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I really do not like those plastic shower poufs that come so often in toiletries gift sets. They are made of plastic for a start. They often go smelly and mouldy, release micro plastics harmful to the environment into the water when they are washed, and take 1000s of years to decompose when they are sent to landfill. And so today I am going to show you shower puff alternative, a way of making them from compostable upcycled materials. Here is how to make a shower pouf from an old upcycled towel.
How To Make A Shower Pouf From An Old Upcycled Towel
If you are anything like me, you use a lot of towels, and over time they go very shabby looking. Well, do not throw them away! They can be so good for upcycling into other projects, like swiffer mop covers, make up remover pads, or reusable kitchen roll.
See all the ways you can reuse your old towels.
But this is one of my favourite ways to upcycle them.
To Make Your Shower Puff Alternative You Will Need
- some pieces of old towelling, including the edge cuttings – my long strips were 14 inches long by 3 inches wide, and my towelling edging was 17 inches long
- Some scissors
- A sewing machine and optional overlocker
I particularly love this project as it is a way of using up the edges of the old towel, which tend to be too thick to use up in other projects.
Firstly, take the two long pieces of towelling and overlock them, or use a narrow edging stitch on your normal sewing machine. Old towels tend to fray and shed horribly when cut up. So you do need to go around the edges to seal it or there will be bits everywhere!
Take the two long strips and lay the long towelling edge piece sandwiched the long way down the centre.
Sew the long strips together at either side of the edge piece, making sure that you don’t sew through the edge piece and that it can move freely.
Pull both ends of the towelling strip together around the central edging strip. Ruche the towelling strips to form a pouf shape. As you do this, tie a double knot in the edging strip to secure the pouf in place. And sew the ends of the strip together, to form a hanging loop for your pouf.
(I will also add, in the years since I first wrote this post I have had plenty of negative comments saying that these will go mouldy and are unwashable. I have used one, have several in rotation and have never found this to be the case.
But I have also found a great work around this for the nay-sayers is instead of using the strip of towel down the centre, to use a piece of elastic and toggle that can untie to lay flat for washing, or tighten up into the pouf shape for using.)
And you are done!
This shower puff alternative is fully washable, though it will work well if just left to dry between uses. I would suggest that you untie the knot ands lay it flat for washing. This will help to get right through to the centre.
I would also suggest that you wash it every few days, as some people have expressed a concern that it may go mouldy in the centre. Why not make a few, and then you can always have one on the go?
If it does get too shabby or unusable, it can be cut up. And if you have used cotton threads, it can all be composted!
Finally, these can also be used to scrub your dishes! But for an even better option see my unsponges tutorial.
It is definitely a much more sustainable, ecofriendly version of the nasty plastic versions. And can even be made from new towelling and given as a gift.
Want an even harsher scrubber sponge? See my burlap shower pouf tutorial.
Love This Post On How To Make Eco Friendly Shower Puff Alternatives? Why Not Read Some Of My Other Zero Waste and Eco Friendly Posts?
I love to show you really easy ways that you can make the small changes that add up to make a big impact on how eco friendly you are. So why not read these other posts I have written?
- Zero Waste Projects For Your Home
- 100 Eco Friendly Gift Wrapping Ideas
- Ways To Reduce Your Spending During The Cost Of Living Crisis
- What To Do With Your Fabric Scraps
I have loads of crafts ideas and free sewing patterns on my site so why not go take a look? I love to see what you are doing, so please do comment below, or tag me on social media.
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Such a great DIY! I wish I was better with a sewing machine, I’ve never used one.
Thank you for reading. This is such a simple make.
This is such a great idea! The ones I buy at the store fall apart so quickly!
I will never buy a plastic one again! These are really cute!
Great idea! I never throw away old towels until they are totally unusable for something. That usually comes when they are used to clean up something that can’t be washed out. They are great for lining baby bibs, swiffer mop pads and swiffer dusting pads.
Totally agree. Towels are just too useful to just dump.
Thanks for the great tutorial! I am always looking for low cost, recycled gift ideas….and to make them as easily as possible.
For people who don’t have an overlocker, something that will make this an easier project is to look really carefully at the finished edges of your towel before you start cutting, with the aim of using as many as possible of the finished edges in your final product. For example, cutting across the short end of a hand towel will only leave you one seam to cut and therefore only one long edge to finish by zig zag. If any of the existing bound edges are not in great condition reinforcing a fraying edge by zigzagging across it is far less work (and gives a better finish) than cutting them off and zigzagging them.
Re: Plastic Shower Poufs
While I understand your reasoning for upcycling old towels into shower poufs and think it’s a great idea, I have to disagree with your statement about the plastic ones not being washable. They are definitely washable. I have several that I rotate. They can be tossed in a mesh lingerie wash bag and thrown in with the towels on hot water temp with detergent and vinegar. Kind regards.
Hi Geraldine. Ok, I have amended that statement. The fact however, is that when you wash these shower poufs, they release micro plastics into the water that is incredibly harmful to the environment. Studies have shown that these micro plastics can now be found in the food chain, and within each of our bodies. Which is just another reason to not use them.
What a great idea!! Love this for an upcycling project.