I use polyster batting all the time and i never had a problem with it nor my neeldles.

I read somewhere you can use old dry coffee grounds. I havent tried it. I will be watching, because I was wondering about this also. Iva

Hi, I use polyester batting the most time and never had any problems with the needles. The oldest one is more than 40 years old.
Now sometimes I use sheep wool.

I have found a quick and cheap way. I used one of them foam sponges just cut away the scrubby part and wa la you got a pin cushion.works great.

Hi I use coffee grounds (smells great) or fine sand like beach sand. Works great! You can also purchase a fill that sharpens your needles at the same time. Unfortunatly I don't remember who sells it at the moment. If I remember I will let you know maybe someone out there remembers where to get it. Suzanne

I used rice. So far so good!! It is part of a thread catcher for my sewing area and it has a nice weight to it. Good luck!*

Hi there, I have used some light steel wool, the one that you scrub your pots with, and this sharpens the pins nicely.
There is nothing worse than poliester or things like nylon, etc. to cause pins, needles, and even your scissors to go blunt quickly.
Hope this helps a little
Hugs and God bless
Marietta