7 Ways to Repurpose Old Towels That You Probably Never Considered

Cutting an old towel into rags is certainly an option but there are more creative ways to repurpose old towels.

Towels don't expire. They just have to be used differently. Andrey_Kuzmin/Shutterstock

Face it—towels have a rough life. They start out all fluffy and full of promise, soaking up years of bathing and showers. Then, seemingly overnight, they turn into faded, scratchy, threadbare rags that are one step away from being loofahs. But before you toss them in the trash (or shove them in the back of a linen closet for “later”), let’s talk about repurposing.

I don’t mean cutting them into a dozen mismatched cleaning rags—although, yes, that’s always an option. I mean getting creative. Here are seven more brilliant, surprisingly useful ways to breathe new life into those old towels.

Make a No-Sew Swiffer Pad

What It Is: Those disposable Swiffer pads are convenient but about as budget-friendly as a daily latte habit. Instead, cut your old towel into Swiffer-sized rectangles and use them as reusable mop pads.