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Eco-Friendly Towel Bath Rugs DIY

You are here: Home / DIY HOME DECORATION / Home Accessories / Rugs / Eco-Friendly Towel Bath Rugs DIY

March 28, 2010 By Rose Fine Crafts 70 Comments

Be Creative, Recycle and Make a Beautiful Mat! Or, make that plural,as these are fabulous towel bath rugs DIY projects! What is particularly neat, is that you are actually doing something back for Mother Earth with this eco-friendly home-decorating craft. And you’ll end up with a luxurious rug to adorn your bathroom. Such a win/win project.

Towel Bath Rugs DIY

Towel Bath Rugs DIY
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Give old towels a second life by knotting them into super-soft, eco-chic bath rugs.


Eco-Friendly Towel Bath Rugs DIY

How-to Instructions for Handmade Towel Bath Rugs
The step-by-step tutorial:

STEP 1. First, wash and dry the towels you’ll be using for your rug.

STEP 2. Decide how big you want your bath rug or rugs to be by measuring the dimensions on the floor, e.g.. in from of your shower recess, as shown here.

STEP 3. Purchase gridded matting — also called ‘Latch rug canvas‘ — and cut it to those dimensions. This usually sits under floor rugs to avoid slipping and is also called ‘rug canvas’ or ‘anti-slip mat’.

I received inquiries as to where to find a base for these rugs. Here is one solution: Blank Latch Rug Canvas With Grid. This rug canvas measures 36”x60” is only $7.50. If you prefer, here is a smaller size: 24 ”x 30 ” rug canvas. Or, just check out the first link here, which gives you a whole range of mats and rug – bases.

STEP 4. Cut the towels into strips of approx. 3/4” thick, and then cut the strips into 5-6” long pieces. If you do this, you will need 2-3 old bath towels for a rug sized 18 inches by 2 feet.

STEP 5. Knot each strip along the grid, ensuring they all face the same way.

Tip: for a thick, full mat, knot along every line. For a thinner mat, knot along every other line.

It’s an easy to do project that require little concentration. It may take you a while but it will be worth it once you’re finished with your eco-chic bathroom mat.

Budget: nil, and your old towels have a nice new use.

Video Tutorial

on How to Knot Your Own Earth Friendly Bath Rugs

Above was the written tutorial. Here’s the video demonstration on how to do it now:

Source video/image: http://michellekaufmann.com.
Her other DIY videos:
Make Your Own Eco-friendly Fire Pit +
DIY Cork Mudroom Mats

Further Rug-Making Instructions

Plus Care Tips
Still have questions about this rug???? Visit this page with further instructions to make these ** RUGS **. It answers all questions I’ve received over the years, about these recycled towel bathroom mats. You will find all answers on how to make rugs like this one featured above. Plus care tips. Please read this page with further rug making instructions, prior to contacting me with your own questions about this rug.

Other Earth-friendly Projects

This bathroom rug is just one of many recycling projects we have featured here at FineCraftGuild. If you are interested in recycling crafts, you can find more here: 50+ Recycling Crafts, Projects & Activities.

MORE RECYCLED/HANDMADE RUGS TO MAKE

Area rugs, floor mats & flooring projects

Check out these rug-making patterns, instructions & tips:

  1. DIY pompom rug pattern– Fabulous DIY kitchen, fireplace, bedroom or bathroom rug. No need to knit, crochet or weave. Just Make pompoms! Adorable. ~ NEW
  2. DIY Cork Floor Mat for the mudroom to put your wet boots on… (as featured in Huffington Post)
  3. How to Weave a (Table) Rug (easy and fast project; can be done w finger knitting or recycled fabric)
  4. Make Your Own Ruffle Rug from Old t-Shirts (variation on the recycled towel mat)
  5. How to Make Rugs from Recycled knitted Cabled Sweaters (easy & superfast DIY project)
  6. Rugs for Kids Bedrooms and Play rooms (travel themed, sporty or romantic … you pick!)
  7. Contemporary ‘grass’ Rugs, to knit or crochet. Soft on feet; see image; made from knitting yarn. Green yarn makes fun faux grass, but in white you could make a more durable version of this towel bath mat.
    bathroom rugs
  8. Contemporary Handmade Crochet Area Rugs – original ideas for other crochet rugs. A look-book.
  9. And More Modern Rugs.
Online Sewing ClassOnline Quilting ClassShop Indie Patterns

Like it?

