Flat sheets make excellent tablecloths, especially for outdoor tables where the colour options are broader and your patterns are more interesting. And it's pretty easy to cover any old marks and stains with a vase or bowl.
Sheets in good condition can be donated to op shops, people shelters or some animal shelters to be passed on to those in need.
Charities like Friends With Dignity welcome donations of towels, sheets, linen, doona insets, and pillows for the men, women and children who have been displaced by domestic violence in their care. Sheridan has a recycling program and takes in any brand of sheets, quilt covers or towels, which are sent over to their partnering factories to be made into recycled yarn and repurposed into new products. Sheets in damaged condition can be used by you as cleaning cloths or donated to some op shops that are able to convert the material into industrial rags. Not all op shops take damaged sheets, so check before you attempt to donate. To find Sheets recyclers near you, put your location into the Recycle Location search box, check Home > Sheets and see who is around.
For sheets to be given to a charity or animal shelter they have to be cleaned beforehand. Lots of bacteria and dead skin cells can reside in bed sheets, so it is important for sanitary reasons that all bed sheets are thoroughly washed before being donated. As a large amount of donated sheets will go to animals and people in need, who may be in vulnerable health conditions, it is important that the sheets are clean.
Washing your sheets at a high temperature generally 60 degrees celsius and above can help kill bacteria in your bed sheets. While it isn't exactly sustainable to always wash your sheets at this temperature, before donating to those in need, it is a good idea.