Recycling beach towels and sarongs

Beach towels and sarongs are part of many people's summer wardrobe: the former are indispensable, the latter useful, but both eventually wear out, leading us to stop using them. But why throw them in the trash when you can avoid waste through creative recycling ? How can you recycle beach towels and sarongs, giving them a new lease of life? Here are some of the most interesting ideas.

If we consider the material they're made of—terry cloth in the former case, cotton in the latter—we can find a myriad of solutions. From kitchen potholders to bathmats, from pet bed covers to bandanas and unique accessories to add a touch of originality to our summer outfits. Or even just new towels , perhaps to use after gardening or garage work. If you're interested in discovering how to recycle beach towels and sarongs , take inspiration from the creative recycling ideas we've collected below.

Index of topics

Beach towels with slippers

Let's start by recycling beach towels . These soft and fluffy slippers, which, while not as durable as store-bought ones, are ideal for use as slippers at home, are incredibly simple to make and require only a needle, thread, and scissors. Trace the outline of your feet onto the beach towel with chalk. Cut out the soles and then the toes from another piece of toweling . Sew well and wear!

Bath mat with beach towel

To create an original bath mat, simply cut the towel into strips (even better if it's multi-coloured), then weave them together and roll them up concentrically, sewing them together as you go, to create a compact disk on which to rest your feet once you've finished showering.

Beach bag with beach towel

This is perhaps the most common solution, but also the most immediate. Recycling a beach towel into a bag is certainly a smart choice. Again, all you need to do is:

cut out two equal rectangles from the cloth and sew the side and bottom edges
turn the bag inside out so that the seams are not visible
apply the handles (always made of sponge or similar leather)
apply a button or zipper

Bibs

The sponge's high absorbency makes it ideal for collecting sauces, baby food, and baby food of all kinds. It's therefore perfect for making bibs . Again, you'll need to cut out the bib shape, but finish the edges with a ribbon. Fold it in half and sew it along the edges until it ends in a tie that attaches to the neck.

Wall organizer

You can never have too many organizers in the home, and never are they more useful than in the bathroom. Where else would we put shampoo , creams, brushes, and hair clips? To make a wall-mounted sponge organizer , simply cut out a large square or rectangle and sew on several pockets, the right size and shape to hold the items you need to keep organized.

Pet pillow

If you have furry friends at home, you can recycle old beach towels by turning them into a pillow for your pets. As usual, simply cut out two rectangles (in this case, the size of your pup), then place scraps of fabric or the same beach towel inside and sew all the edges together.

Bandana with beach pareo

Let's move on to ideas for recycling a beach sarong , which are no less satisfying. These beach accessories often boast wonderful patterns, making them ideal for transforming into bandanas or hair scrunchies. Making a bandana is very simple: just cut a large rectangle from the fabric and sew the edges.

Pillowcases with pareo

Similarly, you can use sarongs to create cushion covers . With the padding on hand, it's a breeze to cut two squares a few centimeters longer than the padding, then sew three of the four sides, zip up, turn the cover inside out, and insert the cushion before placing it, prominently displayed, on the sofa.

Skirt with sarong

How to make a skirt with a sarong ? If you love the pattern so much that you want to wear it out, who's stopping you from turning it into a piece of clothing? Just download a pattern online, cut out the fabric, and sew it according to these instructions (unless you have a friend who's a seamstress who can do this for you).

How to recycle beach towels and sarongs