Organize & Clean

Creative Reuse: A Cotton Ball Alternative

updated May 7, 2019
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At dinner last night, a friend of ours exclaimed, “I had a green moment today and I just have to tell you.” We were intrigued already.

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She proceeded to explain that she had a pair of flannel pajama pants that had been through an unfortunate encounter with brown hair dye. The dye was in such a place that she deemed the pants not suitable to take to Goodwill. In an effort to save them from the landfill and fulfill another purpose, what did she do?

Our friend, desperately wanting to rescue the pants for a greater cause, trimmed the soft flannel into three-inch squares. She plans on using them in lieu of cotton balls.

Not only did she save an unwearable clothing item, she also eliminated the need for one disposable product. To top it all off, the squares can be washed and reused, making them perpetually green!

If you’ve got clothes that are so far gone they can’t even be donated, consider cutting them into pieces, whether to replace cotton balls or even to use as shop rags. It’s a very simple thing that makes a big difference.

(Image: flickr member respres, licensed under Creative Commons)