.
- Lie your top or trousers on a flat surface. Depending on the size and shape of the bag you may be able to utilise some existing seams. The remainder of these instructions will refer to tops but the process is the same for trousers.
- Select the area you want. Allow about 1 inch on the outside of the seam for additional stitching and trimming. Mark it with taylor’s chalk, washable crayon or pins
- Cut out the pieces and place them so the “right” sides or outsides of the bag are facing. We are going to work on the wrong side.
- Pin together the sides to be sewn. I also pin across the bag opening because it helps hold the material together.
- Tacking (optional). I like to do a tacking stitch to hold my pieces together so that I can remove the pins. I find it keeps the material together better and I avoid the inevitable pin pricks and scratches I get if I use the sewing machine with the pins in place. All of the finish sewing can be done by hand but I use a sewing machine for speed and because I not good at sewing a straight line by hand (some would argue the same is true with the sewing machine).
- Sew your bottom and side seams with a straight stitch. Leave a couple of inches at the top of one of the bag sides for the cord slot.
- Sew the seems again using a zigzag or over lock stitch between the straight stitch and the raw edge to strengthen the seam and prevent fraying.
- Trim any loose threads, remove tacking and pins from the top of the bag.
- Turn your bag the right way out push the bottom corners out to and check everything looks OK.
- Turn the bag inside out again.
- Fold down the top edge of the bag about 1 inch, pin and tack in place. Ensure there is a gap on one side of the bag to slot cord or ribbon into the channel we are about to make.
- Stitch around the top of the bag about 3/4 inch from the top with a straight stitch.
- Stitch around again using a zigzag stitch below the straight stitch.
- Stitching by hand, add some small stitches around the cord slot opening to reinforce it.
- Trim up loose ends and remove any remaining tacking
- Turn the bag the right way out.
- Measure a piece of cord or ribbon 2 1/2 times the width of the top of the bag.
- Thread one end onto a large, blunt nosed needle, a paperclip or a safety pin.
- Guide the ribbon or cord through the slot and around the top of the bag.
- Remove the needle, pin or clip and tie the ends in a knot
Tips for success
- press your material to remove any big creases before you start
- read your sewing machine handbook to ensure you select the correct tension and needle size for your material
- take your time and have fun
Make me rich!
The good news is you are producing less waste and the energy consumed in producing and transporting the products to the store. However, the cost savings are negligible.
Assuming you use 45 cotton pads and 1.5 rolls of kitchen paper per month. You will save approximately $66 per year. However, if you have to increase your laundry by one hot wash per week, it’s going to cost about $53 per year so you are only saving $13 per year. You are also using additional energy to heat water if you would normally wash on cold.
If you already do a hot wash for some items and you are comfortable adding the above items to it, you get the full $66 per year. I do from time to time wash the cotton face cloths on a cold wash if they are lightly used but have found the kitchen cloths always need a hot wash to come clean.
For me, the richness comes from using items for as long as possible and reducing waste. Experiment and see if this works for you.
In the bag
The bags that you make will be heavier than the plastic bags at the store and many of the reusable bags you can buy. I weighed the smallest of my bags and compared it to a plastic bag and a reusable mesh bag I bought some time ago.
Plastic 2g
Mesh 4g
Homemade 34g
If I put items in the homemade bag prior to purchase it will cost more. The heavier the items you put in the bag, the less impact that additional cost has.
For example if I fill the bag with pasta, I’ll get about 500g in there. But if I fill it with dried beans it will be about 1kg.
As you can see the bag price doesn’t change and is therefore less of the overall cost.
If you take your bags to a bulk buy store. You should be able to get them to account for this weight in the same way they account for the container weight. Again, for me, reducing plastic use and overall waste is worth the little bit extra paid at the till.
Note: All of the above is in Canadian Dollars
Final thoughts
You may decide these projects aren’t for you or perhaps you prefer all of the bells and whistles of the fancy make up pads and connected kitchen towels found on other blogs. I hope at the very least it’s got you thinking about your clothing and other household fabrics and how to get the most use from them before eventually discarding them.
In the coming weeks I’ll have more fabric projects, mostly from denim. So hang onto those worn out jeans and all your fabric scraps.
Let me know what you think in the comments and if you do like this. Please share.
As always, stay safe, stay home and always be creative.
Nice one! I like the drawstring bags idea. Will definitely try it.
Let me know how it goes. Unfortunately my attachment plug in stopped working but I’m looking for another one so you can load pics.
Like these ideas very much.
Excellent. Let me know when you try them.
Drawstring bags are a great idea!