Handy Ways to Repurpose Old Leggings (2024)

Once you stretch out and wear out your leggings or yoga pants they’re pretty much useless and usually end up in the landfill . . . are they?

If you wore your leggings often, then you've probably noticed that they wear out pretty quickly, yet it seems like a waste to just toss them out. Why throwing your tights, leggings, or yoga pants away in the trash when you can get artsy and upcycle them instead?

Most leggings are made of synthetic fabrics which can’t be composted, so microfibers are often released into the water causing harm to marine life when they enter rivers and oceans.

Luckily, with a little bit of DIY innovation, you can repurpose your old leggings in really cool ways. Even if they no longer carry out their duty as legwear, they have the chance to be so much more:

Storage Solution

Reuse your old leggings as storage for shoes while traveling: Slip them inside the fabric and tie off in a loose knot so they won’t become separated in your suitcase.

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Polishing/Cleaning Cloths

As youryoga leggings become more worn out, the fabric turns into super soft material, so you can cut smaller clothes to use them for cleaning, dusting, or polishing furniture.

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Leg Warmers

One of the easiest ways to stay warm during the cooler days is layering. Cut off the two separate "legs" of youryoga pants to make leg warmers. There are so many awesome ways to style them in cozy fall and winter outfits.

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Emergency Hair Tie

We (ladies) are almost always down to our last few hair ties, so here’s the most crafty idea ever: Start cutting strips at the very bottom of your leggings (about 3,4 cm in), and finish at the top of each leg. Well done, now you have at least 20 soft and gentle hair ties!

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Personalized Headband

A similar way to repurpose old leggings is to createcute headbands for you or your girls. Leggings fabric will keep hair in place because it stretches and bounces back easily.

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Harvest Spare Elastic

You can always reuse the waistband from your old leggings which is still stretchy and functional to replace elastic in other pants or skirts.

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Beautiful Lampshades

Convert those printed legging you don’t wear anymore into a unique and stylish lamp-shade. All you have to do is cut the two separate "legs" and stretch the fabric lightly onto the lampshade. Glue with silicone gun first point with the rubber and then cut with scissors fabric over from the other side, leaving a 1,5 cm margin. Finally, stick the margin of the fabric around the cap with silicone gun.

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Woven Floor Mat

If you have more than just one pair of old but fun leggings, or any other kind of pants made from a soft fabric, even your children's old t-shirts or blousesthat are too old for donating or gifting to someone, you can create one of a kind colorful floor mat. Begin stripping them all, and then knot each end to the other one, so you can create braids in one long strand. Coil the braids around themselves, gluing all along, and you have your super natty rug!

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Handy Ways to Repurpose Old Leggings (2024)

FAQs

What can I do with old Leggins? ›

Ten Ways To Repurpose Your Old Tights
  1. Use The Legs Of The Tights To Store Wrapping Paper. ...
  2. Store Onions In Tights To Keep Them Intact. ...
  3. DIY Bath Bomb. ...
  4. Spritz With Your Favourite Scent & Keep In Your Drawers. ...
  5. Wipe Away & Remove Deodorant Stains. ...
  6. Use As An Extra Hair Tie. ...
  7. Hold Your Hair Back As You Wash Your Face.
Oct 19, 2023

What to do with leggings that are too small? ›

Soak and stretch: For leggings that need just a little extra room, follow these simple steps:
  1. Fill a sink or basin with warm water.
  2. Add a few drops of fabric softener or hair conditioner to relax the fabric fibers.
  3. Soak the leggings in the mixture for 30 minutes.
  4. Gently wring out the excess water.

What can I do with stretched out leggings? ›

Choose a hot water wash and hot water rinse cycle. The hot water makes the fabric yarns and threads shorten up so they are not as relaxed out. Although most items these days come pre-shrunk, using a combination of heat, water, and friction will allow the fabric to bind back together and shrink your leggings.

Should you wear leggings after 60? ›

Leggings are for every age, and they're ageless. The best part? Women over 60 can rock them with style when they prioritize fit, add a pop of color, and explore the option of Ponte leggings.

What works with leggings? ›

Tops to Wear with Leggings
  • Tunics and oversized tops provide coverage and an easygoing silhouette.
  • Athleisure pieces like hoodies deliver a sportier vibe. Simply throw on a denim or leather jacket when you want to add a little polish.
  • T-shirts are the ultimate comfort item.

How do you style a baggy T-shirt with leggings? ›

To rock this trend, opt for short leggings, and pair them with an oversized T-shirt that hits at the top of the thigh. You can complete the outfit with chunky sneakers and pulled-up socks. Goes well with a boyfriend blazer that's the same length as the top.

What can I use old leggings for? ›

What Can I Do With Old Leggings?
  • Turn Them into Headbands. One of the simplest ways to repurpose old leggings is by transforming them into headbands. ...
  • Create DIY Scrunchies. ...
  • Make Comfy Pillow Covers. ...
  • Create DIY Leg Warmers. ...
  • Use Them as Cleaning Rags.
Jun 22, 2023

What can I do with tight leggings? ›

Wash Your Leggings and Wear Them When Wet: Alternatively, after washing your leggings, put them on while they are still wet. Keep them on for about 15 minutes to allow them to stretch and conform to your body shape. Remove them and let them air dry to retain their new shape.

How do you shrink old leggings? ›

Dry the leggings on the hottest setting available with the clothes drier, hairdryer, or iron. Apply a dampening agent to the waistline. If you wish to reduce the waistband separately, dampen it, wrap your leggings securely on a clothes hanger, then heat to shrink it with your hairdryer targeted directly at it.

What can I do with see through leggings? ›

While you can't fix see-through leggings, if you're going to insist on wearing leggings that are losing their opaqueness, one tip would be to wear nude underwear underneath. If you wear nude underwear, your undergarments will be less obvious beneath them. You could also opt for a boyshort style to protect your modesty.

How many years do leggings last? ›

Leggings typically last one to two years. You'll know it's time for new ones when the elasticity begins to give out. Which type of leggings are most durable? Smooth, shiny performance fabrics like nylon or polyester are more durable than cotton, and they hold up better to chafing.

How do you get rid of baggy leggings? ›

If sagging has already commenced, you can try shrinking your clothes back to their original size by using a hairdryer. Put it on the warmest setting and focus the heat on the sagging areas immediately after taking your clothes out of the washing machine. Instead of putting your pants on a hanger, fold them to store.

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