If you like the white towel bathroom rug, share the love and LIKE us on Facebook, FOLLOW ON Pinterest.

Filed Under: FREE TUTORIALS, Rugs Tagged With: Crafts w/ Recycled Materials, DIY Bathrooms, rugs



Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Amanda@The Hand Me Down House says

    June 22, 2010 at 9:28 am

    This is a WONDERFUL idea! I’m loving it! I will definitely be saving this for a future project!

  2. Tara says

    July 17, 2010 at 12:46 pm

    I cannot seem to find gridded mat anywhere. The plastic canvas sold at craft stores does not look near big enough. Any suggestions?

    Rose, fine craft guild’s answer: I have found online suppliers and have added links to them in the article.

  3. sherry, BlueRidgeAlteredArt.etsy.com says

    August 3, 2010 at 5:22 am

    I love this idea. Would make for a very soft rug. Thanks for sharing the tutorial.

  4. Ann says

    August 4, 2010 at 4:16 pm

    This looks a bit like rug hook canvas. The grid squares look 1/2″ across? Love the way this rug came out, and after it is washed and dried a few times it will shed all those fibers and fluff up in a pretty way. I find this canvas at thrift stores with unfinished kits all the time. Your rug is cute and clever.

  5. Mandy's Yellow Corner says

    August 5, 2010 at 6:51 am

    This is awesome! What a great way to reuse old towels! Thanks for joining the linky party! :]

  6. Jen says

    February 27, 2011 at 1:35 pm

    Love this idea! I featured it on my blog today, please feel free to pop over and check it out!
    Jen

  7. audeo5 says

    March 29, 2011 at 1:09 pm

    This looks awesome! Do you think, that it would look good as a larger rug, say, for the front room? I’ve been dying for a store-bought rug like this. But I don’t want to pay the price! So grabbing a bunch of old towels or soft fabric to dye it to something similar like this. I just don’t know if this project would work for a larger rug.

  8. Mindy says

    March 29, 2011 at 1:55 pm

    I tried doing this over the summer, but after spend 4 hours and only having about 6 square inches done I put it down and haven’t picked it up since! How long did it take you?

  9. Fine Craft Guild says

    March 29, 2011 at 2:28 pm

    Sure it would! More work though!

  10. Lisa says

    April 26, 2011 at 5:25 pm

    The reason my towels are old towels is because they aren’t as soft as they used to be and kind of scratchy. So if you use scratchy towels won’t you get a scratchy rug?

  11. Amber @ barbwired says

    April 26, 2011 at 7:00 pm

    How fun! I love this idea!! Super creative!

    amber @ barbwired

  12. The Old Block House says

    April 26, 2011 at 9:06 pm

    What a wonderful idea! This would be great for using up scraps too.

    If you can’t find the mat, just ask someone that works there for the anit slip mat for underneath rugs. It’s usually found folded up in a plastic package hanging from a hook. Someone in the craft/fabric dept should be able to help you.

  13. Carleen says

    April 27, 2011 at 1:26 pm

    What a great idea. I want to try to make in the near future.

  14. Andrea says

    May 11, 2011 at 8:23 pm

    I love this idea and can’t wait to try it! Have you tried washing it? I’m curious how well it will hold up in the washer?

  15. Fine Craft Guild says

    May 12, 2011 at 2:24 pm

    I’d handwash this baby rather than put it in the washing machine. Simply because the towel strips are unfinished. However, one might try it out with a few towel strips tied together washed with a regular load to see how fussy it gets.

  16. Alyssa says

    May 14, 2011 at 12:54 pm

    I CANNOT FIND this matting you’re using. I was SO excited about doing this project…until I drove all over town trying to find this stuff. I’ve been to Hancock Fabrics, Joann Fabrics, Hobby Lobby…can’t FIND IT!!!! Please let me know where I can get it.

  17. Jean @ Quilted Cupcake says

    June 7, 2011 at 11:28 am

    Love this idea. The anti-slip mat is a great idea, as it keeps the rug from moving. i just found one at the Dollar Store. I’ve also seen them (for more $) at Kohls and Ikea.

