What to do with old tights

There are plenty of resourceful ways to re-purpose your old tights into useful hair and beauty tools. For example, try snipping off the toe end and then cutting one-inch strips up the legs to create a bountiful haul of hair bands. After all, you can never have too many bobbles now, can you?! 

If you’ve ever wondered what to do with those last, slippery scraps of soap, you could pile them into a single leg of hosiery to create an exfoliating scrubber. As a sustainable alternative to cotton wool balls and pads, you could also cut your tights into small squares to use as a gently abrasive cloth to remove nail polish.

Why not swap those notoriously unrecyclable plastic onion bags with an old pair of tights to store your loose onions in? Cut off a leg of your tights and stuff your loose onions in (knotting them into individual sections) to keep them fresh and to ensure that any flaky old onion skin remains contained. 

Don’t throw that onion bag away just yet, either. Stuff it with old tights to create an eco-friendly scourer instead. Consider saving the waistbands from any old tights you cut up too, because they can be used to stretch over the top of your bin to stop your bin bags from slipping into the bin (don’t you just hate that?!).

Of course, if you’re the creative type (and since you’re here reading this blog, we’re going to assume you are!), you could cut up your colourful old tights and leggings, braid them, and then glue the coiled braids together to make a hard-wearing rag rug. Offcuts of old hosiery also make the perfect stuffing for cushions and soft toys. 
You could also consider using a single leg of an old pair of tights to keep rolls of wrapping paper securely wrapped up and in pristine condition until you need them.

Believe it or not, your surplus supply of old tights can be useful around the garden. For instance, you can make functional ties for runner bean frames or securing climbing plants to trellises. Simply use the same technique as you did to create hairbands, except snip through the loop to make a single strand that you can tie. 

The great thing about using nylon strips to tie your plants to stakes, trellises and frames is that it provides a gentler, but still highly durable, alternative to twine, which can damage delicate plant stems. Another handy use for your time-worn hosiery is to store and categorise your spring bulbs until it’s time to plant them.

Of course, if you’re having a clear out, there’s a high probability you’ll need to replace those old tights with some new pairs. Having done your good turn by recycling, upcycling, and re-purposing your old tights, you’re going to be left with some extra space in your underwear drawer. SOCKSHOP can fill that void with some fabulous new tights, in all shapes and sizes, and from various top-class brands, at the click of a button.

If you haven’t browsed our tights selection before, you (and your legs!) are in for a treat. Because, as well as your typical sheer tights and classic nylons, we’ve got a huge array of styles and materials for you to choose from. We’ve got warm tights and thermal tights to get you through the coldest months. Or how about some stockings, fishnets or hold ups for those special occasions? And you’ll simply love our silky-soft bamboo tights, maternity tights and shapers. All of which come in variety of opaque and patterned designs.

If you need to top up on tights, shop the complete tights collection at SOCKHOP today. For more information about any of our SOCKSHOP products or for help with orders, please contact us on 08000 195 667.

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