The bedroom is a reuse haven. Just about everything including bed linen, jewellery, coat-hangers and clothing can be saved or converted for reuse. If searching for inspiration, think about the dress worn by Lizzy Gardiner at the 1994 Academy Awards made entirely from Gold Amex cards! Save money by stocking your wardrobe with clothes that mix and match, find alternative uses for old socks and shoe boxes and keep the room pest free so you won’t have to deal with moth-eaten blankets.
SAVE FEATURE: Don’t throw old socks away even if they have holes in them. Instead, add them to your cleaning kit. When cleaning venetian blinds, place a sock over your hand, pinch the slat between thumb and forefinger and gently slide along the dusty surface. Cover your hands in old socks when cleaning silverware. You won’t transfer oil from your hands to the surface you’re cleaning.
We all know how important it is to have a comfy bed but have you given any thought to environmentally friendly beds? When buying a new one, there are a couple of things to consider. If buying a timber bed, choose one that’s been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) or buy a second-hand one. Beds made of plastic and polypropylene are not recyclable so avoid them if you can. Be mindful of the material used to make the mattress and avoid those made with polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) that have been linked with brain and thyroid problems in rats. Instead, look for mattresses made with cotton, wool or hemp. It’s worth spending a bit more to get natural materials because it lasts longer and is easier to clean.
TIP: Make sure you air a new mattress well before sleeping on it. This will help to remove any unpleasant odours created in the manufacturing process. If you can, place it in the sun, sprinkle with bicarb and leave for 2 hours. Do this to both sides of the mattress, then vacuum. If you can’t get it into direct sunshine, use a UV light.
TIP: Deal with dust mites with used tea bags. Place the used tea bags in a spray bottle of cold water, allow to steep for 5 minutes, remove the bags then lightly mist over the mattress and surrounds. Spray lightly over pillows and dry in the sun.
Turn an old bed into an indoor or outdoor couch. For an indoor couch, cover the mattress in a doona cover and add throws and comfy cushions. For an outdoor couch, cover the mattress in plastic (you should be able to get some from shops that sell mattresses) to protect it from rain. Then place an old doona cover over the mattress. Make the doona cover waterproof by taking it outside and spraying it with clear varnish. If there’s a frame around the bed, paint it in a bright, weatherproof paint. Pile some cushions on top and you’ve got a day bed.
TIP: Freshen up your bedhead by painting it a new colour or upholstering it in new fabric.
TIP: Instead of using an electric blanket, sit on a cuddle blanket before going to bed and use it to cover your feet when you get into bed.
If your mattress is ripped or torn you can have the cover (the ticking) replaced. Search the internet or phone book for a company in your area.
Use as a play base for children. Put an old doona cover over the top and rest it on the floor. Don’t use it if the coils have come through or are rusted or you’ll be heading to the emergency department for a tetanus shot!
If you want to throw it out, contact a mattress recycling service, such as ww.dreamsafe.com.au.
TIP: Your mattress will last longer if you care for it. Rotate it and vacuum it regularly. Put different coloured ribbon on each corner so you know where you are in the rotation cycle.
Use as stuffing for toys or cushions.
Use the pillow filling as packing when carting a delicate item.
Store in the car in case someone wants to have a nap.
TIP: Don’t forget to wash your pillows at least once every six months (more if you’re a heavy sweater). Wash with cheap shampoo in blood-heat water and dry them on top of the clothesline, turning regularly until completely dry.
Turn torn, worn and damaged sheets (and doona covers) into pillowcases.
Use as a drop sheet when painting. The drop sheet will become waterproof the more paint drops you get on it. To speed this process up, paint the sheet using the tail ends of paint, leave it to dry and you’ve got a waterproof drop sheet.
Turn a double-or queen-sized sheet into a doona cover for a single bed. Or sew two single sheets together to make a doona cover. For a reversible look, use different patterned sheets for either side of the cover.
Use sheets as dust sheets to cover furniture.
If having a picnic, put a sheet under the picnic blanket to collect dirt. Sheets are easier to wash than blankets.
