When To Throw Your Tights Away

Tossing clothing into the trash can be an emotional thing, I get it. It’s hard to know when to throw tights away versus when to try to somehow salvage them. If you want to learn when there’s still hope for your favorite pair or if it’s time to toss your winter closet staple, look no further. I've got answers for you.

Before I start talking about how to salvage tights, the hard truths of when it's time to toss them must be faced. If you have one of those gnarly snags from a toe nail accidentally catching as you were putting them on, it's all over. I've also let pairs go because the period stain struggle was just too real, and no amount of detergent was going to change that.

Just because your tights are in good condition doesn't mean you should hold onto them either. If you're keeping them because they were say, a gift from your aunt but you'd never ever wear them, pass them on to someone who will. Also, if your tights are too stretched out from years of wear, it's time to let them go. They will not bounce back. Toss them out! When a piece of your clothing doesn't bring you joy, letting it go feels liberating!

As for when you can still try to save your tights, there are a handful of ways that you can extend the life of your hosiery. Here are five simple hacks for salvaging your panty hose.

1. Clear Nail Polish

Dancing masters and tights extraordinaires, The Rockettes claim "dabbing the snag with clear nail polish won’t repair the run, but it will stop it from getting bigger." Add extra reinforcement with hairspray!

2. Needle And Thread

The Rockettes made clear this strategy will only fix nylon or lycra but, if that's what your tights are made of, you're in luck. To fix the hole, they suggest "find a matching thread and move around the hole like a clock, stitching first from 12 to 6, then 1 to 7, etc." This sewing strategy prevents any weird tugs.

3. Tape Or Sharpie For Black

If you have no time to get other black tights and the hole is small, the Rockettes suggest "coloring over the exposed skin with a Sharpie." Probably not the wisest strategy for regular use but, heck, it would work!

4. Stick Them In The Freezer

If your tights are still in somewhat good condition, stick them into the freezer! According to The Savings Experiment, freezing your tights can actually strengthen the fibers in your tights. Whodathunk?

5. Rip Them Up

On your way out and notice a hole? Why not embrace the grunge look with fully ripped tights. The '90s are back, after all! The ripped tights trend is also an eco-friendly way to extend the life of your holey tights while adding edge to your outfit.

Image Credit: Beryl Chan, kimberlyac, Andrew Magill, A.Q. Mckenzie/Flickr