The average bed sheets last between six and eight years before it’s time to replace them. This time may go quicker if the sheets become damaged or if a sleeper grows out of the pattern on the sheets. But just because you’re ready to retire the sheets from your bed doesn’t mean that you have to retire them from all use. There is a myriad of things you can make with old bed sheets with a little ingenuity.

Reusable Shopping Bag

It’s no secret that plastic shopping bags aren’t good for the environment. Every year Americans use billions of shopping bags which require millions of gallons of oil to manufacture. The best way to cut that number down is by bringing your own reusable bag when you go shopping. There are plenty of patterns for cloth bags that you can make with old bed sheets. These are perfect for produce and other groceries that you can reuse every time you go to the store.

Kid’s Fort

Many of us have fond childhood memories of making elaborate forts outs of blankets and bed sheets that we could play in for hours. Why not offer your kids the same memories by making them a permanent kiddie hideaway? You can use the bed sheets to make a hanging teepee, the same kind you can buy for forty bucks on Amazon. Or, if you want to get more creative, you can work with your little ones to make a fort of your own design.

Smocks

Whether you’re doing arts and crafts to baking projects, it always pays to have something that you can throw on over yours or your children’s clothes to help keep messes to a minimum. Bed sheet-smocks are an easy sewing project for even those without much sewing experience. And even if the sewing doesn’t come out perfectly, you can rest at ease knowing it’s going to get covered with paint, glue, or flour later anyway.

Compost

When people think of composting, usually they think of vegetables and other materials inclined to break down into the soil. But if you have sheets made of natural fibers like cotton, hemp, wool, silk, linen, or bamboo, they will break down too if given enough time. You just have to shred them, remove tags or elastic bands, and add them to the pile. Keep in mind though, if your sheets are made with a mix of synthetic materials, you won’t be able to compost them.

So when it’s time to replace your bed sheets, don’t immediately consign them to the garbage can. By thinking outside the box, you can make those old sheets into something brand new!