8 Things to Do with Clothes You Can’t Donate (2025)

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Are you looking for creative, sustainable, and useful ways to give your clothes a second life?

If you’ve got old clothes that are too damaged or worn out to donate, don’t toss them just yet. There are plenty of sustainable and practical ways to reuse, repurpose, or recycle them.

From upcycling to composting, here are practical and creative ways to handle old clothes:

Repair & Revive First

Before getting rid of clothes, consider whether they can be saved with a quick fix.

Simple fixes you can try:

• Remove stains (e.g., lemon juice or baking soda for armpit discoloration)
• Patch holes with fabric or iron-on patches
• Fix a snagged sweater by gently pulling the thread back through
• Use clear nail polish to stop a run in tights
• Unstick a zipper with a cotton swab and olive oil

Recycle Old Fabrics

You can send old clothes to one of the 20+ textile recycling companies or take back initiatives. A couple of options include:

• Close The Loop (The North Face)
• Eileen Fisher Renew program
• Madewell – Denim Recycling Program 
• Worn Wear Patagonia
• Reset, Recycle and Refresh Program
• Recycle Now

Compost Natural Fibers

You can compost old clothes that you cannot donate that are made from natural fibers such as cotton, linen, bamboo, hemp, silk, jute, cork, cashmere, or wool.

Cotton, linen, jute, and hemp break down the fastest, while others, like bamboo and wool, will take a lot longer, but eventually, they will biodegrade. 

To compost clothes from natural fibers:

• To keep the balance in your compost pile, make sure you add them alongside veggie peelings or garden cuttings.
• Don’t overwhelm your compost pile with too many fabrics.
• Cut down the materials into smaller pieces, so it breaks down faster.
• Remove all tags, buttons, zippers, etc., which aren’t biodegradable. 

Donate for Non-Wearable Use

Even if clothing can’t be worn, it can still serve a purpose elsewhere. Here are a few ideas for where to donate:

• Animal shelters: Use old towels, blankets, and t-shirts as pet bedding or cleaning rags
• Schools or community centers: Great for arts, crafts, or costume materials
• Facebook Buy Nothing / Freecycle groups: Someone might use them for DIYs

Repurpose Into Useful Household Items

Upcycle fabric into cleaning cloths or useful home goods. A few simple ideas include:

• Cleaning rags: Cut t-shirts and towels into squares
• Reusable tote bags: Cut off the sleeves and bottom of a t-shirt, tie or sew shut [step-by-step video guide]
• Handkerchiefs or napkins: Cut from old cotton shirts
• Pillow covers: Sew from old shirts, sweaters, or flannel pajamas

Turn Into DIY Projects & Crafts

Turn your old clothes into something new and creative, like:

• Scrunchies: Use leftover fabric strips [how to DIY scrunchies]
• Headbands: Braid t-shirt yarn or tie tights into loops
• Aprons: Use sturdy fabrics like denim or canvas shirts [step-by-step guide]
• Patchwork quilts or t-shirt blankets: Save logo shirts and combine them into a memory quilt
• Tie-dye old t-shirts: Refresh faded shirts using food-based or traditional dyes [check this fun YouTube tutorial by Shmoxd that shows how to tie-dye t-shirts naturally by using vegetable dyes]

How To Tie Dye (with FRUITS & VEGGIES)

Make Toys from Fabric Scraps

Turn single socks, gloves, or denim into toys for kids or pets. Some DIY toy ideas:

• Sock monkeys: Great for kids or gifts [DIY sock monkey toy]
• Monster gloves: Fun for Halloween or crafts [Glove Dinasours or Glove Monsters]
• Pet chew toys: Use braided denim or knotted T-shirts [DIY pet toys]

Make Functional Items

Transform fabric into something you’ll use regularly.

Easy projects:

• Denim bags: Reuse jeans legs or pockets [DIY denim bags guide]
• Fabric coasters or pot holders: Sew fabric circles and stuff with scraps
• Rugs: Braid long strips into circular or rectangular rugs
• T-shirt blanket: Easy step-by-step guide
• Pillowcases: Make a pillowcase from a shirt or with old sweaters

Final Thoughts

The next time you’re staring at a pile of unwearable clothes, don’t reach for the trash. From crafting and composting to donating and DIYing, there are plenty of options to creatively and responsibly deal with old textiles.

• You save money
• You reduce landfill waste
• You may even pick up a fun new hobby

Do you have more ideas for what to do with old clothes that cannot be donated? Drop them in the comments!