I know most of use them for rags, but they are also good to cover up items in the garage or shed. Recently I used some old sheets as a ground sheet to cut my dad's hair and it saved time cleaning up and he has old towels we keep now for his haircuts. Sometimes it's good to keep them separate as it allows the good quality towels to last longer rather than to use them for hair cutting. I also keep old towels for dying my hair so they don't get ruined.
I use old towels for dying hair as well. It's great to not have to worry if you accidentally get some on it that way as they're old anyway. Another way I use old towels is for drying the dogs when they come in from outside in the rain when it's all horrible and muddy, and for drying them after they've had a bath too. I don't like to use my good towels as one of them in particular likes to hold onto the towel and his teeth can easily go through them. As for old sheets, they're great to use to cover furniture and flooring when you're painting and decorating so that you don't get the floor or your belongings covered in paint. I've also used them to make new covers for my dog beds as well. A friend uses an old sheet to cover the back of their car when their dog goes in there too.
My for it's use of old towels is to just use them as floor mops. I am very clumsy so I often spill things on the kitchen floor while cooking so it's good to have just small pieces of towels I can use to wipe depending on how much I have to clean up. If the stain is too much then I could just throw away the small piece of towel without feeling guilty, and is also get to save on paper towels this way because I'm just using old actual towels. I do this with old clothes as well but most of the time I give them away before they get too old and full of holes so the less fortunate can get more use out of them.
I use old blankets and towels, especially the larger beach towels, both in the garden and also for the stray cats I feed. I store them away in the warmer weather, but use them to cover the roots of my container plants in the winter when we're expecting a freeze. I also fix up plastic bins as warm beds for the strays on those same cold winter nights, and the cats definitely appreciate it. Right now, I've only got two strays I'm caring for, and on the coldest nights, they will snuggle up together in the bins, although most of the rest of the time they sleep separately. I also have towels from years ago that I have kept specifically for hair dying. I finally got rid of one of them, but still have a few others. When those wear out, I'll cycle in some of the more worn newer towels for that purpose.
Old towels and blankets, including the worn out with torn parts are still kept in storage for possible use. The other night, there was heavy rain and something went wrong with the roof that rainwater got inside and onto the floor. It was like being flooded. We were in panic to get the old towels that we used to wipe off the rainwater on the floor. We got a total of 5 buckets of water from the floor after 30 minutes of using the old towels in absorbing the rainwater.
At home, we use old towel and sheets as rags either for wiping tables and windows clean or foot rugs where we can dry up our wet feet. Other old towels are used as pet towels. Since it can be costly buying pet paraphernalia, we make use of old stuff at home for our pets' use. Sometimes, if they still look clean and okay, we donate old towels and sheets to typhoon and other calamity victims.
I use old towels to wipe up spills, as cleaning rags around the house. I use old sheets are cleaning rags too, to put large garden harvests on when I bring them into the house, I also use it as a floor covering if I paint the house, and I used it as a floor covering when the kids did arts and crafts and any kind of painting, I ran a child care business for many years while raising my five kids, so old sheets also had an use in my household.
We keep a box of old hand towels, bath towels and kitchen towels for wiping up spills, cleaning the floor, washing the car, painting, crafts etc. They are especially handy when one of the kids throws up or spills milk. We just reach for the old towels to mop up the spills and then throw them into the washing machine. For cleaning windows we like to use old newspaper and vinegar and water. It does a nice job.
Oh isn't that the truth when it comes to cleaning up spills and children's throw up. I remember a time when 4 out of 5 of my children came down with the stomach flu. I was cleaning up non stop, and those old towels really helped make clean up a lot easier.
Yes, they can always be donated to animal shelters They always need items like this. I make rags out of mine sometimes. They can be used to lay things out if you are having a yard sale or something like that, or even on a beach if need be. There are always uses for such things.
