Keep or get rid of carpet and linoleum remnants?

[CathyA]

We had a bathroom and 2 bedrooms recarpeted about 16 years ago and I still have the remnants rolled up in a closet. I've kept them in case we needed a patch or 2. But I'm doing a big clean out and wonder if this is just unneeded stuff to keep around. I know as soon as I give it away, we're tear a carpet.........haha

I guess Goodwill doesn't take them. And I've read that Habitat for Humanity doesn't take anything less than 10'x10'.

I'm tempted to just put them at the end of the lane with a "free" sign on them.
Am I tempting fate by getting rid of this stuff? We've used a carpet patch in our living room, which really came in handy. I'm not sure its worth keeping this stuff though.

I also read that libraries might take the carpet, for kids' story time, to sit on.

Any other ideas?
Should I keep it? Get rid of it?

[Selah]

Get rid of it. After 16 years, the unused carpet may not even match the used carpet, due to wear and tear and fading.

[SteveinMN]

Maybe keep one or two square feet and call it good. If you have to patch more than that in a small area, you can decide to take it from under the bed or remove/replace the carpet. Ditto for linoleum (which probably is sheet vinyl; lino is fairly rare these days). For the sheet goods, you might want to keep enough to maintain any pattern match you have.

We've got a remnant of the vinyl kitchen floor in the basement as well as the remainders of the broken boxes from the modular carpet (tile) we used elsewhere in the house. We have the room and it doesn't eat bread. So it stays for just such emergencies. ;)

[Gardenarian]

I use carpet remnants for a lot of things.
They work better than most doormats for cleaning mucky shoes. I hose them down and let them dry out.
When they get really bad I use them in the garden. They make a great weed barrier. My paths are mostly strips of carpet covered with wood chips.
I also use carpet remnant on our deck for our dogs to lie on.
I have a piece of carpet in the back of my car (station wagon) so when I'm carrying messy stuff it doesn't mess up the car.

You can use sheet vinyl to make pretty floor "cloths" (http://designamour.com/2012/01/10/floorcloth-fancy/). These instructions are fancy - basically, you just paint your design on the BACK side of the vinyl with latex paint and give it a couple coats of polyurethane.

Or, put a FREE sign on it :-)

[Blackdog Lin]

I'm guessing that after 16 years you are more likely to need to re-carpet again than you are to need those remnants. Let them go. :) Recycle them ala Gardenarian's suggestions, or put them out with a free sign on the curb.

[Tiam]

Personally, I'd freecycle or craigslist it. Artists and school are pretty creative.

[CathyA]

Thanks everyone. Good suggestions!