If you’re short on ideas, we’ve come up with several clever uses for old sheets that could improve your life. For instance, these projects could help you eliminate waste in your home or help you become a more efficient gardener. It’s worth noting that you don’t need to have a set of ragged sheets to partake. Do you stock too many sheets in general? Many home organization experts recommend keeping no more than two sets of sheets per bed. If you own more than this recommendation, consider cleaning out your linen closet and tackling one of these DIY projects.
1. Make Reusable Cleaning Towels
Paper towels are becoming a thing of the past as more people are working to reduce waste in their homes. If you have a set of old sheets, consider cutting them down into some reusable cleaning towels. Cotton sheets will make ideal dusters and can even be used to polish stainless steel appliances. Simply grab a pair of sharp scissors and cut the sheets into even rectangles.
2. Craft a Collection of Drawstring Bags
Sheet fabric may not be durable enough for a purse, but they are an ideal fabric for pouches. Drawstring bags can serve many uses. You can use them to organize travel essentials, wrap gifts, or keep your purse organized.
3. Use Thick Sheets as a Weed Barrier
Thick, opaque sheets can work well as a weed barrier in your garden. Make sure that your sheets are not thin or transparent. Darker colors work best. If you have a lot of open space in your garden bed, lay down sections of your old sheet before topping it off with a few inches of fresh mulch. If you have lighter cotton sheets, you can use these in your garden in the wintertime to protect more fragile perennials.
4. Sew a Double-Sided Belt
There are a variety of accessories you could make with old sheets. Pretty much anything that can be made using cotton should be considered. This double-sided belt project may not use up a lot of your old sheets, but if it goes well, make a few belts for the whole family.
5. Hang Some No-Sew Curtains
Sleek, wrinkle-free white sheets make great curtains in farmhouse-style homes. In fact, it might be cheaper to buy a set of inexpensive twin bed sheets and turn those into curtains than to buy custom window shades. The savings will add up if you have odd sized windows and need a custom width or length.
6. Braid a Boho Style Rug
Think about making a braided rug using old bedsheets. This DIY project might take some patience to create, but the end result will help you use up old sheets and any other scrap fabric that’s taking up space in your craft room.
7. Knot Up a Cloth Dog Toy
Old sheets can be transformed into a tug-of-war dog toy. The thicker you can make this dog toy, the more durable the toy. To complete this project, cut your old sheets into several long, thin strips. We recommend keeping the strips around two inches thick and three feet in length. Take all the strips and then tie a large knot at the end. Separate the strips into three sections and proceed to braid the sections together. Finally, knot the bottom of the toy.
8. Create an Eco-Friendly Produce Bag
Plastic bags are terrible for the environment, so many localities are enforcing plastic bag bans in stores. Even if you can still use plastic bags, it might be worth your while to transform your sheets into grocery bags instead. Try out a durable grocery bag pattern using a pair of patterned or solid sheets.
9. Turn Sheets into a Yoga Mat Bag
This old sheet idea is similar to the pouch or produce bag, but the function is different. Sheets make a great fabric for creating a boho-inspired yoga mat bag. T
10. Transform Old Sheets into Pajamas.
Lisa from Farmhouse on Boone has a very clever idea for reusing old sheets. She turned some old, patterned bedding into pajamas for her daughters.
11. Fashion Art Smocks for the Whole Family
Bedsheets will make ideal art smocks so long as the fabric is thick enough that art supplies don’t easily seep through. You can find an example online to sew, or you can simply cut a hole in the middle of the sheet and put the sheet over your head. Cutting a hole is a quick way to protect your clothes when you’re taking on a project on the fly.