  18. Mary Williams ~ 'a lit bit of ' says

    July 29, 2011 at 7:50 am

    This is such an awesome idea! I can’t wait to make one! I featured this on my friday favorites!

  19. Ashleigh Yarak says

    September 13, 2011 at 11:55 am

    I made one for my kids bathroom, and when I washed it it totally ruined it!!!! So frustrating after all the time I put into making it.

  20. MariaSewing says

    October 2, 2011 at 5:34 am

    I love the idea and I was actually thinking of making such a bath rug with cotton strips, but I do have some old (scratchy today) towels. I wonder about this though. The edges of the towel strips are unfinished and towel unravels a lot and non stop, what happens with all that mess? How did you deal with it?

  21. Laurie Cole says

    October 18, 2011 at 6:37 pm

    I love this idea. About how many bath towels does it take to make a rug that might be 3’x4′?

  22. krista says

    October 21, 2011 at 1:30 pm

    I can’t wait to try this one at my house!!

  23. Annika says

    November 1, 2011 at 6:25 pm

    Ya Ashleigh…that was my first thought…..wash-ability. I just can’t see how it would hold up. It looks fabulous, and think it totally looks like it’s worth the work. But certainly not, if it’s only good until it needs washing.

  24. Yvonne says

    November 5, 2011 at 10:19 am

    Great idea…so I am making one from ends of fabric..cotton. Canot find matting anywhere so I am using canvas and sewing it on. Will show it when I am finished.

  25. Kristi says

    November 6, 2011 at 5:45 pm

    I got the mat at walmart in the bathroom area..

  26. Karen Duncan says

    November 7, 2011 at 8:29 pm

    Would a latch hook work with this? Looks like a similar process.

  27. Merilee says

    November 17, 2011 at 10:20 pm

    This looks like Fun! Can’t wait to make one!

  28. Danielle, volleyballdrills.tv says

    November 23, 2011 at 7:27 am

    I think I used the wrong gridded mat. It’s an antislip but the holes are so small. I already cut several 3/4″x5″ strips and they look short and fat when I tied them in. So frustrated! How big should the holes be?

    I don’t want to give up but I also don’t want to keep going and have it look bad… Suggestions? Please help!

  29. Amanda says

    November 27, 2011 at 8:30 pm

    when you cut towels, they fray like crazy. im curious, how long was the rug “shedding” little towel bits?

  30. maggie RN says

    November 27, 2011 at 11:27 pm

    So cute! but don’t know if I have the patience.

    One place to recycle old towels is your local veterinarian’s office or the local animal shelter.
    While donating towels there I came home with my latest dog!! All in all a great trip

  31. Emile says

    December 8, 2011 at 8:03 pm

    Wow this is great! Thanks for sharing.

  32. mandy says

    December 23, 2011 at 8:08 pm

    can you give us an idea of about how many towels it would take to make this mat? I have two regular sized bath towels in my bathroom color that are getting a little ratty, I’d like to use. Do you think 2 would do it?

  33. Fine Craft Guild says

    January 2, 2012 at 3:52 am

    To Mandy: it takes 2 to 3 bath towels to make this bath mat.

  34. Tara Nelson says

    January 12, 2012 at 3:53 pm

    Im having a VERY hard time finding the mat! Ive driven all over called different yarn shoppes! HELP! Im having a Pinterest party on Saturday and this is the project we were ALL SO looking forward to! :(

  35. Jessica says

    January 13, 2012 at 6:48 am

    Don’t the little terry cloth loopy things come off after you cut the towel? In the video, when she cut her strips, you can see all the little loops all over the counter. Am I going to have to vacuum up towel fuzzies forever after making this?

  36. brittany says

    January 14, 2012 at 2:52 pm

    I’ve been wanting to make a rug for my daughters room, but wouldn’t wanna use towels, is there any other fabric that could be used?

  37. tonya says

    January 22, 2012 at 7:18 am

    Brittany – try using recycled t-shirts …I found this idea a while back and thought about doing it. I think it would be awesome!

  38. Fine Craft Guild says

    January 23, 2012 at 4:47 am

    Yes, you will have to vacuum this for a while. Different quality towels will fuzz less than others. For a new fuzzy-solution, simply make this rug in t-shirt yarn. It will be beautiful and easier to maintain. Actually, t-shirt yarn will make this into a rug suitable for other rooms as well, besides your bathroom, so it’s a great idea overall. Cut up those old t’s.

