Reuse Plastic Bags You'd Otherwise Toss To Make A Unique Water-Resistant Bath Mat

You might want to think twice before putting a rug in your bathroom. That soft, thirsty material that feels so nice on the soles of your feet after you step out of the bath is a breeding ground for bacteria if it stays damp. There are options other than textile, like wood, diatom, and plastic. The latter, given the material's innately water resistant properties, dries fast and is relatively easy to keep clean. Best of all, you can craft a plastic bath mat yourself in a day or so. You've probably heard of people crocheting mats from plarn, the catchy name for yarn made from plastic bags, but what if you don't know how to crochet, don't have a crochet hook, or simply don't want to add that skill to your repertoire? There's another way to make a bath mat out of plastic bags using a combination of braiding and weaving — no tools required outside of some scissors and your very own pair of dexterous hands.

Plastic shopping bags aren't recyclable, so if you use them to carry your groceries home each time you visit the supermarket, stop chucking them in the trash can and start saving them instead. Sort them into matching sizes and colors. If you've already mastered the art of creative ways to store your reusable shopping bags, you might not bring many plastic bags into your home. In that case, you'll need to ask around friends and family for bags, request them in your local Buy Nothing group (find your community on the organization's website), or, in a pinch, buy some. A pack of 300 white bags by LainNeala goes for under $12 on Amazon.

This DIY couldn't be easier to do, helping you replace your bathroom mats as often as experts recommend. Lay a plastic bag out flat, tucking the corners neatly inside. Fold the bag lengthways three or four times makes it easier to cut but it's not essential. Cut the handles and the bottom of the bag off, giving you a sort of plastic tube. This thick loop becomes your plarn; it's what gives you a really thick, cushion-like mat. If your bags are exactly the same size, you can lay them one atop the other and cut them all at the same time. Run your hands around each tube to condense the plastic material into a rope-like loop.

The next part involves weaving and braiding the resulting plastic bag loops. First, you'll thread two pairs of loops through one another. Pull tight to knot them then pull the four resulting strands toward. Pick up the strand on your left (your weaver) and weave that under and over the other three strands. When you reach the other side, reverse the action using the same strand. Continually pull on the strand running down the center of the rope to keep the whole thing tight. Connect new loops by threading them through the ends of the existing loops. Continue weaving until you reach your desired mat length. When you're ready to move to a new row, pull the weaver down at a right angle. Braid the remaining three strands a few times, turning them back on themselves. Start weaving again, creating a new rope parallel to the first. Repeat until you reach your desired width, then knot and tuck the ends.