Rip them up and place them in the rag bag.
The fabric in old sheets is lovely and soft and can be turned into great pyjamas.
Use old sheets in the kids’ dress-up box. Turn them into superhero capes or princess trains and dye them the desired colour. Or cut out two holes for eyes and make a ghost outfit.
Make a play rug (for details, see How to be Comfy and use the search feature of your ebook reader to search for ‘rug’).
Create banners or bunting to hang in a child’s bedroom. Paint the sheet with white undercoat and add your design.
Use them to protect and store winter clothes or evening wear. It’s better to wrap clothes in old sheets than leave them in plastic bags because the plastic can leave acid marks. Cut a small hole in the centre of a sheet and poke the hook of a coat-hanger through the hole. Place evening wear on the coat-hanger, cover with the sheet and hang in your wardrobe.
Use as a mat in the hallway when it’s raining.
DID YOU KNOW? In days gone by, sheets were very expensive to buy so every effort was made to get the most use from them. Sheets tend to wear more in the middle, so they were cut down the centre and the outside hems were stitched together so the inside of the sheet became the outside. By doing this you get twice as much life from the same sheet. The only problem is you then have a seam line running along the centre of your bed – which is why the flat seam was invented!
How to make your own sheets
Good-quality sheets are still expensive to buy. The higher the thread count, the higher the price. If you’re handy with the sewing machine, you can make your own for a fraction of the cost. Find out where your nearest fabric warehouse is in the phone book or online and buy sheeting by the metre. You only need to sew two hemlines on the raw edges or, for those who can’t or won’t sew, use iron-on hemming tape instead. It’s also quite easy to put elastic around a base sheet but you may prefer to keep things simple and make flat rather than fitted sheets. A flat sheet can be used as a top or bottom sheet and will wear more evenly. Shannon also adds cotton lace to decorate her top sheet and is still using sheets made over 15 years ago.
TIP: More energy is needed to make synthetic fibres, so choose cotton or other natural fabrics over synthetic sheets. Cotton also feels much better against your skin and breathes!
Patchwork quilting
Patchwork came about at a time when nothing was ever wasted. Instead of tossing out a frayed shirt, it would be cut into squares and turned into a quilt. And given blankets used to cost the equivalent of several months’ wages, there was a financial incentive to turn old clothes into blankets. Some people used to buy sample fabric from door-to-door salesmen at discounted prices, which is why some quilt covers were made from suit fabric. Patchwork quilting is now a popular hobby and many quilts are considered works of art. Quilters also talk about how satisfying it is to see a favourite old skirt, dress or shirt given a new lease of life as a quilt. It keeps the memories alive! Store your patchwork squares in acid-free tissue paper and place them in the centre of old cardboard paper rolls. That way you can easily see which colours you need and the corners of the fabric won’t become dog-eared. Why not make patchwork quilting a group experience and sew with your friends?
TIP: Curling under a blanket on the couch is cheaper than turning on the heater and will save on your electricity bill. And if it’s a patchwork quilt you’ve made yourself, you can leave it folded over the sofa for guests to admire.
Keep a pillowcase to use as a shoe bag when travelling. That way you won’t get dirt on your clothes.
Protect your delicates when they’re being washed in the washing machine by placing them inside a pillowcase.
Boil them in hot water, dry them on the clothesline and use them as ham bags to keep a leg of ham fresh.
Because they’re acid-free, they’re great to store winter woollens.
Use them as a sack for Santa. Have the kids decorate them.
If you’ve inherited a fur coat (it’s not environmentally friendly to buy a new one), use an old pillowcase to clean it. Place 1 kilogram of unprocessed wheat bran (it’s abrasive and absorbent) inside the pillowcase, add the coat, secure the top and shake. Then shake off the bran outside and, if necessary, give the fur a light vacuum.
Turn a blanket into a poncho to keep you warm in winter. Cut a hole in the middle for your head.
Add a length of old blanket to an existing blanket to make it bigger and easier to tuck into the side of a bed. Shannon is in the process of doing this with her blankets.