  39. Stacy says

    January 23, 2012 at 11:03 pm

    That looks like Fiberglass mesh used for drywall/tiling not an anti slip rug mat.

  40. Jamie says

    January 27, 2012 at 10:58 pm

    Joann’s sells a No Slip Rug Canvas… That should work… Didn’t read all of the other posts but had a heck of a time finding the mat too, so I just thought I’d share. I believe it’s with the latch hook supplies… Wish me luck and I wish you all the same. :-)

  41. Celeste K. says

    February 1, 2012 at 8:43 am

    I LOVE this, But what about washing it? Especially since it will be used in the bathroom. Is this washable? I would think all of the pieces of towel would come out.

  42. Kathy Roy says

    February 1, 2012 at 9:12 am

    Don’t really know if this is what you are looking for. This is my ragrug made 18 years ago. I hang mine on the wall and yes it sheds!!! It wasn’t a planned image just randomly added the 4 different colors and this is what came up when I finished it.. Not a bathmat at all.

    KathyR.

  43. Courtney says

    February 8, 2012 at 11:47 am

    Just another idea for all you crafty ladies…You can make flip flops like this too! I usually buy Old Navy flip flops and you just fabric and cut into strips and tie it onto the flip flops! Then leave the strips long or trim them up! They turn out super cute!! My daughter LOVES them! And you can use as many different colors or patterns as you want or do patterns with solid colors!!

    I can’t wait to try this out in a rug!

  44. Deanna, livingwithelephants.blogspot.com/ says

    March 9, 2012 at 1:35 pm

    I love this rug. Now I have to look for a latch hook canvas.

  45. Angel says

    March 13, 2012 at 6:47 pm

    Just tried this idea and depending on what type of towel you use, it sheads all over the place. So much so that I’m not sure there will be much of a rug left when I’m done….

  46. Dane Ruser says

    March 16, 2012 at 10:44 am

    I made a rug with leftover yarn. I did patches of different colors and created some pattern withing the patches. The end results looked like a quilt and lasted about 20 years before the backing started to give way.

  47. Rama says

    March 16, 2012 at 1:53 pm

    You spelled ‘floor’ with ‘flour’ for step two.

  48. JoHanna says

    March 16, 2012 at 4:06 pm

    I have to agree about the shedding. I really love this idea, but the shedding is maddening. Any suggestions?

  49. Colleen says

    March 31, 2012 at 12:32 pm

    Also should’ve stuck with one color, and the little bits and strings wouldn’t show up so much…

  50. Taryn says

    April 7, 2012 at 9:46 am

    I can’t wait to give my old towels some new life with this project! I shared it on a round up of ways to get new life out of closet discards.

  51. Susan says

    April 16, 2012 at 6:58 am

    For something different, cut up strips of Polar fleece. It doesn’\t fay, shed or unravel. It also washes up well. To keep the polar from pilling after years of washing, just hang it over the shower rod to dry after your washing machine spinner is done with it. It lasts for years, looks great and doesn’t have the issues that expensive terry toweling material does. I have one in each of my daughters’ rooms and they took them witht hem to college when they moved out, they loved them so much. 3’x5′, I used 1/2″ mesh and a rug hook I had from 20 years ago.

  52. Holly says

    April 23, 2012 at 7:58 pm

    Maybe cutting the towels with a pinking shears would eliminate the fuzzies and make the rug washable. Just a thought

  53. Glorie says

    May 24, 2012 at 9:28 am

    I love this rugs. I am homemade leader. I want to teach ladies to how make old towel rugs. I want to ask you questions about washing. I dont want be stuck if ladies ask me this questions. How can we wash the rug? I know that washing machine can ruin the rug.

  54. Amanda says

    May 31, 2012 at 6:08 am

    I believe the messiness issue can be cleared up by using cotton like old t-shirts and as far as washing I don’t know about you but after spending so much time making this I would not ever put it in a washer. Shake outside instead of vacuuming and hand wash and line dry for best results and longevity. Best of luck

  55. cassidy says

    June 2, 2012 at 8:01 pm

    This is sooo awesome! I too have to make this!!

