5 Fun And Useful Ideas To Recycle And Re-Use Your Hosiery!

Hosiery is notorious for snagging or laddering, and then they are rendered useless and thrown in the bin! There are various ways to get the most out of your hosiery once they are deemed unfit for wearing which should ensure you get sufficient value for money out of your hosiery and help to reduce waste.

Scented pouches

We have all seen those little bags filled with lavender, beads, pearls etc in lingerie stores for around £3.00, why not make your own with your used, discarded hosiery?

To make a scented pouch simply...

• Wash your old tights, once dried cut off a tube shape (approx 5-6”in length)

• Sew one end or tie it up with a piece of ribbon or string

• Fill with your scent of choice such as dried lavender

• Sew or tie up the other end

• Fill your lingerie and underwear drawers with lovely scented pouches!

Garden Soap Dispenser

For the keen gardener why not use the foot of your old tights as a soap holder?

To craft a garden soap dispenser simply... Wash your old tights/stockings, once dried cut off the foot of the tights/stocking (approx 3-4” above the ankle). Fill with one bar of soap or any scraps of soaps from the bathroom and kitchen. Tie the top of the hosiery around your outdoor tap neck. Next time your hands are muddy from gardening you have easily accessible soap!

Vacuum Cleaner Hose Filter

Losing something tiny and precious in a hard to reach place happens very rarely but when it does happens it can cause plenty of distress! Next time you lose an earring, a ring or even or a money under the sofa or down the back of the bed here is what to do...

• Grab an old pair of tights and cut off a tube shape, then cut down the middle.

• You should now have a square, place this over the vacuum nozzle and secure with an elastic band OR place the foot of the stocking over the vacuum hose and secure with elastic band.

• Then turn on your vacuum and point in the direction of your lost item, the suction should lift the item and the hosiery keeps it safe from being sucked up the vacuum.

Keep Your Onions & Garlic Dry

If you have an allotment or a vegetable patch you will know that sometimes you end up with an abundance of onions, Garlic etc at once that you do not need, to preserve the life of your onions keep them off the ground and hang them up, but first make a holder from your old stockings and tights!

To make an onion holder simply... Wash an old pair of tights, once dried cut the tights gusset in half creating two long lengths of hosiery. Drop an onion into the bottom of one of the lengths and tie a knot above. Repeat this process until you get to the top of the hosiery ‘leg’. The gusset area is normally made from a denser fabric, create a hole in this or tie around a hook, simply let your new onion holder dangle. The ventilation each onion should get should help preserve it.

Childrens Sock Puppets

We should all have experienced the joy of creating a sock puppet during our childhood but just in case you haven’t here is how to create one…

To craft a puppet from old socks simply... Find an old clean sock or a sock that has lost its other half and is no longer a pair. The sock needs to be long enough for the puppeteer to stick their arm in, I’d suggest ladies socks for children and mens socks for adults. Sew or glue two buttons on for eyes at the bottom of the sock (where your toes usually go). Then put the sock on the puppeteers hand and tuck in the tip of the sock (where your toes usually go) between your fingers and thumb to form a mouth. Sew or glue a piece of red fabric in the ‘mouth’ for a tongue.

Feel free to be creative with your sock puppet, add hair or whiskers from lengths of string/add cheeks with pink circles glued on to the sides of the face/or simply glue on any decoration for a jazzy sock puppet! And don’t forget to perform a sock puppet show afterwards!

So, now you have seen what you can do with your old hosiery why not have a go yourself and if you have any other tips for recycling your hosiery please do let us know and we will feature on future blog posts!