Turn them into cuddle blankets (use the search feature of your ebook reader to search for ‘cuddle blankets’).
Cut blankets into strips and wrap them around wooden beams where you might bump your head.
Wool is a fire retardant, so use old woollen blankets to make barbecue aprons.
Cut blankets into large squares or rectangles. If making necklaces or beading with children, use these woollen mats on the tabletop so the beads won’t bounce onto the floor.
Create a new lining in a lightweight jacket using an old blanket to make a warm winter jacket.
Leave an old blanket in the back of the car for emergencies. You could even use it to protect the car during a hailstorm.
Put them in the toy box to use as cubby house walls.
TIP: The best way to clean blankets is to wash them in a small quantity of cheap shampoo diluted in blood-heat water and rinse them in a small quantity of cheap hair conditioner mixed with blood-heat water. They’ll feel lovely and soft.
Doonas tend to last for a long time. If the filling has become compacted, there are companies that will clean and replace the filling.
Use the filling inside doonas as stuffing for toys or cushions.
Turn doonas into bedding for pets.
Use an old doona as a mattress protector.
TIP: Be careful when storing bedspreads. Always wrap them in acid-free tissue paper with naphthalene flakes or camphor balls and store them in a cotton covering. That way they won’t be full of moth holes the following winter!
Many old wardrobes are beautiful pieces of furniture. Rather than throwing them away, turn them into a linen press, computer cabinet, larder in the kitchen or storage in your garage or workshop.
Turn a wardrobe into a gardening shed. To do this, turn the wardrobe sideways and fix it to an outside wall. Just make sure the wall and brackets are strong enough to hold it! Attach two chains to the inside ends of the wardrobe door so it sits flat when opened. Attach another chain to the centre of the top wardrobe door. Hook it to the wall to hold it open when using.
If the wardrobe is made of timber, the quality is generally very good so reuse the timber to make a chest or shelving.
TIP: Revamp an old wardrobe with a new coat of paint or some wallpaper. Vogue Living recently showcased a Louis XV walnut armoire spray painted in gaudy colours by graffiti artist KID4EVA.
Coat-hangers are made with 22-gauge wire so they’re easy to manipulate with your hands. Make into a mobile.
Use them to hang a mosquito net above a bed.
Make a butterfly net. Turn a wire coat-hanger into a hoop and attach net curtaining.
Straighten an old coat-hanger and use it to get behind cupboards or any tight space.
Put old pantyhose over the end and clean drains with them.
Turn coat-hangers into hooks to hang handbags. Open out the coat-hanger, cut it into 3-centimetre lengths and bend into S shapes.
Attach a coat-hanger to the fridge and place a couple of pegs along the bottom to hang children’s artwork. Glue to a magnet or attach using double-sided tape.
Hang a 1950s-style fabric peg bag or plastic bag from it to store pegs.
Turn into a tray.
Use behind plants in the garden to make the space look bigger.
Place in the bottom of a wardrobe to increase the light so you can see into the back. Old mirrors are great anywhere it’s dark. You can even put one at the bottom of a handbag so you see what’s inside (although it might look as though you’ve got twice as much junk).
Put a mirror on the bottom of the oven when cleaning it so you can see how well you’re cleaning the top without having to bend.
Put an old shaving mirror on a wire handle so kids can look around corners.
Increase light around the house. Mirrors reflect light and make a room look bigger. Either hang mirrors as you would a picture, place them over tabletops, fit at the back of a shelf, put on the bottom of a wardrobe or fix along a fence line in the garden. You could also use a mirror along a fence line to reflect sun to a poorly lit clothesline.
If the mirror is old and the backing has worn off, it’s expensive to have it resilvered. Instead, use glass paint and make a design on the front of the mirror to cover the spotting. If the mirror is worn at the edges, glue lace fabric to each corner.
Use drawers as storage under the bed, in the attic, garage or under the house. They’re easy to stack and you could add castors to the base to make moving them easier.
