The Economics of Clothing Part 3 (Something to think about)

Here's a little food for thought, we're throwing away clothes, lots of them.  And where are they ending up?  In our landfills.  Now the majority of clothing we wear is not natural fiber, in fact it's synthetic, and those kind of clothes don't biodegrade well.  It's such a shame really.  However, I'm not opposed to synthetics completely; they do have a place.  Where would we be without wash and wear that makes our clothes so wonderfully wrinkle free, or the fabrics that keep us dry from the rain that falls so prolifically in the Pacific Northwest, where I live?

There are so many things we can do with clothing once we are ready to discard it.  If it's in good condition, you can donate it a local thrift store.  In fact, some of those places arrange pick up so you can just put it out on your door step and let them take care of carting it off for you.

Another thing you can do with them is reuse them for rags.  If the clothes are really beaten up and have good absorbability, you can use them to dry floors after washing, create mops out of them, dust your house, wash your car.

As well, textile artists often use them in creating new clothing.  Old sweaters can be unraveled and used to make new, more fashionable items.  Buttons and zippers can be removed from old garments and used in the making of new clothing.  You can re-fashion old clothes into new ones with a little more flair or add your own style.  Rag rugs, whether you braid them or hook them can also be made.  I often use old scraps of fabric and up-cycle old items into new useful articles that can be worn, or used for other purposes.

So the next time you are thinking about clearing out your closet of old clothing, remember the garbage can should be your last resort, not the first stop. :D