5 Simple Ways How to Reuse Old Rubber Slippers or Flip-Flops

Rubber slippers of flip-flops are the most popular everyday footwear. We love to be comfortable when we're at home. But every family always exerts effort to maintain their carpets and floors clean by changing your shoes or sandals to slippers when you get home. Then, when these slippers wear out, or one pair becomes lost, it might only end up on a garbage pile.

We love to wear rubber slippers when we're at home mostly when we play outside and sometimes, we buy new ones even our old slippers still works perfectly fine. Rubber slippers are not that expensive that's why we even have two or three pairs at home per person.

But when these get old and you're done using it, where do you put your old slippers? Trash bins? Or do you burn them?

Do you know that when you burn rubber slippers, it emits dangerous chemicals that are harmful to our ozone layer and environment? They are also considered carcinogenic and can damage our internal organs and skin when exposed to it because they contain harsh chemicals from manufacturing.

The types of chemicals used in manufacturing rubber include vulcanizing agents, rubber accelerators, reinforcing agents, pigments, retarders, activators, fillers and antidegradants.

So we have to be careful when disposing them especially burning these rubber slippers because we are endangering our family's lives as well as the environment.

We must always choose to reuse first since these things are not degradable and can also consume half our landfills.

Rather than pitching your old slippers to trash or burning them, why not make the most out of it? There are some cool and creative ways how reuse them and still save money.

In rural areas like ours, the need for rubber slippers is high especially for those poor families who cannot afford shoes for their children. They even wear rubber slippers to school. So the wear and tear might not take so long or some might get lost during playtime.

Here are 5 simple ways on how we could reuse rubber slippers.

1. Wheels for homemade wooden toy cars

Yes, you can definitely do that! Cut the slippers in circles and drill a hole on the middle for your home-made wooden toy cars.

My sister loves toy cars to play when she was still small. Being an older sibling, I have to create something hand-made for us not to buy expensive plastic toys. We really don't have enough budget way back for something we do not really need.

So I used to reuse and recycle anything. For just a few strings and sticks, small nails found around the house and small cardboard box or plywood plus the rubber wheel, you can now create one unique toy car.

And what's good about home-made toys is that, you are teaching your kids or siblings the creativity to mold one used item into something new.

2. Door hinge for small backyard houses

Aside from reusing old tires for a simple door hinge, you can also try to use rubber slippers.

When you build a small covered housing for your things to be left outside like a box of glass jars, stones, bird feeds or firewood, instead of buying stainless door hinge, opt for rubber slippers instead.

We also used to have a backyard garden in our home and we also circled it with a wooden fence. Then we used square-cut rubber slippers as hinge for the mini-gate.

3. Cut them apart and use the pieces to protect the floor

In order to protect our tile or wooden floors, we used to put something underneath the furniture. Rubber soles of these slippers are a very good protector.

You cut them apart to fit the legs of furniture and you don't have to worry for scratches.

4. New play toys for your pet dogs

Worn-in and old slippers are canine favorites. You can give these used rubber slippers for them to play and chew with.

5. Traditional insect and cockroach killer

Some people like to store one slipper on their cabinets or bathroom to kill crawling insects and cockroaches. Well, who could blame them especially on those wet and near garbage site areas. Some could not afford to buy insect killer that's why they only rely to these rubber slippers.

Please always remember to wash the rubber slippers first before reusing it to avoid allergies or any viruses and germs that may be present on those old things. When correctly used, old rubber slippers can be a great help around the house.

This content reflects the personal opinions of the author. It is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and should not be substituted for impartial fact or advice in legal, political, or personal matters.