Turn two drawers into a storage suitcase. Sit one drawer, right side up, on a work surface and turn another one upside down and place it on top. Add two hinges to the back of the drawers and two catches either side of the drawer handle
TIP: To clean timber surfaces, combine 1 teaspoon of beeswax, 1 drop of lavender oil and 1 drop of lemon oil on a cloth. Warm in a microwave for 30 seconds or until it softens, allow to cool. You can use this on any timber surface.
TIP: Shannon places old perfume bottles at the back of drawers to scent clothes. You can leave them there for up to a year.
CHANGE FOR GOOD: The population of brown pelicans on the West Coast of the United States went into sharp decline from the 1940s to the 1970s mainly because of the use of the pesticide DDT. It was banned in the US in 1972, however it remains in the environment for a long time. Since the 1980s brown pelican numbers have increased and as a result the US Fish and Wildlife Service has announced pelicans will be removed from the endangered species list.
Keep chalks and crayons inside. They’re easy to reach into, provide a lot of storage and are lightweight. And you can look through the clear plastic to see exactly what’s inside.
The kids may want to decorate the boxes and store small items, such as Lego, in them.
Buying clothes is expensive but there are many ways to get the most from your wardrobe. The most economical way to buy clothes, no matter what your age or gender, is to have items that coordinate and can be worn in different combinations so you get several looks from the same pieces. Stick to a consistent colour palette, choose durable classics and freshen up your look with cheaper seasonal items and accessories. At the beginning of spring and autumn, do a wardrobe audit. If you haven’t worn something all season work out why. Are repairs needed? Are there stains? Is it uncomfortable? Do you dislike the fabric? Take a note of these things so the next time you go shopping you won’t make the same mistakes. Either donate unwanted clothes to charity, sell them to a second-hand shop or recycle them (see suggestions under Old Clothes). Clothes can also be put into long-term storage if you think you might want to wear them in the future. It’s good to work out what clothes you love and wear to death and why they appeal to you. If you have a checklist when selecting clothes, you’ll end up with a wardrobe you love rather than having buyer’s remorse.
Always buy the best quality you can afford. As a general rule, clothes made from natural fabrics last longer and are cheaper and easier to clean because they can be washed and stains float out of the fibres more readily. Synthetic fabrics hold stains and odours, need more frequent cleaning and often require dry-cleaning (which is expensive and not environmentally friendly).
You’ll get more life from your clothes if you care for them properly. Do any mending before washing or the tear will get worse. When washing clothes, Shannon recommends using less detergent than recommended on the packet. To work out if you’re using too much, check if there are any bubbles at the end of the wash cycle. If there are, you’re using too much detergent, which means excess soap gets into the fibres of clothes making them stiff and brittle. It also means the clothes will attract more dirt. Excessive bleaching puts pressure on the fibres and wears them down more quickly.
Protect your clothes and keep your wardrobe and drawers pest free. Combine 2 bay leaves (deters other varieties of insects including moths), 5 whole cloves (kills mould spores and deters silverfish), 1 tea bag (kills dust mites), 1–2 heads of lavender (adds fragrance and deters flying insects), 2 cedar chips (deters other varieties of insects including moths), 1 tablespoon of bicarb (absorbs moisture and helps prevent mould) in a bowl. Place the mixture in the centre of a small piece of muslin, cotton voile or pantyhose foot and tie up with string or ribbon.
TIP: To remove moisture from a wardrobe, tie 6–12 pieces of chalk together and hang them from the rail or a hook, avoiding direct contact with the clothes. The chalk absorbs moisture and can be dried out in the sun. Have two sets so you can rotate them. If moisture is a constant problem, you may need to add vents. If the rear wall of a built-in wardrobe is damp, add a false wall of cedar ply. Allow air to circulate behind a freestanding wardrobe. Don’t position built-in wardrobes along exterior walls because you’re more likely to get condensation.
Successful second-hand shopping
Look for good-quality fabric when choosing clothes at a second-hand store. If you don’t want to do any mending, make sure the article fits well and check that the seams aren’t worn, the zipper works and the buttons are intact. Don’t worry about stains (unless they’re really bad) because most can be removed. Second-hand clothes from charity stores tend to be cleaned well. However, if you’re worried that they may not be, add 2 teaspoons of tea tree oil to a regular wash cycle or pour a kettle full of boiling water into the laundry tub or a bucket, add a couple of drops of tea tree oil, drop in the clothes (check the labels before you do this or you could damage the garments in the boiling water), drain them and drip-dry on the clothesline in the sunshine.
