As you probably have surmised by now, I’m a huge fan of recycling. That means all those bottles and boxes, cans and cups. But it also includes donations of clothing, furniture, and household items to thrift stores or charitable organizations.

But what do you do with stuff that you can’t really donate? What are your options when you can’t bring yourself to throw things away because recycling, reusing, and repurposing are part of your core identity? It’s a particular conundrum when minimalism is also part of your lifestyle, and you have a compulsion to get rid of stuff.

Specifically, I’m talking about socks. Let’s face it, nobody wants your used socks—even if they’re in good condition. There are coat drives and prom dress redistribution events, but any place that solicits for socks always stipulates that they need to be new, preferably in original packaging.

I suppose right about now some of you might wonder why I have this particular problem that doesn’t seem to plague most people. (This question could be asked about many aspects of my life but let’s just stick with footwear for the moment.) I think there is a combination of contributing factors. 

One is that fun socks make a great inexpensive present, especially for someone you might not know well, such as a gift exchange situation. Therefore, the likelihood of me receiving socks is greater than that of some kind of food that might spoil, or clothing item that might not fit.

Another reason is my penchant for going barefoot or wearing sandals as much as possible. This means that my socks just don’t wear out at the same rate as most people. Even athletic socks don’t see that much action as I can only run about a couple of miles at a time, and infrequently.

I also must have some really high quality socks because I have owned some pairs for years, even decades in a case or two. It’s possible they have lasted that long in part because I didn’t wear them very often, but then that lends credence to my argument that I have a lot of socks if I only wear some of them a few times a year.

When I have socks that are getting a bit worn, I’ve found they work well for cleaning. You put them on your hand like a mitten and it makes dusting or scrubbing much easier. This is also a good use for single socks whose mates have gone on to the great beyond, the Dryer of No Return.

The thing is, I apparently don’t clean enough to use up all the socks that are designated for the cleaning pile. Sticking a tennis ball in the toe makes a great dog toy, but this only works with socks that are at least mid-ankle. Same thing with making sock puppets—it doesn’t work with footies. And how many sock puppets does a person need?

Other clothing items have more versatility for craft projects. Tights can be used to tie up your tomato plants. You can make old jeans into backpacks or tote bags. T-shirts can become fun and colorful patchwork items. Even neckties can be pieced together into a unique flared skirt.

I often view myself as a creative person but I admit I’m at the end of my rope trying to find ways to breathe new life into my old socks. I keep thinking I should be able to come up with a project that is clever yet useful. I’d love to do something really wacky and outside the box but I’m afraid I’ll end up getting cold feet.