Both my grandma and my mom had rag bags. Growing up, my mom’s rag bag was a mystery to me… I found out when I was about ten that it was actually my dad’s old putrid orange robe that she’d sewn shut to form a bag. Fast forward thirty years and of course, I have to have my own rag bag. Truth be told, I use a big Kohl’s bag…when it falls apart, I pull out a new one. It isn’t very stylish, but I don’t have any old robes laying around! 😉
First things first: Let’s define what a rag bag is. This bag holds all your old clothes, towels, socks, cotton underwear, etc. that can be useful for other tasks. What are these task, you ask? Grandma had at least seven reasons for keeping a rag bag. Here they are, in no particular order:
Seven Reasons Grandma Had a Rag Bag:
- Old towels work great for drying your car after washing it.
- Old socks make the perfect applicator for stain, etc. Simply use and throw away.
- Old cotton underwear can be used as a rag to clean/dust anything. Throw it away after use.
- Old jeans can be used to patch new(er) jeans. Cut out a piece (my mom used to cut out shapes like stars) and sew onto the knees of little boys’ jeans when they wear holes in them.
- Old t-shirts are perfect for outside and garage tasks. They are soft and absorbent, though avoid the ones with too much screen printing…that isn’t going to absorb grease or oil!
- Need a scrap of fabric for a school or art project? Check the rag bag!
- Waxing your car or needing to wash windows? Check the rag bag!
And, if there’s anything that I’ve learned from my German ancestry it’s this: Throwing away items that can be repurposed is wasteful! That holey t-shirt or ripped sock can have new life as a rag! 🙂
Where does one keep a rag bag? Truly, you can keep it anywhere you like! 😉 I like mine out of the way, so it’s in my bathroom closet. But the laundry room would be a perfectly acceptable spot, too. Just don’t stick it in the basement and forget about it. That defeats the purpose. Instead, get as much use as you can out of your old clothes. You might be surprised at the new life you’ll give items once considered “used up.”
I’d love to hear ideas you have to use old clothes! Please leave a comment. If you’d like to keep your clothes looking as nice as possible for as long as possible, please check out my post on Sorting Laundry like a Pro. Might as well hold off throwing your clothes into the rag bag as long as possible!
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