How can I reuse or recycle old tights/stockings?
I used to wear skirts quite a lot so, given I live in the chilly north of England, I bulk bought tights (or stockings, but mostly tights) whenever I had a bargainacious opportunity. Still, with the help of nail varnish for emergency repairs, I managed to keep them going until they were grey, shapeless, snagged nylon sacks. Attractive imagery, I know.
Now those many, many sexy garments are taking up valuable space in my underwear drawer but I can’t bring myself to throw them away, no matter how unlikely it is that I’ll ever wear them again. I’m sure there are hundreds of things to do with them but am really at a loss to think exactly what. So, any suggestions?
Best Suggestions
- Reuse – Practical: Use them as a supportive-but-gentle way to tie plants and flowers to supports – or similarly, to make hair ties that won’t snag or pull. Alternately, put the annoying ends of soap in the foot of a stocking and tie it around your outdoor tap for when your hands are muddy.
- Reuse – Creative: Nylons can be used as filler or a filling liner for toys/draught excluders, and can also be used for crocheting/rag rug making in their own right. For an easy peasy dog toy, plait a few pairs together into a short but stretchy tug toy.
- See the comments below for more suggestions and ideas
i use old tights etc to seive old paint they are brilliant for this. we also use other clothing plus thick opaque tights for polishing. it’s cheaper to re-use than buy in rags. drop me a line at, munchkin69@mail2chocolate.com gladly take all unwanted stuff. will try and make use out of most things.
Good morning, Excuse Me but my English is not very good. Here is my request: I search bottoms or panty hoses spun to make flowers with. Then if you had bottoms or panty hoses that you want to throw the poubelle them, think in moi. I me definitely to recover them. But my biggest probleme it is to find of the matiere premiere (panty hoses or bottom lines). It is for it that I come to ask you if you would not have panty hoses or bottom lines which you want to throw has the garbage can. Because, I want recuperer. You want to see what I make: http://www.aufeminin.com/album/mesfleursencollant You will be can etre surprised by what they can make by recycling sticky or low. Accept not you from it me of Belgium, Italy, Switzerland then why? I wait for your answers. Thank you has you. In + Bea
beamager@wanadoo.fr
Hallo Bea,
I read your message after putting the question, ” How can I recycle my nylon tights?”
Please can I send you my washed and clean tights? (some have holes in)
Puis-je vous envoler mes tights? Avez vous une addresse que je peux utiliser?
J’aime bien les fleurs que vous faites.
J’en ai beaucoup de tights que je peux envoler.
Est-ce que vous peux uitliser les tights noir?
Best wishes
Hope you understand my French!
Jenny
Hi Jenny
I need old washed tights for craftwork. Do you still have any that you could send to me please?
My e mail is :
brejackson@gmail.com
Regards
Bre
My Gran made a jar full of what she called pickled bums, sections of tights filled with cotton wool, or some filler, then put a cotton line through making what looked like a bottom. This was then given as a novelty present to friends and family.
Made me laugh.
you can cut them and make some new stockings
They can be used as padding for covered coathangers for self or to give as presents. Get a wooden coathanger (haven’t been able to make this work with wire ones, sadly!) – cut elastic off waist of tights as it’s too thick and lumpy, then wind tights tightly round hanger from one end to the other and secure end with a few stitches. Knit or crochet a long strip – get measurements by measuring round hanger (usually 2-3″) and length of hanger, then calculate using tension. If using DK yarn and size 9 needles, 24sts = 4″, so work it out from there. Usually I use about 15 sts. Knit (plain or fancy stitch, your choice!) or crochet to right length. Sew round hanger. Add ribbon bow to base of metal hanger bit, decorate with buttons, lace, bows, anything. (BTW metal hanger is just poked through knitting at the halfway point – no need to detach it.)
They can also be plaited into bathmats. Cut off waist elastic, cut up centre of body section to provide separate legs, sew legs together at toes and tops to make long continuous strips that you wind into balls. Then plait together and sew into rounds or ovals, coiling the plait and sewing as you go. They look best dyed – nylon dyes well with washing-machine Dylon and they make warm, soft and quick-drying bathmats. You can even dye your balls of lengths into different shades and have a 3-tone mat, if you can be bothered.
…and they can be cut into small pieces and used to stuff cushions or soft toys! Best mixed with polyester stuffing (from an old duvet is the cheapest way, or cushions/pillows that have gone out of shape)- the tights make the polyester go further and tend to be a bit lumpy on their own.
The filtering options are endless! Maybe they can be stitched into a reusable coffee filter?
Old tights can be used as a great storage system for hanging up onions in a cool dry place after they have been harvested
Hi, I find old tights really come in handy round the garage, for straining fluinds, paints, as rags etc. Trouble is demand far outstrips supply. I would be interested in taking loads of what you have off your hands.
Use a foot/leg over the end of your vacuum cleaner nozzle if you ever need to pick up small spilt items like beads, seeds, staples, etc.
You can use them to make a face, stuff with a little wadding and then sewn and decorated to add a nose, ears and other features. They can also be filled with sawdust and grass seed and decorated to look like a face – when the grass grows out of the top it looks like hair!
I’ve used them to recover worn out foam headphone/earphone parts.
They can be used as stuffing as previously mentioned.
I imagine you could use them to cover bandages, sleeves, hair etc if your doing a job where you need to keep any of those things tidy (like if you are painting or something)!
You can stuff them to make a door/draft excluder.
I guess you could use a clean foot to cover glasses and drinks cans in the summer if you are out in the garden and worried about flying insects, maybe they could be used for other screening purposes too?
I am looking for clean used tights or stockings. It doesnt matter if they have a few ladders in them. They must be clean. I need quite a lot, ideally in tan colours, all variations from light to dark. I can use them for craftwork. Thanks.
Here, one use has been given, ie. garden tying – the “give” can be better than a hard bit of twine. The other I’ve not seen mentioned but is again sort of gardening (at least here as we grow some soft fruit) related. They can be used as a “jelly bag” to strain the juice when making things like blackcurrant jelly, cordials, purees, etc.