If your cupboard is full of unused towels that have seen better days, don’t throw them out just yet — discovering how to use old towels in the garden could give them a fresh lease of life outdoors.
If they’re looking a little worse for wear, simply washing your bath towels won’t always cut it. And after you’ve decided to replace them with the best bath towels on the market, you’ll need to think about what to do with the older ones.
Luckily, there are plenty of ways to use old towels in the garden — and if, like us, you’re a huge fan of upcycling ideas for the garden, you’ll want to take a look at this list.
How to use old towels in the garden
Towels aren’t the only household item you can repurpose for outdoor use — you can learn how to reuse old pillows in the garden, too, and gardeners can even upcycle a mattress with the right know-how.
But first, we’re taking a look at how to use old towels in the garden.
‘Before rushing to chuck out faded or thinning bath towels, stop and consider whether they might actually have some use in your garden!’ says Shadmaan Kader, director of the fabric supplier Pound A Metre. ‘There are a variety of ways to repurpose textiles, and improve your flowerbeds while you’re at it.’
We’ve rounded up our favourite ways to reuse old towels in the garden, from makeshift plant protection to weed control.
1. Make DIY knee pads
If you fancy an easy DIY project that lends itself to an effective budget garden idea, consider transforming your old towels into knee pads for the garden.
‘Simply fold or roll up the towel, secure it with fabric ties or an old pillowcase, and you have a soft, washable cushion for weeding or planting,’ says Shadmaan. ‘For extra durability, you could even get crafty and sew the towel into a waterproof fabric sleeve.’
If you fancy upgrading your DIY knee pads with waterproof fabric, consider something like this heavy duty waterproof canvas from Amazon. Or, just fold the towels until you find something that feels comfortable for you and your knees.
2. Use the strips as plant ties
Another brilliantly easy garden idea for those wondering how to use old towels in the garden is repurposing them to aid plant support.
‘Cut old towels into strips so they can be used as soft plant support ties,’ says Morris Hankinson, founder of Hopes Grove Nurseries. ‘Use them to tie in climbers such as roses and clematis, or even to support the stems of tomato and cucumber vines.’
Who would’ve thought old towels could help you grow tomatoes and other popular crops? You could also use them as cloths as part of your outdoor kitchen setup.
3. Use old towels as plant protection
When the weather turns cold and the frost descends, it’s important to get your garden ready for winter.
Of course, using the best plant covers on the market will protect your tender plants from damage, but you could also make use of some old towels if you’re pinching the purse strings.
‘Use old towels to help shelter plants during extreme weather conditions,’ says Steve Chilton, a garden expert from LeisureBench. ‘Wrap the towel around potted plants to protect them from frost.’ You’ll just need some garden string like this jute twine from Amazon to secure it.
Old towels aren’t just handy for the winter months, though. If you’re looking for garden shade ideas for your plants, Steve suggests using them to shelter your plants from the sun during the summer.
4. Use old towels as weed barriers
If you often find yourself Googling how to kill weeds, you’re not alone. Weeds can wreak havoc on your garden, and just when you think you’ve got rid of them, they pop up once again.
What you might not realise is that you can use old towels in the garden as DIY weed barriers.
‘Towels make fantastic weed barriers,’ says Shadmaan. ‘The dense weave of the fabric prevents weed growth while allowing water and nutrients to seep through to the soil.
‘Place an old towel around the base of plants or in walkways, then cover it with mulch or gravel.’
Combining this idea with mulch will have numerous benefits for your garden. Something like the RocketGro Peat-Free Magic Mulch from Amazon or Strulch, also from Amazon, can work wonders.
5. Use old towels to aid moisture retention
If you’re lacking in-ground planting space or just love container garden ideas, planting your flowers and herbs in pots can be a great space-saving solution. Keeping these containers watered can seem like a full-time job, though.
Thankfully, you don’t have to worry about skipping water day if you use the moisture-retaining qualities of your old towels.
According to Steve, you can place old towels in the bottom of large pots or containers before you add soil and plants. ‘This will help retain moisture in the container, reducing the frequency of watering needed, especially during hot summer days when the weather is more extreme,’ he explains.
6. Use old towels to clean up
After a long day in the garden, there’s a high chance you’ll need to wash yourself and your clothes. You might have mud all over your hands, twigs stuck in your hair, and pollen all over your gardening trousers.
So, if you’re wondering how to use old towels in the garden, why don’t you use them to help clean up?
‘Use old towels to clean tools and garden accessories,’ says Morris. ‘After brushing off soil from tools, use a towel to give them a wipe over.’
Learning how to clean garden tools properly is an especially good winter gardening job.
Steve also suggests using old towels to clean your hands, shoes, tools, and even your garden structures and furniture. ‘Keeping some old towels in the shed or garage will always come in handy after particularly muddy gardening jobs,’ he says.
FAQs
What can I make with old bath towels?
DIY plant covers, kneeling pads and plant ties aren’t the only things you can make out of old towels. Morris from Hopes Grove Nurseries says you can repurpose them for your indoor plants, too.
‘Macrame is a very popular way of hanging houseplants up, and towels can be cut and used to do just the same,’ he says. ‘The strips of towel will hold better if twisted like rope and can be used outside as well as inside.’
How do you make rags out of old towels?
It couldn’t be easier to make rags out of old towels. All you need to do is cut them to your desired size, whether you’re after big rags to clean the car or smaller rags to clean your bathroom.
In most cases, it’ll work in your favour to cut your rags into square or rectangular shapes. However, some people find that cutting their towels into thin strips works better for them — especially if you’re using them as plant ties.
Those are our favourite ways to use old towels in the garden. Will you be trying any of the ideas out this summer?
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