10 Uses For Your Old Carpet
So you just upgraded your carpet. Congratulations! Now you have all these big rolls of old carpet that you don’t know what to do with. Well, don’t drive them to the landfill just yet! Here are some ideas to put that old carpet to use.
1. Recycle Your Old Carpet
Carpet fibers don’t break down in landfills, and it’s bulky and annoying for sanitation workers to pick up. Luckily, almost all carpet can be recycled
Carpet recycling procedures will vary depending on where you live, but your local carpet dealer is a great place to start. Sometimes, the installers who put in your old carpet will also take away and recycle the old stuff.
If not, Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE) is a good place to look. CARE is a nonprofit organization trying to upgrade the infrastructure needed to recycle carpet. You can also find a local recycling facility near you with this locator.
2. Use Carpet Scraps To Move Heavy Furniture
Cut squares out of your old carpet and put them, pile side down, under the legs of heavy chairs, sofas, and tables. They’ll slide across hard floors much more easily than lifting, and without scratching or gouging your floors.
3. Get Unstuck With Carpet Strips
Keep a few strips of carpet in your car — wider than your tires and several feet long. If you get stuck on ice or mud and can’t get the traction to get moving, wedge the strips under the wheels that are slipping. The fibers of the carpet will give you the grip you need to get unstuck.
4. Cushion Your Knees While Working
Cut a medium-sized rectangle out of your carpet, about the size of a doormat. Fold it in half or thirds, pile side out. Now you’ve got a nice cushy pad to kneel on for gardening, cleaning, working on your car, building furniture, or anything else you might be kneeling for.
5. Keep Your Floors Clean
Speaking of doormats, why not use your old carpet as a doormat! Scraps of carpet, cut to size, are perfect for back porches, entryways, garages, or anywhere else that shoes will be wet or muddy. The carpet will clean dirt and absorb water better than a hard surface, and you won’t mind if it gets messy. We can put you in touch with professionals who can bind the edge of your carpet, leaving it lush and looking like something you purchased specifically for your front door.
6. Use Old Carpet To Keep Pets Happy
If you’ve got a crate or a doghouse, line the inside with carpet. It’ll stay warmer and more comfortable for your furry friend, it doesn’t matter if they make a mess of it, and it smells like home.
If you’ve got cats, make a DIY scratching post by wrapping carpet around a 4×4 post and stapling or gluing it in place.
7. Protect Your Doors From Damage
If your garage is snug, you might occasionally bonk your car doors into the walls. Hang a strip of carpet where the door hits to protect the paint from dings.
You can do the same inside the house, too. If you have heavy doors without doorstops, a few small scraps of carpet will protect your doorknobs from damaging your paint or drywall and save you an annoying fix later on.
8. Clean Lint Off Of Window Screens
A clean scrap of carpet, dipped in soapy water, will clean a screen door or window screen quickly and easily. Just rub the pile side on to dirty screens to lift off dust, lint, and other buildup.
9. Muffle Your Washer And Dryer
Washing machines and dryers can make a lot of noise, especially if they’re placed on a hard surface or if they’re not leveled perfectly and rock back and forth. Place squares of old carpet underneath all four corners of your washer and dryer to quiet them down.
10. Catch Nasty Drips In The Garage
We’ve all got a leaky lawn mower or piece of gardening equipment that won’t seem to stop dripping, no matter what we do. Situate a piece of old carpet underneath it to catch those nasty drips before they cause permanent stains to your cement floors.