Nylon is the primary fiber in most hosiery products that we sell. Nylon is a miraculous fiber. It was the first synthetic man-made fiber, produced by DuPont in the 1920s. However, like many great inventions, it has flaws. Nylon is made by combining chemicals extracted from coal and petroleum. In addition, it is non-biodegradable. Nylon fabric can take 30 to 40 years to decompose.
We provide support hosiery to improve your circulation. When you re-circulate old hosiery, you support environmental improvement. Over the years our customers have told us about really creative and useful ways to recycle their old hosiery. When your old stockings need to be replaced, here are some great ideas for keeping them useful and out of a landfill!
- Make your floor broom a super-broom. Place the stocking over the broom and be amazed by what gets swept up. Especially useful for households with pets.
- Deodorize up to three or four months. Chop a handful of any pleasant smelling herb from your garden then add a box of baking soda. Mix and tie up in fresh smelling sachet balls of nylon. Place under sinks, in cabinets, drawers or storage areas.
- Pillow stuffing. Refill or replenish pillow stuffing with strips of old pantyhose or stockings.
- Tourniquet. We don’t want them to feel like a tourniquet on your legs, but they make excellent tourniquets in an emergency.
- Hold gauze or bandaging in place. Cut a circular strip from the part of the leg with similar size, like the ankle circumference used for the mid arm to keep bandages from sliding. Plus it allows "breathing".
- Make children’s costumes. This can be used many ways to embellish a great costume. One of our favorites is stretching pantyhose fabric over a wire hanger and forming it into angel or butterfly wings.
- Water skimmer. With the same nylon and coat hanger combination you can skim pools and water fountains.
- Emergency fan belt! – Tie a stocking or a pantyhose leg around the crank and pulleys and cut off the loose ends. This should get you out of trouble for a short distance.
- Applying varnish or finish in hard-to-reach places.
- Tying up trees and plants. Stockings are incredibly strong - I had a 6-foot shrub blow over in the wind and used a stocking affix it to a stake. A year later and it's still in place.
- Pantyhose make excellent polishing cloths and are great for shining shoes.
- Store onions or flower bulbs in a stocking leg.
- Put a bar of soap (or small pieces) into a pantyhose leg and hang on your outside taps - a convenient soap holder!
- Use old nylon stockings to scrub sinks and porcelain without scratching them.
- Store rolls of gift wrap, wallpaper, posters in a stocking leg to help protect them from damage.
- Store jewelry in a pantyhose leg, tying off between each item to help protect and prevent the pieces from rubbing against each other.
- Place pantyhose over growing vegetables such as squash to reduce damage from bugs. You can also hang some vine vegetables in this way to keep them off the ground.
- Tie a stocking or pantyhose leg on the outlet hose of your washing machine to help catch lint that may otherwise contribute to drain blockages.
- Use small pieces of the fabric to help remove nail polish.
- Place seed you've collected from vegetables in a stocking leg and hang outside to dry.
- Keep dust from the inside of your computer. Cut a swatch of pantyhose to size and cover the exterior cooling fan. Don’t cover the power supply or processor because the fabric could melt.
- Keep your cat busy. Cats love to play with balls of pantyhose fabric.
- Cut up old nylons into long strips and braid them together to make a rag rug.
- Recycled Crafts has a mail in program for recycling nylon stockings, tights and pantyhose. For more information, contact them at recycledcrafts@live.com
Do you have any other suggestions? Email them to custserv@brightlifedirect.com and we will add them to the list.