Kitty Litter
Play Sand
Beans
Split Peas
Dry Corn
Popcorn
Insulation Foam
Fabric Scraps
Dried Pine Needles
Copper Pipe Insulation Foam
Thanks to all for the draft stopper stuffing suggestions. The additional possibilities above came up when I Googled "how to make a draft stopper."
I'm beginning to lean toward the "combination of fluff and weight" concept (a la Molly Bees and Elizabeth). Needs to be heavy enough to stay in place, but not so heavy as to totally stretch the sock tops out of shape, and nothing that would be liable to leak out. Roll some rice/beans/corn in quilt batting ? But would that be heavy enough? Would it be flexible enough? Or should I sew a fabric tube and pour in the kitty litter, then pull the sock tops over it? But if I actually haul the sewing machine out of the attic, and clear off a space on the dining room table to set it up, and sew the darn thing, why bother with encasing it in old sock tops?
And why is it that this idea for thrifty recycling now seems to involve going out and buying more supplies?
Let's see: if I cut the worn out foot off a sock, and sew the cut end of the leg closed, it will probably make a handy dandy dust mitt. Given the amount of dusting I actually do in any given week, those two pairs should keep me nicely suppplied for the rest of my life.
Years ago, I saw a household hint (I want to pin it on Heloise, if you remember her, but that may be unfair) suggesting that one could make lovely plastic place mats out of old shower curtains. Somehow, I found the concept less than appetizing. I bring this up to remind myself that some thrifty ideas, while doable, maybe really aren't so hot.
I still need a couple of draft stoppers. I haven't completely written off utilizing the socks. But I'm mulling it over.
4 comments:
How about felting the socks to make them sewable and beanproof?!
How about some putting your tube together, getting a cardboard wrapping paper tube, encasing it with fluff (pack it HARD), and then, when you have it all together, start filling it with fish gravel (I would avoid kitty litter because floors get wet) and pulling the tube OUT as you fill.
just a thought
Ok, how about you get an old lumpy bed pillow you no longer use for sleeping and take it apart. Also, go find a bunch of small rocks in your yard. Shove in some stuffing from the bed pillow, shove in a rock. Repeat until sock is full. Sew end shut.
No purchasing new stuff. Weight and fluff. No leaking.
If only our economy was as simple to figure out. ;)
I use a lot of old socks for dusting, though don't even cut off the feet part -- just stick my hand in the sock and have at it. They work great. I haven't dusted in months, however, so I might not *really* know what I'm talking about...
When I was a kid, my mom used to just put a scrunched up towel by the bottom of the door. It wasn't as tidy as a draft stopper, but it was somewhat effective. Can you get your cat to lie there all the time? (Our childhood dog was pretty good at keeping the drafts out, too, and he always was lying right next to the door, and was big enough (collie) that it actually worked pretty well.)
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