TIP: If you can’t sew on buttons, use a button attacher.
If you’ve inherited an old fur coat, don’t throw it away. It can become a luxurious pillow or a throw for the couch.
Convert it into a fancy dress costume.
Use as the covering for a child’s toy.
Make your own teddy bear.
Use to create a removable collar and cuffs for your favourite cardigan or jumper.
Turn into a handbag, slippers or hat.
You should never find yourself throwing clothes in the bin unless it’s a charity bin! Charity bins and charity stores are located all over the place and love receiving clean clothes.
Find out if anyone else wants your clothes. Organise a clothes-swapping party with similar-sized friends and exchange unwanted clothes.
Schools often like using old clothes for craft projects.
Patchwork quilting places love natural fabrics.
You can make some money at recycling or vintage shops that sell old clothes. You could also check out options online.
Get together with friends and have a stall at the markets.
Once you’ve exhausted all these options, remove the buttons and zips for your sewing kit and use the fabric as cleaning rags or as patches to repair other clothes.
TIP: Turn old jeans into a handbag—they already have a zipper and pocket. Cut off the legs 10 centimetres below the crotch and split the crotch seam. Turn the jeans inside out, lay them flat and run a seam across the bottom. Thread a belt through the belt loops as a handle or use fabric from the legs to make the strap.
Because T-shirts are lint free they make perfect cleaning cloths.
Wrap an old T-shirt over the end of a broom when cleaning the floor instead of using a mop. You can wash the T-shirt and use it again and again.
If you’ve dropped something small on the ground, place an old T-shirt over the tube of a vacuum cleaner and secure with a rubber band. The vacuum cleaner will suck it up but it won’t go into the barrel because the T-shirt will catch it.
Create a button box, if you don’t have one already, to store excess buttons. If you have a button emergency you can usually find a good substitute for the missing button. Any container will do. Just make sure it’s sturdy and big enough.
Use buttons to make jewellery. Use a hot glue gun to attach the buttons to fishing line to make necklaces and bracelets.
Use them to decorate gift cards.
Old buttons can be turned into belts. Simply line them up side by side or slightly overlap them so that they appear like fish scales along an existing belt. Use a hot glue gun to secure them.
Add them to the busy box.
DID YOU KNOW? Chilean fashion designer Claudia Escobar is using discarded salmon skins to make luxury clothing.
Turn old silk ties into a skirt. Undo the back seams, line them up side by side and sew them together. The fabric is great quality and it makes an interesting pattern.
Women can thread them through trousers as a decorative belt.
Turn a tie into a woman’s headscarf.
Keep them for patching other clothes.
Add them to the kids’ dress-up box.
Make a cover for a cushion.
Turn them into work shirts and use them when gardening. The pocket is particularly handy to store items in and the shirt protects your skin from the sun, keeps dirt off you and is lightweight.
Turn them into children’s smocks to protect their clothes when painting or doing craft.
Save for patchwork quilting or the rag bag.
Remove the gusset and put cotton underpants in your rag bag.
Nylon knickers (minus the gusset) are great to use in the kitchen as polishing cloths.
As a child, Shannon used old bras to catapult fruit when playing with kids in the neighbourhood!
If your bra hook becomes squashed, replace it. Rather than just replacing the hook, it’s easier to remove the elastic and the hooks from an old bra and attach it to the damaged bra.
Cut off the cups and use the elastic as an occy strap to wrap around items.
Use old bra cups to protect Christmas decorations, such as glass baubles.
Use to store a sewing kit. Handbags are designed to carry lots of little items so they’re perfect for storing needles, thread, zippers and other sewing bits and bobs.
Turn into a jewellery case.
Store precious papers. It’s well insulated, easy to transport and can be stored anywhere.
