What you can do with old tights
Do not throw away your tights with runs. There are countless things you can use them for. And when they can no longer be reused, they can always be recycled.
Of all our garments, fine tights have the shortest life. But did you know they have many uses even after they get a run? Here are some of them.
Removing nail polish. Swap cotton pads for crumpled pieces of cut-up tights. They remove polish more effectively than cotton, and you save money, and spare the environment the resources needed to produce cotton.
Polishing shoes. Once the polish is on, fine tights are what gets shoes shiniest.
Fine-mesh tights are perfect for sieving small grains such as quinoa, which tend to fall through an ordinary kitchen sieve. The tights must of course be washed first.
Cleaning windows. Tired of streaks on your clean windows? A final buff with fine tights and they are a thing of the past.
Polishing silver. The fine nylon fabric is perfect for polishing silverware, jewelry and other metals. You do not even need polish. The material brings up the shine all by itself.
Making hair ties, or rubber bands for the kitchen, by cutting across the legs.
Finding small things you have dropped on the floor. Looking for the back of an earring? Pull a pair of fine tights over the end of the vacuum cleaner and go over the floor.
Make your own damp remover. Troubled by damp in the house? Put some cat litter in the foot of a pair of tights. Tie the end and cut it off, and it will absorb moisture wherever it is needed.
Tying up plants. If you have plants that need tying to a wall, fence, cane or similar, cords and loops of fine tights are perfect. The material is gentle enough not to damage the plants, and has just the right amount of stretch.
Freshen up your shoes. Put some bicarbonate of soda into a doubled-up tights foot, tie a knot in the end and cut it off so you have a small ball. Pop these into your shoes to absorb bad smells.
Or you could hand them in to Fretex. It is not the case that only whole, clean clothes should go to Fretex. Tights with runs, odd socks, worn-out underwear and sheets with holes in them can all be recycled. Fibers from textiles that cannot be reused become raw material for sustainable new products such as insulation and roofing mats. Put damaged textiles in their own bag and write “textile waste” clearly on the outside.
