I’m always looking for ways to economize and make my skin routine work best for me. I tend to use a lot of liquid make-up removers, toners, and micellular waters in my quest for not-too-awful-looking-for-40 skin. Using all those items uses a LOT of single use cotton pads; 2-4 per day, an average of 20 per week. And each one just goes into the trash. I’m literally spending money on a product that becomes (avoidable) waste.

Avoidable. Without changing my skin care routine. Without going with different product formulations.

Solution: Washable Flannel Face Pads.

I’m familiar with reusable face cloth products. I have a few of the “just add water” make up remover in mini and full-size wipes. They honestly dry my skin out so I can’t use them every day. But I don’t use them for toners and thin liquid skin preparations that I use cotton pads for. I’ve seen a TON of reusable sewn ones on Etsy and Pinterest, and one of my blogger pals made some recently (who exactly made them…. I can’t remember- SORRY!).

After months of just not doing it, yesterday I had a child-free afternoon and made 44 of them! You see, I had been stuck on what materials to use. Flannel, old washcloths, french terry, quilting, a combination?? However, a stroke of genius hit me! I have a few dozen reusable baby wipes from when my kids were born. I never really used them when I was cloth diapering, but we do use them for wiping noses (when tissues are too ouchy), erasing dry erase boards, cleaning up small spills. Super useful, but I don’t NEED 3 dozen. I gathered 11 of cloth wipes (because the 12th of that pattern is somewhere else). They are WAAAAY too big for applying toners and make-up remover.

So I quartered them and used the double overlock stitch around the 2 unbound corners! Some of the wipes needed to be stitched on 3 sides because the original stitching has become unstable over time. The double over lock stitch uses A LOT of thread!

I’m excited about this project. I spent about 2.5 hours cutting and sewing the project. I took an item I had excess of and repurposed it to a size that is continuously useful. I some of my new cotton pads last night and this morning. They are a little more absorbent with product than the single use pads, but they are just as effective! I’ll still use disposable cotton pads for nail polish removal, but I only wear nail polish a couple times a year- it won’t be a big waste generator for me.