Use as a vase for flowers. Line with plastic, put in an oasis block and arrange your flowers.
Keep in the hope that they’ll come back into fashion.
Add to the kids’ dress-up box.
Pop the lenses out, glue lace and glitter around the edge and make a fairy mask. Or glue some black felt or velvet around the edge to make a Batman mask.
Keep for masquerades.
Use the hinges on sunglasses to repair jewellery, such as catches for bracelets.
They make great jewellery boxes.
Use to store cosmetics. This is particularly good when travelling.
Cut into smaller scarves to wrap around ponytails.
Tear into strips and use to tie up fragile items in the garden.
Put in the kids’ dress-up box.
Make into a belt.
Turn into a cushion cover. Attach the scarf to some cotton backing so it won’t pucker, sew onto an existing cushion cover or make a new one.
Use as curtain weights. Place them in the hem of curtains.
Put in the kids’ busy box to make into wind chimes.
Use for beading, or adding bling to clothing.
Use for Christmas decorations.
Put in the kids’ dress-up box.
Use them to strap up suitcases or boxes.
Replace broken handles on handbags and suitcases.
Keep a belt in the car in case you need to tie something down.
Use as a tie on garden stakes. You can easily undo them and tie them back up again.
Cut off the fingers and make mittens to use in the garden.
Turn them into finger puppets and place in the kid’s play box.
Store jewellery in them.
Fill with sawdust or sand, tie off the wrist and use as a quirky pincushion.
If the shoes still have value, take them to a charity or vintage shop or sell them online.
Turn into seedling boxes or pot plants. They look very amusing placed under a tree.
TIP: If you get tar on your shoes, remove it with baby oil.
DID YOU KNOW? Before the advent of plastic, the leather from old shoes was often turned into washers to use in taps and cisterns.
Keep your receipts in them for tax time.
Wrap them in colourful paper to create a gift box.
Use as a container for making coconut ice. Place boxes in the sunshine for a couple of hours to air and allow UV to kill any bacteria. The cardboard removes the excess moisture from the coconut ice to give a crisper edge and a lighter finish. When coconut ice is stored in a plastic or metal container it becomes a bit gummy and sticky. The cardboard is also easy to dispose of in the recycling bin.
Use for storage.
Make a soap sock. If you have sensitive skin, put some soap inside a sock (so that you have soap and washer all in one) and use when showering: it’s softer on your skin.
Use as exfoliators in the shower.
Place over golf clubs to protect them.
Turn into hand puppets and put in the kids’ play box.
Use to store coins. Keep an old sock on a hook and when it’s full, take it to the bank.
Use to package delicate gifts.
If your shoes are a bit smelly, make a shoe frou: combine 2 tablespoons of bicarb (absorbs odours and moisture), 2 tablespoons of talcum powder (absorbs moisture and gives a silky feel), 1 drop of tea tree oil (kills tinea), 1 drop of oil of cloves (kills mould spores) and 1 drop of lavender oil (adds fragrance and deters insects) in a small bowl and mix well. Place the mixture in an old sock and tie with string or ribbon. Bounce the shoe frou in the offending shoes firmly. Reuse as needed.
Great for polishing when placed over your hands.
How to darn a sock
Use matching or contrasting cotton or wool and thread onto a needle. Make a running stitch around the hole to prevent it from fraying. Place a darning egg — if you don’t have one use a boiled egg or an incandescent light bulb—in the sock so that you have a curved edge to follow. Start from one side of the hole, weave to the other side, pick up a woven stitch and weave back to the other side of the hole. Do this in both directions until the hole is completely covered. To finish off, weave the thread away from the hole for around 2 centimetres and cut.
Even if pantyhose are covered in ladders, never throw an old pair in the bin — they are a versatile item. The weave of pantyhose is based on silk and is very tough. When wet, the open rope mesh of fibres stick together to form a hard cord which is so strong, you can even tow a car with them.
Use as a scourer when cleaning teflon frying pans. Roll pantyhose into a ball and wipe over the pan. If the pan is very dirty, add bicarb and white vinegar.
Use to polish saucepans.
