9 Uses for Old Towels

With the cold weather upon us, we who live in the normally warm states are scurrying around winterizing things we usually don't worry about.

I realized as I looked out at my neighbors' yards that we all use a lot of old towels in winterizing. Of course, it's best to get to the hardware store and buy special pipe insulation and insulated covers to go over outdoor water spigots, but, in a pinch, old towels are better than nothing.

I have a stack of old towels. I'm pretty sure most people do because terrycloth is practically indestructible. So I thought I'd list some of the ways one can use old towels. In the spirit of economizing, here are my reasons not to ever throw away old towels.

1. Drape old towels over shrubs that aren't meant to endure temperatures below 30 degrees Fahrenheit. Shrubs like varieties of azalea, hibiscus, gardenia, and jasmine just to mention a few.

2. After you remove the water hoses outdoors, wrap the spigot and any exposed pipes with several thicknesses of old towels if you don't have pipe insulation handy. Tape it up with duct tape.

3. Lay old towels in window sills and/or door sills if you have drafts there.

4. Use several as pet blankets and bedding.

5. Old towels make great doormats on really rainy days. In fact, make a path of them from the door to wherever the wet shoes come off.

6. If you wash and detail your car, use old towels to dry your car. In fact, I started saving old towels after darling hubby used the good ones to dry his car. I mean, I know he loves our sports car, but...

7. Cut old towels into squares and use them as dust cloths.

8. Cut them into the size of Swifter floor pads and attach them to your floor cleaner device in the same way you'd use a floor cloth you bought. Spritz them with your favorite floor cleaner or with plain white vinegar and use them to clean your floors.

9. Use an old towel as a pressing cloth on your ironing board to press delicate fabrics.

Takeaway Truth

The New Year is here. Why not adopt some new habits that make the most of your dollar? Economize. Maybe even adopt the old philosophy of: "Use it up. Wear it out. Make it do, or do without."