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Recycling Denim – Part 1

If you loved my “Recycling Old Record Albums” blog, chances are you have another type of material that needs to be recycled – denim! Chances are that you have denim that needs recycling, whether it is yours, your spouses, or your kids. Remember that if you are just tired of your old jeans, but they are still in decent shape, you can always donate them to a local thrift store!

What can you do with old denim? Here are a few ideas:

Hot Rice Pack

Oh, do I need one of these with my aching back! You can use the legs of a pair of worn jeans to make this soothing pack. Cut off the desired length of material (both front and back part of the leg), sew up one end, add white rice to the pocket, and then sew up the other end. This can now be placed in the microwave to warm and place on those aching body parts.

Draft Stoppers

Along the same lines as the rice pack, the legs of denim jeans can be used to make draft stoppers that go at the base of a door to keep out the cold. Again, you will have to cut the desired length (make sure it is long enough to cover the bottom of the door). Then, sew up one end, fill the other with rice or sand, sew that end, and voila, you have a way to keep the winter at bay!

Couch Throw

You will need to be a bit more crafty to make this, but you can cut your old denim jeans into strips and make a throw by weaving, sewing, knitting, or crocheting the pieces together. Not only will you have a beautiful throw, but it will be heavy duty to boot!

Pot Holders

I never seem to have enough pot holders and when I go shopping for new ones, I can never find anything I really like. You can use the denim to make pot holders, lining them with fleece, old sweatshirt material, or quilt batting to make sure they are thick enough. Remember that once you make the basic pot holder, you can decorate it any way you want.

Next blog, I will give you some more great ideas for recycling denim.

(This image is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 License.)

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About Libby Pelham

I have always loved to write and Families.com gives me the opportunity to share my passion for writing with others. I work full-time as a web developer at UTHSC and most of my other time is spent with my son (born 2004). I love everything pop culture, but also enjoy writing about green living (it has opened my eyes to many things!) and health (got to worry about that as you get older!).