Keep to clean taps. Wrap pantyhose behind taps and use a seesaw action.
Use them to clean the fridge.
Remove fingermarks and smears from stainless steel (especially fridges) with a damp pair of pantyhose and then wipe over with a dry pair.
Remove soap scum with damp pantyhose.
Clean ceilings. Place pantyhose over a broom head, sprinkle lemon oil over the top and gently wipe along the ceiling. This removes dirt and webs and keeps spiders away.
Clean ceiling fan blades. Wipe the blades with damp pantyhose on a broom.
Polish chrome furniture to keep rusty spots at bay.
Wipe highchairs with damp pantyhose.
Clean upholstery. Combine unprocessed wheat bran and white vinegar until the mixture looks like brown sugar, place in the toe of a pair of pantyhose and use it like an eraser.
Use them to clean the drum of washing machines and dryers. Wipe over the tops and sides of the machines to clean.
Use them to remove excess lint from the dryer. Wipe over the drum, the edges of the lint catcher and anywhere else the lint gets stuck.
Put salt inside the pantyhose toe and clean the tiles at the edge of the pool.
Thread the legs of pantyhose through the arms of jumpers when drying on the clothesline. Peg the toes to the clothesline. This helps retain the shape and prevent peg marks.
Protect delicate items (such as lingerie and sequinned clothes) in the washing machine by placing them inside the legs of a pair of pantyhose, tie them off and place in the machine.
Use them to store onions in the pantry. Allow the pantyhose to hang so that air can circulate around the onions.
Use them for tying and staking tomato plants. It won’t bruise the stems. They’re handy to use when tying off grafts because they hold the graft firmly in place without crushing.
Protect stone fruits and figs from birds by putting the fruit into pantyhose. Birds don’t like the feel of pantyhose in their beaks. This also keeps fruit fly away.
Grow alfalfa in a section of pantyhose about the size of a tennis ball. Mix equal parts sawdust and alfalfa seeds and put them inside the pantyhose and tie off tightly. Sit it on a saucer on a windowsill, water regularly and trim the sprouts. There’s no need for dirt.
Use pantyhose to tie and hold tree branches in place. This is perfect for citrus trees.
Use them as hanging pots. Pack the bottom of a leg with soil, add seeds and hang up (it will look like a sausage until the plants grow). This will only work with small-stemmed plants, such as maiden hair ferns or pansies.
Clean pet bowls by wiping over them with damp pantyhose. Wash the pantyhose before using them again.
Use them to make fairy wings for children. Take 2 coat-hangers, twist the hooks together, form the body of the coat-hanger into wing shapes and stretch pantyhose over each side. Tie off tightly at the centre and decorate with spray paint and glitter. Add tinsel along the edges of the wings.
Use old pantyhose to make Halloween decorations. Trim the elastic off the top and secure the waistband tightly over a doorframe with thumbtacks. Spread the legs around the frame. Use a hot knife or lit cigarette to burn holes in the pantyhose so that it looks like cobwebs. Don’t use a candle or any flame.
Turn a coat-hanger into a loop and wrap the waistband of a pair of pantyhose around it to form a two-legged yabby net. Hold the hook of the coat-hanger in your hand and position it over a running current to collect yabbies for bait.
Use them to wash the car. Combine 1 cup of black tea and 1 cup of white vinegar in a bucket of water. If there are resin stains on your car, add 1 teaspoon of tea tree oil to the mixture. Place pantyhose over the head of a broom, dip into the bucket and sweep over the car. Throw the excess water over the car and rinse with a bucket of clean water. Use dry pair of pantyhose to polish windows and car edging.
If you have patterned pantyhose, cut a section from the legs and turn them into mittens for children, just like Madonna in the 1980s. Patterend pantyhose also make great gift bags, shoe frou holders and wardrobe sachets.
Use as lining in the boot of your car.
Cut it to size and use in the bathroom under a bathmat for grip.
Use as a camping mat.
DID YOU KNOW? Many yoga mats contain PVC which isn’t a sustainable resource. Newer eco ones are coming onto the market.