How can I reuse or recycle old bedding?
We’ve had an email from Yvonne:
What can we do with a box of old double bed sheets, duvet covers and valances which we don’t use any more because we’ve got a king size bed?
The first thing I’d suggest would be to pass them on – if they’re still in ok condition, give them to a charity/thrift shop or local shelter, or offer them on Freecycle. Bedding, particularly duvet covers, seems to be pretty popular in the charity shops that I go to seem to.
Aside from that, there are a whole lot of reuses for bedding because at the end of the day, it’s just flat lengths of fabric – and usually 100% cotton (or at least cotton-heavy) fabric at that. Rag ruggers often use bed sheets/covers because they’re cheap & available, and the old solution was, after turning the outside edges in, to use them for handkerchiefs.
Any other suggestions?
Your local vets and animal shelters will be very grateful for anything you can pass on too. :)
I used an old duvet cover to make some pillowcases. Just wrapped it around the pillow, cut the sides and seamed them up. So far, they have held up very well.
Another good use is to give them to a women’s shelter or homeless shelter. These programs can always use bedding in good shape and often more decorative curtains are appreciated too.
All bedding is basically fabric yardage with hems, and often valances are too. It can all be dyed if you don’t like the colors, and even prints often look very different after overdyeing. There are dozens of refashions out there just for pillowcases! I like the cotton sateen sheets and pillowcases cut up into handkerchiefs and tea towels because they are really soft. And the local quilt guild likes to use cut-up old sheets for foundation piecing workshops.
table cloth for a picnic table, ground covering for a picnic in a park, lining for a kitty bed, bedding for an impromptu overnight guest staying on your couch
The drama club of the school I worked in wanted some to paint for sets and backdrops. Maybe they can be offered to a school’s drama club. They would be good for costumes, too. I needed 2 double sheets (plain white, nothing floral) to make a toga for my ancient history class.
They make the screen for shadow puppets. Perhaps they would also make an impromptu screen for slide shows or home movies.
They also work for dress making – when you test a new pattern, the old fabric works great. If you need to make any adjustments, make them on the bedsheet version of your dress/shirt/skirt/trousers/whatever you are making, and then you can make a perfectly adjusted version when you cut the real fabric you want to use for your final project.
how about baby’s diaper
Douvets themselves make very good pipe lagging. Cut into 12″ wide strips, wrap round (lay on top and work from one end to the other) and cable-tie in place. This saves heating bills, pollution and pollution of manufacturing purpose-made items.