20 super creative uses for your old bed sheets
An informal survey conducted a few years back found that roughly 20% of us throw away our bedsheets and 72% of bed linens eventually end up in landfills.
Fabrics take massive resources from the Earth to produce in the first place, but trashing them certainly isn’t a way of “giving back.”
With everyone looking for new ways to use old things (either for sustainability purposes or to save some money) we thought we’d give you 20 cool ways to use those old bedsheets that you may not have thought of.
If you’re interested in upcycling instead of creating more trash, try a few of these out. They may not keep fabric out of landfills forever, but every little bit you can extend the life of an item counts for something.
1. Turn them into a bed skirt
Ok, so this one takes a little craftiness, but it’s so worth if, especially if you bought printed sheets that are a little bit worn (or maybe too stiff but it’s too late to return them).
And while bed skirts aren’t for everyone, there are plenty of ways to make them stylish – they don’t need to be ruffled!
Click here for Driven By Decor’s how-to.
2. Wrap a gift
Wrapping paper is yet another decorative item that ends up in landfills, especially now that much of it has coating or glitter that makes it impossible to recycle.
To be sustainable and chic, try using old sheets to cloth-wrap your gifts – and encourage others to do the same!
3. Build a teepee for kids
Delight your little ones with this cool hiding spot (or make things easier on yourself by using it as a place to stash toys before guests come over).
Place of My Taste has all the instructions you need.
4. Create some hoop decor
Old sheets and sewing hoops are all you need to dress up a wall of your hope with pretty patterns.
It’s pretty self-explanatory, but there are instructions here if you need them.
5. Delight your dog with a new toy
By simply ripping old sheets into strips and braiding them up, you can make an upcycled toy for your pup and skip the plastic.
If you make them thick enough, they’re surprisingly hard to destroy (though your dog will certainly try!)
Click here for a video tutorial.
6. Keep cooties at bay with a bed liner
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Weirded out by the hotel sheets? Bring your own bed liner with you – it hardly takes up any space in your suitcase!
Instructions for a DIY project can be found here.
7. Make them into a tote
COVID might have put the kibosh on reusable bags for now, but there are still plenty of uses for them besides shopping.
Any old cloth will do and it’s a lot easier than it looks to make!
This video will give you any extra guidance you need.
8. Make your own pajama pants
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You can always be snuggled in your sheets if you use the old ones to make pajama pants.
This requires a little more craftiness, but you can find a good set of instructions here.
9. Dress up your kids’ dolls
New doll clothes from old sheets can be as elaborate or as simple as you want and having your kids help will teach them a useful skill.
Here are 10 ways to get started, compliments of The Spruce.
10. Create a cute bulletin board
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Doll up your daily to-do list by adding a pretty piece of fabric from an old set of sheets to the back.
Here are the easy instructions in case you need them.
11. Spruce up your pet’s bed
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Old sheets can make a cute new bed cover for your cat or dog!
The bonus is that they tend not to mind the pattern.
12. Keep it in the car
You never know when you might need a piece of cloth to line your trunk, keep pet hair at bay, or serve as a picnic blanket.
If you fold or roll a sheet up tight enough, it’ll take up hardly any space at all – and a fitted sheet will do just fine too!
13. Spruce up your shelves
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Turn your plain wooden shelves into something quirky and cute by covering them in pretty old sheets.
It’s easy and requires just a bit of fabric glue.
14. Make an apron
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These can be as simple or as elaborate as you want, but the bonus is that the sheet doesn’t have to be that pretty since it’s going to get food splashed on it.
Here are some instructions on how to make a no-sew apron.
15. Dress yourself down
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Sure, it might look like you’re wearing a sheet, but there are all sorts of patterns you can follow to create your own clothing for simply bumming around the house.
Frankly, we’d wear this out of the house too!
16. Help out a bird
Birds make their nests out of whatever materials they can find.
So why not give them any scraps of organic sheets you have lying around?
Just tear them into tiny strips and leave them near a bird feeder or another place they can find them.
Pam Penick created this nifty device to add color to her yard and her trees.
17. Replace your ironing board cover for free
Here are some great instructions to help you turn an old sheet into a new ironing board cover.
Save yourself a few bucks – even if you don’t do the elaborate sewing. There are plenty of ways to keep it in place!
18. Create cute hangers
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Ripping and wrapping are all this craft requires.
You can consult this site for more details on this cute project.
And the bonus is your clothing is a lot less likely to slip off of these!
19. Let it hold your laundry
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Use an old sheet as a laundry bag and you can even pop in the washer and dryer along with your clothes!
Click here for instructions.
20. Protect your clothing with a garment bag
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Putting clothes away for the winter or summer is a great way to free up space in your closet. But it’s always best to have some protection to keep dust and moths at bay.
Turn your old sheet into a garment bag with the help of these instructions.
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See, there’s no reason to throw away those old sheets!
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