This article was written in conjunction with the world’s first 100% recycled sock company TORE.
Give your old socks a new lease on life with these eight ways to upcycle your old, holey or odd socks.
It’s one of life’s great mystery – where do all those odd socks come from?!
Whether getting lost in the wash or being paired with holey mates, odd socks have a way of making it to the back of the sock drawer to sit there forlornly.
Well, why not give your old socks a new lease on life and repurpose them into some handy everyday items?
Here are eight ways you can upcycle your old, holey or odd socks.
1. Dusting mitts
Looking for an easy way to reach hard-to-get-to spots while dusting? Simply slip an old sock onto your hand and dust away with your repurposed dusting mitt! They’re perfect for reaching inside venetian blinds, and those nooks and crannies that may escape unruly feather dusters.
Better yet, rather than just sweeping the dust onto the floor as a traditional duster would, if you slightly dampen the sock the dust will cling to it. Then you can just throw it in the washing machine with your regular wash.
2. Gardening knee pads
Protect your knees while gardening with a pair of DIY knee pads.
Cut off the foot sections of two socks (it doesn’t matter if the socks don’t match!). Turn them inside out and halfway up the sock place a “knee-sized” piece of fabric and sew it into a pocket. Place a decent amount of cotton stuffing inside the pocket and then sew up the top to encase the stuffing.
Ta-da! Soft, squishy kneepads you can whip on before each gardening session.
You will need:
- 2 old socks
- Cotton stuffing
- Scrap fabric
- Scissors
- Needle and thread
3. Hair scrunchie
Did you know those thin, elastic hair ties can actually damage your hair and cause hair breakage? We’ve got a gentler solution for tying back long hair – a good old 90s throwback – the scrunchie!
You can give an old sock a new lease on life and repurpose it into a stylish hair tie.
You will need:
- An old sock cut into a 14cm x 45cm strip
- 1 piece of elastic (14cm long)
- 1 safety pin
- Scissors
- Sewing machine or needle
- Thread
Click here for the full instructions on how to make your sock scrunchie.
4. Draft stopper
Got a super long sock in the odds pile? Use it to make your own draft stopper for your front door.
Stuff the sock with dry rice, dried lentils, popcorn kernels or cotton stuffing and then sew up the end.
If you don’t have any long socks you could try sewing a few pairs of odd socks together to make your draft snake. Just snip the toes and create a “tube” of socks for the stuffing to go into.
5. Heat pack
Make your own heat pack using an old sock and some rice.
Simply fill a small bowl with dry rice, stretch your sock over the rim of the bowl and tip the rice in.
You can either tie a knot in the end of the sock to keep the rice inside, or for the craftier among us, sew up the end.
Pop your DIY heat pack in the microwave for 30 seconds to get it nice and toasty.
If your sock is big and stretchy enough, you can also use it as a hot water bottle cover. Or check out our articleon the art of steeking to find out how to repurpose knitted garments into hot bottle covers.
6. Organisation pouches
You know those tiny pieces of tat which accumulate in the junk drawers of every home? Spare hooks, old buttons, safety pins, rubber bands… Group them all in individual socks, tie a knot at the top, and affix little tags on each to clearly label what’s contained in each sock.
You’ll never go rummaging manically through that junk drawer again!
7. Dryer balls
Here’s a weird and wonderful cleaning tip – popping a tennis ball inside a sock, tying a knot at the top and adding it to your dryer cycle will eliminate static from your clothing and reduce wrinkles – so goodbye ironing!
While we would always opt for line drying, if it’s a rainy day or you need fresh sheet quickly, using your tennis ball hack will dry your clothes quicker so your dryer is running for less time.
8. Pin cushion
This one’s for the sewing aficionados – repurpose old socks into pin cushions.
Simply cut off the foot section of the old sock (from the heel). Half fill your sock with dry rice (put the rice where you want the bottom of your pin cushion to be) and fill the rest of the sock with cotton stuffing. The rice at the bottom will give it some weight so it stays steady once finished. Fold over the end of the sock and sew it up snugly.
You will need:
- An old sock
- Dry rice
- Cotton stuffing
- Scissors
- Needle and thread
Need socks?
Still life in your old socks? Time to bring out the swing kit and get mending. Check out our guide for how to fix holey socks here.
And if you’re looking to replace some of your old socks, TORE are the world’s first 100% recycled sock company.
Their range of socks are made from a blend of recycled cotton and elastane (sourced from yarn scraps and fabric by-products), and polyamide and polyester (sourced from recycled post-consumer waste, ie. plastic bottles). You can check out their full range here.
Looking for some new socks? TORE are offering Pip readers 15% off storewide. Use code: PIP15 at checkout.
Thank You for your generous ideas.