How to recycle clothes that are no longer wearable

Are you wondering how to recycle clothes that are no longer wearable? As the seasons turn and it’s finally pretty hot in the UK, you are probably having a wardrobe swap around. This change from winter to summer, digging out all your pretty dresses and flowing trousers, probably throws up a few things that you’ve lovingly put away, but now that you look again, are just not going to stand one more picnic. Or maybe you did have just one more picnic, and spilt red wine all your dress, got grass stains on your pale pink trousers, or sat on something mysterious. Or maybe the damage is less extreme: your favourite jumper looks bobbly, your jeans are faded. Just general wear and tear.

An Old Clothes Shop, Seven Dials, circa 1887. LSE Library, No restrictions, via Wikimedia Commons

The simple answer on how to recycle clothes that are no longer wearable is to take clothes and shoes to the salvation army, thrift stores or the charity shop. Just reuse or recycle. They accept clothing and can sort them into things they can sell and things they can’t. You might be surprised at the relatively good condition they feel it’s in, and put it on the shelves. If they think it’s not saleable, they will send it to the rag merchants as textile waste and at least get a few pence for it.

It’s not practical for you to take a few odds and ends to a rag merchant’s for recycle clothes yourself, they do not deal with a few pounds of textiles. Recycling programs are a strictly large scale operation. Let the charity shop do it for you. You can even just donate clothes into clothes recycling bins if you want, and you’ll find them pretty close to your house.

Old Rags Into New Cloth- Salvage in Britain, April 1942 .
Richard Stone, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

How to recycle clothes that are no longer wearable – Try this first

However, I would always say to try and rescue or revive the items first. Is it really no longer wearable? Honestly, if it’s your favourite, what’s the chances of finding something like that again? Seasons move on, fast fashion moves on. And, even if you rummage through the charity shops, you would be lucky to find the length, colour and cut you are drawn to. Plus, rummaging through the charity shops would probably result in finding something that is also carrying some small fault, just like the North Face jacket you are getting rid of.

There are a lot of ways to be able to keep wearing the clothes that you love. First of all, check that you actually washed it before putting it away. Maybe run it through the washing machine as a first line. Also, you can try taking it to the dry cleaners to get the mark removed. Or browsing the supermarket shelves to find stain removers suitable for the fabric. Check the label first at home to see if your clothing is silk, cotton, poly cotton, wool, viscose, linen etc. There are various more gentle, cheaper options too, bicarbonate of soda and vinegar being two of the most famous. But the trick is to identify what kind of a stain it is, and what fabric you are treating, and then go from there. You can also dye fabric to cover stains.

Dyeing to Help

If your item looks faded, and you’re tempted to just recycle clothes that are no longer wearable, remember it’s really easy to dye it back to vibrancy. Again, you need to check what kind of fabric you are working with, and pick a dye accordingly. Clothing items made from natural fibers often dye the best.

Don’t get caught out, because some dyes also require you to buy a large quantity of salt alongside the dye, which fixes the colour. But dye manufacturers have also picked up on how easy it is to make a mistake with this (it’s not tricky, it’s just that you don’t always think of it or remember to pick some up) and have made all in one dyes that you just peel the top off and throw in the washing machine, much like a powder dispenser ball. If you do need the type with salt, any salt at all will do, so get the cheapest.

You can also get hand dye that you can use without a machine. The main trick is to get a colour which is the same colour as the original, and the same shade or darker. Or black. Black usually covers everything! If you want, you can pick a totally different colour, but the result might be unpredictable. And follow the instructions. So if it tells you to wet the garment first, do so, because if you don’t, the result might be patchy.

How to recycle clothes that are no longer wearable – Revive with a Bobble Shaver

If things are looking a little bobbly and worn, I’m a big fan of the bobble shaver. You can get these online, and in John Lewis, too. Just make sure to get the biggest one they have, that’s my top tip. Smaller ones just take ages, and that’s frustrating. This is a battery run device with three blades which whizz around, and a protective foil with holes on top. This takes off all the bobbles but doesn’t damage the clothes themselves, leaving them looking much smarter. Also, as you do this check for other damage. Any small holes can be sewn up inconspicuously.

So, there’s my top tips how to recycle clothes that are no longer wearable. As you are unpacking your summer clothes, check them over. Have they got marks on them, are they faded? Are they shrunken? Bobbly? Do you realise they are too small? Have they also got holes? Are you just bored of them? All of these issues can be addressed, with just a bit of thought it can all be made right again.

And if the worst comes to the worst? Tear them up for cleaning rags. Cleaning cloths are always needed around the home. After use you can either wash and re-use them, or just throw them away without much guilt.

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