Ways To Reuse Your Old Clothes

In this article are some great ideas for reusing old clothes and making them even better than before. Continue reading!
Ways To Reuse Your Old Clothes

Last update: 11 June, 2022

Just face it, everyone gets tired of some shirts, pants, scarves, and other clothing items. It’s a complete hassle having all of these clothes piling up in your closet because they take up a lot of space. You still may be holding on to them, but you don’t use them at all. Thus, it’s necessary to come up with different ways to reuse old clothes.

The first thing you need to do in order to reuse an old abandoned garment is to see what condition it’s in. You can obviously reuse it if it’s not completely worn out. Use your imagination to help think of different ways to reuse these clothes that only take up space in your closet.

In this article are some ways to reuse your old clothes. Before you get to work, think how long it has been since the last time you used a certain garment . If it’s been more than a year, it’s definitely time to reuse it.

How to reuse your old clothes

Some ideas of how to reuse old clothes.

One way to reuse your old clothes is by putting them back to life. You can dye, modify, or adjust them, among other things.

All these are inexpensive options and therefore don’t pose a difficulty in this regard.

You can continue using an old garment on a regular basis just by making a simple modification. For example, dye an old T-shirt and it’ll be as good as new.

Another idea is turning one garment into another one. For example, you can turn a dress into a two-piece suit. You can make headbands, bracelets, necklaces, scarves, and so on with the leftover pieces of fabric.

There are many online tutorials that show how to reuse old clothing. Did you know that you can fold a shirt to make it look like a pencil skirt?

Summer garments: a few cuts and knots of an old shirt or another type of garment, is all that’s needed to make a new summer garment.

Why? Because with just a couple of cuts and a few knots you’ll get a casual and useful garment. All you have to do is cut the shoulders of an old shirt or blouse. You can make a bow with the fabric from the leftover sleeves.

Learn these Nine Tips That Will Help You Check the Quality of Garments

Other uses

A woman showing how to reuse old clothes.

Sometimes you like a garment, but it may be out of style or you simply don’t like how it looks on you anymore. Therefore, you can use it to create home accessories, such as cushions and small tablecloths.

Many people use garments to spruce up other things. For example, you can use an old pair of jeans to make cushion pockets. You can also make a cup holder and bow to tie up some curtains with the same fabric. It’s all about letting your imagination run wild.

Likewise, you can add new elements to a boring garment. This usually happens with boring one-color or neutral-printed tops, dresses, and skirts.

If you have fabric scraps, ribbons, and laces at home, you can sew any of these items onto the garment to make it look brand-new. Now that braiding is fashionable, you can make use of the laces by adding them to your clothes.

Some altered clothes.

You can use some lace to turn some garment into a nice nightgown. You can also change the collar or cuffs of your shirts.

If you have a plain garment, you can add different colored collars or collars with prints. You can also change the buttons and add buttons of different colors and shapes.

Let your imagination run wild when you reuse old clothes

A scarf made from an old dress.

You must be daring to come up with different ways to use old clothing. Consider turning those old jeans into some shorts, a summer purse, or a reusable grocery bag.

Likewise, there are many cotton garments that you can use to make new scarves and other accessories. Don’t be scared to reuse your old clothes!


All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.


  • Pérez, Patricia Gudiño, and Arturo Sánchez Martínez. “Reciclar moda.” Órgano de difusión del Colegio de postgraduados del CIDE, AC (2017): 223.
  • Verdugo, Vtctor Corral, and Francisco Zaragoza. “Bases sociodemográficas y psicológicas de la conducta de reutilización: un modelo estructural.” Medio Ambiente y Comportamiento Humano 1.1 (2000): 9-29.
  • Vilnitzky, Mariana. “Mucho más que un reciclaje de ropa.” Alternativas económicas 51 (2017): 52.

This text is provided for informational purposes only and does not replace consultation with a professional. If in doubt, consult your specialist.