Don't Toss Old Microfiber Cleaning Cloths - Here Are 14 Ways To Repurpose Them Instead

If your microfiber cloths aren't cleaning as well as you want, it might be time to refresh your collection. Throwing the old ones in the trash would be a waste, though. Microfibre cleaning cloths have all kinds of uses around the home that don't relate to simple cleaning. Throwing an old (clean) cloth in the dryer to collect lint from towels, use a microfiber towel to wipe dirt off your garden tools before putting them away, or dry off your doggo after a muddy romp in the great outdoors. If you have a sewing machine (or even if you don't), there are numerous ways to repurpose microfiber cloths into luxe cushion covers. Sew a scrunchie, fashion a magnetic eraser for your dry-erase board, or improve the health of your house plants.

Before you do any kind of repurposing, make sure you take some time to clean the cloths thoroughly. You may have, after all, used them for everything from streak-free window cleaning to wiping down your toilet seat. Wash them separately from other textiles with warm to hot water using your favorite laundry detergent. If you wash them in the machine, skip the fabric softener. To properly disinfect microfiber towels after using them for cleaning, spot clean with stain remover or add citric acid or vinegar to the water. Hang them to dry, ideally, or tumble them on a short cycle. To be safe, don't use these repurposed rags for anything related to food, even when sterilized.

Need a new pillow for that uncomfortable settee but don't have a sewing machine? Spread two plain microfiber cloths out flat. Run hem tape along each side, leaving a small gap in one side for the pillow stuffing. Turn the cushion cover the right way out, iron on a meaningful fabric transfer phrase — maybe your guiding word of the year — and stuff it with filling or even cotton balls, in a pinch. Use a hair straightener and a small piece of hem tape to close the gap.

Save this hack in case you need to do damage control on a load of linty laundry. Microfiber has a static charge; use that to your advantage. Throw one or two of these unique towels in the dryer with your lint-covered item, and power on the dryer. Keep it running until the item is just about dry, then take it and the microfiber cloths out. If the item isn't free from lint, use a lint roller to collect what's left, then continue tumbling until it's totally dry.

An overflowing lint trap is one of the causes of a lint-filled laundry load. In fact, you should be cleaning it out after every load. The trouble is that the narrow channel can be tricky to get into. You could buy a Holikme 2 Pack Dryer Vent Cleaner Kit for about $8, or you could fashion one for free by wrapping an old microfiber cloth around a screwdriver, hanger, or paint stick and securing it with duct tape. Push it around inside the trap to collect leftover lint.

Cutting garden tools — think shears, loppers, and pruners — need oiling to keep them snipping smoothly. Once you've squeezed some oil onto the metal, work it into all the nooks and crannies using a steel brush. Here's where your old microfiber towel comes in; use it to mop up any excess so the tool doesn't slip around in your hands. You can also keep a cloth in the shed to wipe tools clean of dirt and clippings after each use or towel them dry after a dowsing with the garden hose.

Forever dropping bulky dry-erase board erasers? Lay a microfiber towel out flat in a diamond shape. Place one or two small, round magnets in the top corner. Using your hot glue gun, run a line of hot glue on both sides of the corner and fold it over the magnet. It will look like a dog-eared book page. A 180-pack of VSKIZ Rare Earth Magnets costs about $15. Attach the eraser to your meal planner or give them out as teacher's gifts.

This DIY combines two of our favorite things: upcycling and creative ways to turn any Dollar Tree item into a stylish pillowcase. First, check if the microfiber cloth you're working with is square. If not, make it square by folding one corner up to the top, making a triangle, and cut along the straight edge. Lay the towel over a faux leather square; the backside of the leather should face out. Sew or glue along the hems, leaving a gap for the stuffing. Close the gap, and you're done!

Set aside stained or holey microfiber towels that are unusable for DIY projects in a basket by the door. Use them dry or damp to wipe dirt, seeds, and other nasties from the feet and coats of your pets before they come inside after rainy day walks or a romp on the uncovered patio. Be sure to wash these towels separately. While fur clings to microfiber, it may come off in the wash. Stitch a few cloths together to make a large towel if you have a big fur child.

Scrunchies made from toweling material are the 80s throwback you need. You can, for example, slip them over your wrists during your skincare routine to stop water running down your arms or use them to tie back and dry wet hair. Cut your microfiber cloth into a few wide strips and sew them together lengthways to make a tube. You can use a sewing machine if you have one or stitch by hand. Thread a shorter length of elastic through the tube, knot it, and sew the ends of the tube together.

Get some period appropriate faux foliage — think olive leaves, grapevine, and laurel branches. You can buy a pack of 12 NICE PURCHASE 6.5 Foot Artificial Gold Grape Leaf Vines for under $14. Craft a wide tube from a white microfiber towel by gluing the long sides together and slip it over a glass bottle or jar (ideally, something upcycled). Glue grape leaves on in a haphazard fashion, then cut slits into them and tuck it over the rim of the glass vessel.

Wildlife rescues often itemize microfiber cloths on their lists of requested or accepted donations. They mostly use them for cleaning, so if your microfiber towels are really past their use-by date, they might not be giftable. Instead, donate cloth that is still absorbent and without holes — ones perhaps that you're replacing simply because they're stained. Wash, sterilize, and dry them thoroughly before packaging them up for donation. They're sometimes used, too, as swaddles since they're free from loops that wee claws catch on.

Cut X and O shapes, two of each, from the microfiber towels; these form the front and back of each pillow. You can use matching colors for consistency or mix it up for a more playful vibe. Sew the shapes together with the nicest side of the cloth facing inwards and leaving a hole for the stuffing. Turn the pillows inside, stuff with filler, and hand stitch the gap. Voila! Now you have cute cushions for your sofa or bed for a fraction of the cost of new.

To make a teddy bear, roll the two sides of a towel toward each other, fold the roll over on itself, and spread out the top half to form arms. Tie off the top with an elastic — that's your teddy's head — and form ears with small rubber bands. Add a bow around the neck. Or make a ghost puppet by cutting a ghost shape from a white microfiber cloth, sewing them together with the bottom open, and adding beads for eyes. Use origami folding techniques to craft a cat or another favorite critter.

Since houseplants live indoors where there's little to no wind or rain, their leaves quickly collect dust. A thick coating can interfere with photosynthesis, leading to a plant not getting enough energy to thrive. At least once a month, moisten an old microfiber cloth and gently wipe the underside and top of each leaf of your plant. If you find the dust clumps together when the cloth is wet, switch to using it dry. Only do this to plants with thick, shiny leaves that you won't risk damaging.

Make an Easter rabbit using folding and elastics to create a body and head with ears. Nestle a decorative egg, not an edible one, inside to complete the theme or fold the end over on itself to create a mound. Drape a white microfiber cloth over a candlestick, and add a felt witch hat, broom, and facial features to create a Halloween ghost. Wrap a tiny plastic bowl and a cardboard tube in a red microfiber cloth and add a cuff of white faux fur to make Santa's boots for the mantle.