I have a zillion socks that have NO mates. I hate to throw things out and have been wondering if anyone out there can give me some ideas on how to recycle them into useful items or gifts or whatever! No hand puppets though, already did that. Thanks in advance!
Linda from Lower Adirondacks in NYS
Just today, I was on my pc having a webcam chat with my sister who was cleaning/organizing her room. She showed me a basket full of single socks that she was going to throw away as she knew not what to do with them as well, and I gave her a few of ideas. I told her that I save things like that to fill pillows, or I stuff smaller socks into a bigger sock and knot on the end, it makes a good neck pillow. Filling a sock with uncooked rice and knotting the sock end is great for relaxation therapy by placing the filled sock into the microwave for 20-30 seconds and placing it onto tired muscles. Another relaxation therapy tool is taking an empty air freshener can and placing it into several pairs of socks, it makes an excellent massager to roll under your feet while sitting at your pc. I have one under my feet right now. You can also save your single socks to wear during the winter weather as a first layer of socks if you want to wear 2 pair for extra warmth. Since they are under a matching pair, no one will see that they have no match. Hope this all helps (07/22/2008)
By sbb1
You can make a "fetch" toy for a dog by stuffing several socks into one and knotting the end. Old socks make good "stuffing" for pillows and toys. And there's the old standby....Dust rags. (07/22/2008)
By Marty Dick
You can put your hand inside the sock and use it as a dust cloth. (07/22/2008)
By Harry
We have a teething puppy who adores our leftover socks! They're great for tugging and chewing. I just tie a knot on either end (if it's a long one) or in the middle (if it's an ankle length) and let him at them. My husband was raised to dust with them, but that just makes me feel weird. Maybe because our old socks do NOT look like they would make anything they touch clean. I think that makes them even tastier to the dog. (07/22/2008)
By Beth
My cat loves 'em stuffed with catnip! Just stuff and tie a knot at the top. (07/22/2008)
By joy
My husband and I made the absolutely cutest and crazy sock monsters for our daughters for Christmas (19 and 15) they were crazy excited about them. We even attached little adoption tags with a story about where they live and what they like to eat and evey gave each girl a bag of the "candy" their sock monster would eat (our daughters fav candies). Lots of fun and really cute. We did purchase the book at barnes and nobles. Check it out. we used childrens socks from the dollar tree store. pretty neat (07/22/2008)
By Jeanne
I use my single socks for dusting and cleaning.
I also use them in our motorhome to keep glasses and cups safe from breaking during travel. I cut the foot off of the cuff and used the cuff part as a sleeve around the glasses and cups. They can be packed into the cupboard next to each other without clanking and cracking.
(07/22/2008)
By Joanne
I use mine on my swiffer instead of buying the dry replacement pads (07/23/2008)
By suzanne
if your socks are longer ones you can use them to tie up vining plants in the garden, like tomatoes, cucumbers, etc. Sometimes I'll cut the length of the sock on both sides down to the toes and then leave the toe uncut to make the length of the strip longer. I use nylon hose in the garden all the time. Little girls can cut them up to dress their dolls. My mother used to hide her valuables inside of an old left over sock in her sewing box. (07/23/2008)
By suzin
I use old socks as brushes for cats. I put the sock on my hand and just rub the purring cats. I also use them either on my foot or hand to dust in difficult to reach spots. It is quicker and lighter than setting up the vacuum cleaner and also very efficient. (07/23/2008)
By Ginelou
turn them into potholders.
Zig (07/23/2008)
By Athena
Check with your local elementary school to see if any teachers could use them for as erasers for white boards/dry erase boards. I have done this for several years and our teachers were most appreciative.
(07/23/2008)
I always keep a half full bottle of water in the freezer so I can fill it up it Iwant to take a bottle of water with me. The ice cools the water as it melts. This causes moisture on outside of bottle, so I put it in a sock. Roll sock down to size of bottle. (07/23/2008)
By Wisgal
Have you ever heard about a rice sock? Rice Socks are great things to have on hand when you have aches and pains.
Drape the heated sock around your neck, or an elbow, or knee; just where ever the aches and pains are. Some people use dried pinto beans, or the dried corn that is fed to ducks, chickens, and birds. Either of these work well. The rice is smaller and drapes easier. But the corn holds the heat longer.
These are often sold at craft fairs. Folks fill the sock, sew the end shut, and then make a "sleeve" of fabric. Flannel is good to cover the old sock. Some of those old socks don't look too pretty, but can be recycled for this very easily. Have Fun (07/23/2008)
Stuff them, sew them together end-to-end, then wind them into an oval and stitch together into a pet bed. You can make it any size you need. (07/24/2008)
By susan
I also make cat toys by adding crinkly cellophane paper and just a little catnip to mine. Cats really like the crackly noise. I also keep a small basket of them in the laundry room. If I forget to take something out of the dryer and it gets too wrinkly, I dampen 2 or 3 socks and add them to dryer and run it for 5 or 10 minutes. They give just enough moisture to unwrinkle my item for me. I have also stuffed them with a mixture of rice and foam peanuts and sewn two long gym type socks together in the middle to make door and window draft stoppers. I use old flannel shirt material to make sleeves to go over them so they look nicer and can even be given as gifts! (07/24/2008)
By Kathy Klahn
Some socks' tops make really good pony tail elastics when cut off. Or cut off the ankle part and sew beads, sequins, buttons, etc. on to make a pretty cuff style bracelet. (07/24/2008)
By tara
My children like to have bean bags to play with, so we cut the foot part off, sew one end, fill with beans or rice, sew up the end. We have a bean bag. Depending on the size of bean bag you want-cut the sock the size you want. also for the smaller sock, I cut the cuff part off, sew a little lace on and you have a dress for a small doll. I uses a sock to help keep my hand for getting cold by my iced water bottle, the bottle slip right into the sock. dusting is made easier for the kids, they put a sock on they hand and away they go. They enjoy dusting with a sock on they hand. I find if I hide my money in a sock no one can find it. The list is endless of what to do with the sock the washing machine forgets to eat. (07/24/2008)
By Rose.
We keep a bag of them in the house and out in the garage for those dirty jobs or nasty spills--wipe it up and throw the sock away. I always have a damp one tied to my ladder when painting--I rinse it out and reuse it until the job is done. Many charities would be glad to have them too because they get paid by the pound for clothing that is unusable. Pat V (07/25/2008)
By Pat
I cut the foot off and glue to aluminum cans to make pen/pencil holders as desk accessories. (07/26/2008)
By Mere
We have a baby chihuahua and as babies they don't fit in much of anything as far as doggy attire. For chihuahuas it is not all about making them look cute. They are short haired, small and cold blooded. After purchasing several extra small puppy clothes that she was far to small to fit into. I finally came up with a plan, I took old tube socks which had gotten small holes in the toe area. Cut the toe area off completely. This portion of the sock will be the bottom of the shirt, measure your puppy from neck to the back of the front arms. Measure your tube sock from the ribbed ankle portion down towards the toe and mark the measurement you got while measuring the puppy.
Cut a hole on both sides of the socks where you marked the measurement these holes will be the openings for your puppy's front legs. Now slip over the puppy's head, place front paws threw the holes and your puppy has a sweater that fits and will keep him warm! You can dress the sock up if you like, with fabric paints. (08/04/2008)
Put on rubber glove with a sock over and use to apply paste wax to car, polish silver, apply shoe polish, furniture polish, etc. (08/05/2008)
By Fran.
Add your voice! Click below to comment. ThriftyFun is powered by your wisdom!
