Old, used up yoga mats usually end up headed for the landfill.

With a little innovation, however, they can be repurposed into something useful! Here are some suggestions.

Cut them into bright stair treads for the way down to the basement or up to the kids’ rooms.
Use them in the garden to block weeds as you cultivate and reclaim new beds.
Use them under furniture to keep it from scratching the floor or sliding around.
Use them as drawer liners.
Use one as a doorstop.
Line kitchen shelves.
Or line the shelves in your workshop.
Put a cut piece under the dog bowl.
Use them under paper as puppy pads when training your new puppy.
Line the bottom of your trash can.
Put them under throw rugs or carpet runners so they don’t slip.
Cut out a foot bed and use it as an insole liner of your shoes for extra cushioning.
Put a piece under your drain tray.
Use to stop the drain in the bathtub or sink.
Put them under planters to absorb overflow water.
Line your bookshelves to keep the books from sliding off a half-filled row.
Put the whole mat down in the bathtub to keep you from slipping in the shower.
Use in your potting shed for easy cleanup and to keep potting soil from going to waste: Just scoop up the whole mat and dump the spilled soil back in the bag.
Use as a crop cover on frost warning nights.
Use as a portable baby-changing table.
Cut them into floor mats for the car.
Use as a ground cloth for camping — under your tent or under your sleeping bag
Use as a picnic blanket

Yoga mats are a great protection against a hard surface and have many other cool uses beyond that.

Repurposed, there are dozens of practical, alternative uses you can employ that will let you avoid throwing them out.

One use not mentioned here is to use the mat as protection from the floor when working under a vehicle.

To see more tips for using worn out yoga maps, please visit MNN.