  56. Anna Taylor says

    June 15, 2012 at 7:07 pm

    This is sooo cute but since i dont have old towels im gonna try it with old T’s….

  57. Renelle says

    August 23, 2012 at 5:07 pm

    If your local fabric store doesn’t carry the gridded mat, ask for Latch rug canvas. Also saw it on Amazon. Inexpensive and I’m having so much fun making my mat.

  58. Diane says

    October 19, 2012 at 10:47 pm

    If your all worried about the towels shedding all over the place…I think it would work great to use flannel

  59. Carol Mierley says

    November 3, 2012 at 6:33 pm

    I am now working on the mat. It is so messy and a lot of work. I just read you shouldn’t machine wash it. I was thinking of making a few for christmas gifts, but after working on this one, that won’t be happening. They are not going to hand wash them and would throw them in the washer and dryer. All my hard work would be ruined. So I guess I will keep it for myself.

  60. Fine Craft Guild says

    November 9, 2012 at 11:13 am

    Carol, READ the extra care instructions, as everything is set out there: https://www.finecraftguild.com/handmade-rugs/ I have responded to pretty much each issue ever mentioned about these rugs. How much they will shed is a function of the quality of the towels and where you make your cuts.

    Using textile-based yarn, such as recycled sheets, flannel, t-shirts, etc. might be the best route to take.

    As well, hang out your rug to dry after each use. Etc. It is all spelled out.

    :: Rose, happily creating a home

  61. Brittany says

    December 17, 2012 at 12:07 am

    I did this as a front door mat, but with old blue jeans (more durable) I used a non-slip rug mat that is found in the rug area (it sticks to the floor better plus you don’t have to tie the fabric) it will also help if you use wider dimensions mine was 1″x3″. Also know it is extremely time consuming, I thought that since I’ve done the yarn pillows sets fairly fast it would be a quick project(100% wrong)! It was fun & turned out cute though. Hope my advice helps, have fun crafting!

  62. Fine Craft Guild says

    December 17, 2012 at 3:54 am

    Brittany, I think an old blue jeans for this is a FANTASTIC IDEA. Do you have a beautiful photo we could feature?

  63. marsha says

    December 18, 2012 at 5:34 pm

    How do you wash it?

    Rose: responded by email. The answer is in this paragraph in the article:
    “If you are serious about making this rug, READ THE FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS AND CARE TIPS FOR THESE RECYCLED TOWEL BATHROOM RUGS.” Click the link : https://www.finecraftguild.com/handmade-rugs/

  64. Tara says

    May 22, 2013 at 8:49 pm

    So excited to try this! I need a special size rug for my rv bathroom & this will work wonderfully!!

  65. Angela says

    September 5, 2014 at 8:14 am

    Hi I found this and said wow gotta make this , so I found the matting at michaels and started cutting my towels and what a mess there is white stuff fr the towels everywhere very frustrating I think I’m going to have to do it outside or find old tshirts and try to make the rug out if that

  66. Fine Craft Guild says

    September 5, 2014 at 10:04 am

    Hi Angela, yes I know of it. Some towels are more fussy than others. It matters that you cut ‘in between’ the loops, if that’s possible. Personally, I prefer tshirt rugs as they are more washable also. Good luck!

  67. Lenora says

    December 30, 2014 at 7:43 am

    I made several rugs similar to this but used strips from old t-shirts and used a hook instead of the tie method. Much faster. I have a bunch of white t-shirts that I plan to dye in various shades of blue and make another rug sometime this summer. They’re great -No loose threads and no fuzz. Also easy to fluff up. Just take them outside and give them a shake. Washable too.

  68. EMarie says

    September 22, 2016 at 9:46 pm

    I could not watch the video. Says it’s not available in my country. I live in the U.S.

  69. Rose Fine Crafts says

    September 27, 2016 at 8:24 am

    Hi E`Marie. I just checked the video and it works just fine. Maybe you want to try it again. Perhaps it was a glitz….??!!

    Hey, other readers: do you have this problem also?

  70. Leslie Charron says

    March 19, 2018 at 10:40 am

    I love this idea, going to try wish me luck@!! Thanks for these great things to make. — just a Canadian girl

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