They are yellowed, thin or missing their matching set, and they sit at the back of the linen closet “just in case.” Before you throw your old pillowcases away, know that this simple fabric pocket has a few very practical second lives. Here are four uses you have probably never thought of.
1. The cleanest way to dust a ceiling fan
It’s the most famous trick, and for good reason. Slide an old pillowcase over each fan blade, press lightly on the top and pull it back toward you. The dust stays trapped inside the pillowcase instead of raining down on the bed, the floor and your face. Shake it outside, toss it in the wash, done. It works on the top of kitchen cabinets and high shelves too.
2. A free laundry bag for small and delicate items
Socks that disappear, baby clothes, bras, tights, sneaker laces, a stuffed animal: put them in an old pillowcase, tie a knot or close it with a hair tie, and wash as usual. Nothing gets lost in the drum, nothing gets caught in the door seal, and delicate items are protected from friction. It’s exactly the role of a mesh laundry bag, without buying one.
3. A way to keep bedding sets together
Fold the fitted sheet, flat sheet and other pillowcases of a set, and slide everything into one of the set’s own pillowcases. On laundry day, you grab one bundle instead of searching through the closet for the matching sheet. Your old odd pillowcases can do the same job for spare blankets or guest bedding.
4. A dust cover for what you store
A pillowcase protects a handbag, a pair of good shoes, a winter hat or a stack of sweaters on a closet shelf. Cotton breathes, unlike a plastic bag, which can trap moisture. For seasonal clothes, it’s a simple barrier against dust. Some people add a few dried bay leaves or a cedar block inside, as with bay leaves under the mattress.
Bonus: a travel shoe bag
When packing a suitcase, slip each pair of shoes into an old pillowcase. The soles stay away from your clothes, and the pillowcase goes in the wash when you get home.
And if it’s really worn out
Cut it into squares: cotton makes excellent lint-free cleaning cloths for windows, mirrors and dusting. Old cotton sheets work the same way, as we explained in this article on old sheets, and so do old towels.
Why it matters
According to the EPA, Americans generated about 17 million tons of textile waste in 2018, and 11.3 million tons of it ended up in landfills. Only about 15% was recycled. Giving a pillowcase a few more years of use is a small, free way to do something about it.
The limit
Keep these uses for clean, intact fabric. A stained or moldy pillowcase should not be used to store clothes, and one with holes won’t hold small items in the washing machine.
An old pillowcase, a knot and a little imagination. That’s the trick.
