What do you do with your old socks? Do you "repurpose" old clothing?

@TheHorse (238330)

Walnut Creek, California

July 30, 2019 12:39pm CST

I was putting on my socks just now, getting ready to run a couple of errands, when I spied my big toe. Without hesitation, I walked to the kitchen and dropped the failed sock on my pile of "guitar and speaker rags." Old socks and t-shirts don't die here; they become rags. Do you just toss your worn out stuff? Or do you "repurpose" it?

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22 responses

@JohnRoberts (109841)

• Los Angeles, California

30 Jul 19

They become monkeys.

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@TheHorse (238330)

• Walnut Creek, California

30 Jul 19

Oh, I've played with some of those.

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@FourWalls (86765)

• United States

30 Jul 19

Indeed I do! Old t shirts become night clothes or rags, as do old socks or underwear. (Well, rags...haven’t lost enough weight to turn a sock into a PJ top....)

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@TheHorse (238330)

• Walnut Creek, California

30 Jul 19

@JohnRoberts Gracias!

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@TheHorse (238330)

• Walnut Creek, California

30 Jul 19

I hope not.

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@JohnRoberts (109841)

• Los Angeles, California

30 Jul 19

Just because. Not too bad for an 84-year-old man.

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crazyhorseladycx

@crazyhorseladycx (39503)

• United States

31 Jul 19

most all 'tis repurposed. socks 'n t's go 'nto the rag bag fer cleanin'/oilin'. jeans 'n work shirts 're made 'nto quilts.

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crazyhorseladycx

@crazyhorseladycx (39503)

• United States

31 Jul 19

@TheHorse aw now, y'ave seen some 'f my quilts i've made from such, lol. i'll see if'n i can't hunt'cha down some pics.

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@TheHorse (238330)

• Walnut Creek, California

31 Jul 19

Quilts--that sounds really cool! Pictures, please.

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@TheHorse (238330)

• Walnut Creek, California

1 Aug 19

@crazyhorseladycx Much appreciated. If I wasn't interesting in seeing something purdy and special more than once, Ms Horse wouldn't have stuck around as long as she did!

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@Marilynda1225 (91126)

• United States

30 Jul 19

I use old socks for dusting. Just slip it over your hand and it makes dusting easy

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@Marilynda1225 (91126)

• United States

30 Jul 19

@TheHorse now that would get millions of views on social media

Good thing you changed your glasses!!!

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@Marilynda1225 (91126)

• United States

31 Jul 19

@TheHorse you've had me laughing at myself with just the image of socks over my head and dusting

@TheHorse (238330)

• Walnut Creek, California

31 Jul 19

@Marilynda1225 I thought for a moment you'd been eating those funny mushrooms again.

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@JudyEv (382259)

• Rockingham, Australia

31 Jul 19

Sometimes I'll dust by putting my hand in a sock and using it as a duster. My Mum always used to darn socks but thankfully those days are past.

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@TheHorse (238330)

• Walnut Creek, California

31 Jul 19

@JudyEv Thanks. I hope it not a completely lost art.

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@TheHorse (238330)

• Walnut Creek, California

31 Jul 19

I say "darn" when my toe pokes through. What exactly IS "darning" a sock?

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@JudyEv (382259)

• Rockingham, Australia

31 Jul 19

@TheHorse You must be younger than I thought. I guess darning is much like patching. You take a long woollen thread and a darning needle and make long stitches over the hole but without pulling the stitches tight. Then you weave the wool at right angles in and out of the long stitches till you've created new 'fabric' over the hole. No-one would bother with it nowadays but when money was tight for our ancestors, clothes were patched and socks darned so as to get more use out of them and put off the evil day of having to buy new ones.

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@emmapadrino (195)

• Calabozo, Venezuela

30 Jul 19

In my house socks never get old, I don't know why, but they always end up lost

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@TheHorse (238330)

• Walnut Creek, California

30 Jul 19

That's why I only buy white socks. Only one sock will be lonely at any given time.

@TheHorse (238330)

• Walnut Creek, California

31 Jul 19

@emmapadrino How old is your son?

@emmapadrino (195)

• Calabozo, Venezuela

30 Jul 19

@TheHorse yes, well my son only has white socks, but sometimes he needs another color to combine and lend mine

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@kareng (80243)

• United States

30 Jul 19

My hubby uses them to polish his boots.

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@TheHorse (238330)

• Walnut Creek, California

30 Jul 19

I've done the same.

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@kareng (80243)

• United States

3 Aug 19

@BarBaraPrz (51831)

• St. Catharines, Ontario

30 Jul 19

I repurpose most things. Even my "new" fence is mostly boards from my old fence. Only the joist hangers, spikes and screws are new. No, actually, some of the screws have been used before, too. As for socks, I once made a draft stopper out of old socks. I sewed the tops together into a tube and stuffed it with the toes and other rags.

