Craft Gossip

Independent craft blog since 2007

24 “Other” things to do with a ShamWOW cloth

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We know by now you have all seen the Shamwow infomercials and more than likely you have bought your very own pack of shamwows or if you are a little thrifty – some generic imported brand from a discount store. We all know Shamwow’s can soak up a glass of red wine, a bowl of Coca Cola and even soak up dog urine in one quick press, press, press. But have you ever thought about what else your Shamwow is good for? We have found a bunch of projects that upcycle this very absorbent German technology designed cloth and turned it into fun craft projects.

1.  Reusable Sanitary Pad (*Tutorial here)

2. Breast Nursing Pads (*Free Tutorial Here)

3. Diaper Inserts for cloth Nappies

4. Shoe insert for sweaty bettys

5. Coaster

6. Fashionable Sweat band (Free tutorial here)

7. Lining for water bottle bag to absorb condensation.

8. Pet towel mitt. (Free Tutorial Here)

9. Kids bath toy soap mitt (Turtle Pattern Here)

11. Cleaning mitt for dusting or Car Washing. (Tutorial Here)

12. Sew a beach bag you can dry yourself with (Suitable Tutorial Here)

13. Wrist band made from scraps. ( Free Tutorial here)

14. Absorbent Place mat (Elephant Pattern Here)

15. Kid’s mop up Sponge. (Lizard Pattern Here)

16. Bath mat, braid into a mat (Rag rugs here)

17. Inner hat band for summer hat.

18. Fridge mop up place a piece on the bottom shelf and in the door shelves.

19. Baby mattress protector

20.Chair arm protector

21. Inside a pillow case to absorb sleepers drool.

22. Make reusable Baby wipes (Recipe Here)

23. Make a Baby bib

24. Make an Absorbent Apron (*Free Pattern Here)

*Note some tutorials require you to substitute the material for the shamwow we have provided them as basic patterns for you to use as a guide.

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Have you read?

Book Review: The Festival of Lights

As if Diwali weren’t colorful and fun enough, The Festival of Lights: A Lift-the-flap Diwali Celebration by Namita Moolani Mehra, illustrated by Darshika Varm, makes it even more fun to read about with flaps and things to lift and pull to see more information or details in the illustrations. 

The book is a story about a family getting ready for Diwali and what happens on the different days of the five-day celebration. There’s cleaning, shopping, crafting, food preparation and getting the home altar ready for the big day. 

It covers decorating the outside of the house with rangoli, diyas and lanterns, buying sweets to share with family and friends, the sights and scents of the mandir (home temple), getting dressed up in new fancy clothes, the story of Diwali and celebrations with relatives.  

Flaps (there are more than 140 in all) give you vocabulary words for different foods and definitions, as well as fun things like what’s inside the shopping basket or where the cat is hanging out. They also help illuminate the story of Diwali, which is the triumph of good over evil as Lord Ram defeated the demon Ravana to save his wife, Sita. 

This pretty and colorful book helps kids understand what Diwali is and how it is celebrated, regardless of whether they practice it at home. This would be a nice book to keep in a classroom (it’s rated for kids ages 3-7) or to have at home to teach kids about Diwali even if it’s not something you celebrate. Where I live there are a lot of people from India so we are probably exposed to Diwali more than some other regions of America, but it’s a nice holiday to know about wherever you live. 

Combine with the book Diwali and check out some fun lantern crafts and printables for kids to round out your experience. 

About the book: 24 pages, hardcover, published 2025 by Wide Eyed Editions. Suggested retail prices $22.99.