How to Recycle Armbands and Life Jackets

Armbands and life jackets are part of the summer beachgoer's kit, but they don't last forever. Sometimes they get punctured, making them unusable for their primary purpose. No big deal: reusing them allows us to prevent them from going to waste , and here's how they can become the focus of creative recycling ideas you'd never have thought of. How can you recycle armbands and life jackets ? We'll tell you below. These are delicate objects that tend to get damaged easily, and are therefore often abandoned and considered unusable. But, once washed and reprocessed, they can be transformed into everyday objects. The material from which armbands and life jackets are made is rubbery and waterproof. This means they can be useful in various situations where we need an object that is waterproof , meaning it can keep water out or protect it from it. If you can't repair the hole with glue or sewing, you can use them to make various objects like bibs, planner covers, children's crafts , and craft decorations. Or...

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Headrest

You can make a headrest out of the armrests . How? You can cut one in half (obviously without cutting into the edges of the inflatable part). Then you can inflate it as much as possible, seal the blowing hole with a few drops of hot glue, and close it tightly. In a few seconds, while the glue dries, it will be ready for use.

Travel pouch

Always starting from an armrest, you can make a waterproof pouch:

Cut it in half, remove the part relating to the mouth with precision scissors
Apply a small square of material taken from another part of the armrest (possibly of the same color) in place of the hole left by the removal of the same with hot glue.
Cut one of the longer sides of the armrest flush to obtain two flaps, to which you will apply a zipper

Here is a clutch bag ready (or if you prefer a toiletry bag ) for the beach or for the swimming pool where you usually go swimming.

Pool bags

If you want to recycle a life jacket , you can use the ones you no longer use to make pool bags . They're perfect for children or adults who need to carry snacks , tissues, or spare clothes that would otherwise be ruined in a humid environment like the pool.

Decorative accessories

Do you have a used life jacket and want to salvage it? Then proceed as follows:

Cut out flower shapes, the same shape but different sizes, 5 or 6
Now place the larger ones on a work surface and glue them in decreasing order, one on top of the other with a line of hot glue.
Remember to position them in a staggered manner, to obtain a less flat appearance.
Once the operation is finished, glue the flowers on a flip-flop or on a beach bagThey will make a difference.

Glasses case

By cutting two rectangles from a life preserver long enough to hold them, you can make a spectacle case . To seal the sides (excluding the opening), you can melt them by passing an iron over them (but cover the affected area with parchment paper first, to prevent the rubber from sticking to the iron). Furthermore, if you leave a longer end on one of the rectangles, perhaps in the shape of a triangle, you can attach a clip to this to conveniently close the spectacles inside without worrying about losing them.

Door stop

Another creative way to recycle armrests is to turn them into doorstops . How do you do it?

Cut one in half and also make a cut on one of the shorter sides
Fill it with pebbles or sand and close it well with a very tight ribbon.
Cover it with recycled fabric or an old mismatched sock and tie a knot
Decorate as desired with decorative elements and here is a doorstop made from an old armrest.

Festoons

How can you creatively recycle armbands and life jackets ? Both can be used as garlands for birthday parties, both indoors and outdoors. In the latter case, you won't have to worry about the weather forecast, and even if they're the target of accidental water bombs, they won't get ruined.

Cap

With larger life jackets, you can make cute hats for children . Simply cut them out using a pattern downloaded online or from a sewing magazine. Then, obtain the necessary pieces and sew them together according to the instructions. But if you have a mattress, you could also opt for a raincoat. Don't underestimate the idea.

How to recycle umbrellas

If these ideas on how to recycle armbands and life jackets haven't been enough for you, know that beach umbrellas can also be reused, giving them a new and useful life. Recycling beach umbrellas is a moral obligation given how often, unfortunately, they break. Nothing irreparable, of course. For example, you can use their spokes to make DIY clothes airers: simply glue 3-4 of them in succession onto two wooden supports. Their canvas, meanwhile, can be used as a cover for everything. It can protect bicycles or garden tools. Or it can cover an outdoor table.

Recycling Armbands and Life Jackets: 8 Helpful Ideas