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@BarBaraPrz (51831)

• St. Catharines, Ontario

30 Jul 19

@TheHorse As long as they're not too bent used nails work as well as new ones (unless they're really really rusty).

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@TheHorse (238330)

• Walnut Creek, California

30 Jul 19

Oh, that sounds like a clever use! I actually reuse old nails when I replace cross-pieces in my bridge up in Montana.

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@TheHorse (238330)

• Walnut Creek, California

30 Jul 19

@BarBaraPrz Yeppers. I use what I have. I can usually hammer the old ones straight.

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@Porcospino (31365)

• Denmark

30 Jul 19

I tie my old socks together and create a "sock animal" for our dog. He loves to play with them.

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@Porcospino (31365)

• Denmark

31 Jul 19

@TheHorse He loves clothes that haven't been washed. He always 'steals' them from the laundry basket

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@TheHorse (238330)

• Walnut Creek, California

30 Jul 19

Sounds like a great idea! Does he enjoy the animals even more when you don't wash them?

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@TheHorse (238330)

• Walnut Creek, California

31 Jul 19

@Porcospino Mmm...good!

@LadyDuck (502605)

• Italy

31 Jul 19

Same as Deborah, I use the old socks to dust furniture. I also us them to clean the silver.

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@LadyDuck (502605)

• Italy

31 Jul 19

@TheHorse Yes, I toss those I use to clean silver.

@TheHorse (238330)

• Walnut Creek, California

31 Jul 19

Do you toss them after? I toss mine when they're full of guitar polish or stain or whatever.

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@thelme55 (79323)

• Germany

31 Jul 19

I repurpose socks by using them for dusting the furniture.

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@TheHorse (238330)

• Walnut Creek, California

1 Aug 19

That sounds like a popular choice!

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@thelme55 (79323)

• Germany

1 Aug 19

@TheHorse the best one I know.

@Hannihar (130150)

• Israel

31 Jul 19

@TheHorse I have gone through my socks and t-shirts and put them out in a place where people put things do they no longer want for others to take.

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@TheHorse (238330)

• Walnut Creek, California

31 Jul 19

Oh, do people take things?

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@Hannihar (130150)

• Israel

31 Jul 19

@TheHorse Yes they do.

@CarolDM (203396)

• Nashville, Tennessee

30 Jul 19

They make great dust rags! I toss a lot of it but try to use the socks.

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@TheHorse (238330)

• Walnut Creek, California

31 Jul 19

@CarolDM Got it.

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@TheHorse (238330)

• Walnut Creek, California

30 Jul 19

I'm not a dusting expert. Do you slightly moisten them? Or dust dry?

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@CarolDM (203396)

• Nashville, Tennessee

30 Jul 19

@TheHorse With socks you usually don't need anything.

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@SophiaMorros (5044)

• Belews Creek, North Carolina

1 Aug 19

Some stuff gets repurposed as rags, some gets restructured for costuming purposes, some just gets thrown away. Serviceable stuff goes to the thrift store.

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@TheHorse (238330)

• Walnut Creek, California

1 Aug 19

I never do take stuff to the thrift store. I probably should.

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@SophiaMorros (5044)

• Belews Creek, North Carolina

2 Aug 19

@TheHorse the humans keep a box for donations and drop it off whenever it is full.

@wolfgirl569 (135847)

• Marion, Ohio

30 Jul 19

Socks usually go bye bye. But I do keep old shirts around for rags.

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@TheHorse (238330)

• Walnut Creek, California

30 Jul 19

I keep old shirts too.

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@paigea (36143)

• Canada

31 Jul 19

I mend them and some become cleaning rags. Some aren't the right fabric and are only used once to clean up cat puke

. Hubby puts his in the garbage, sometimes I pull them out

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@TheHorse (238330)

• Walnut Creek, California

31 Jul 19

Heh heh.

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@NJChicaa (127161)

• United States

30 Jul 19

I wear my socks out until they are threadbare or have holes. Then I throw them away.

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@TheHorse (238330)

• Walnut Creek, California

30 Jul 19

Mine tend to give out where my big toes live.

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@amandajay (23262)

• New Zealand

31 Jul 19

chuck in rubbish

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@TheHorse (238330)

• Walnut Creek, California

31 Jul 19

Do you keep regular rags around for the dirty work?

@Janet357 (75638)

•

31 Jul 19

they are gone! one sock is always missing.i dont know why.

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@TheHorse (238330)

• Walnut Creek, California

31 Jul 19

Gremlins.

@debjani1 (7202)

•

30 Jul 19

My hubby used his old socks to clean the shoes.

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@TheHorse (238330)

• Walnut Creek, California

30 Jul 19

That sounds like a good idea. You could use them for polishing shoes as well.