No joke. We received this the other day in our mailbox and had to share. While our used dryer sheets have often, unexpectedly, freshened our garbage can, we thought that was the extent of their usefulness. Looks like we were wrong. Here are 20 other ways they can be put to good use, after they've taken a spin through your dryer cycle...
20 Household Uses for Used (Yes, Used) Dryer Sheets
1. Use it to dust your television screen. The anti-static chemicals in a dryer sheet will help to repel dust and lint.
2. Use old dryer sheets to easily wipe up talcum powder, flour, and other messes of this type.
3. Used sheets usually have enough fragrance in them to freshen up other areas in your home. Stuff them in tennis shoes, place them in closets, in laundry hampers and in pieces of luggage -- anywhere your house needs a little "refreshment."
4. Run a sheet over a piece of thread when you're doing sewing tasks. The thread won't tangle up as easy.
5. Have pet hair on your clothing? Simply wipe it off with a used dryer sheet! Also works great on cloth furniture too!
6. Keep dust and other contaminants off your glass computer screen by carefully wiping it with an old sheet.
7. Did you purchase some old, musty books at a garage sale or thrift shop? Make them smell good again! Simply place the books in a sealed plastic bag with a used dryer sheet. Allow the bag to sit undisturbed for a day or two, then remove the contents. The musty smell will be gone!
8. Got a problem with mice? Find where they are entering your house and stuff the hole shut with a used sheet. Mice won't chew through the smelly material.
9. Place a used dryer sheet in the bag of your vacuum. Sweep your house, and, once you're done, the air will smell as fresh as your clothes do.
10. These wonders of the 70's are also said to repel mosquitoes as well as other annoying, flying insects. Don't rub it on you. Instead, stick a used sheet in your belt loop.
11. You can use dryer sheets to clean and polish the chrome on your vehicles.
12. Is there a build-up of soap scum on your glass shower door? Simply use an old dryer sheet to eliminate the mess.
13. Is the interior of your car or truck smelling a little stale? Forget the pine tree on a string! Place a few used dryer sheets under the seats of your vehicle instead!
14. Use sheets to clean and polish the glass lens of your eye glasses. They're not recommended for plastic lens, though!
15. Is your hair dry and full of static electricity? Gently wipe a used dryer sheet over your head to get rid of it.
16. Dryer sheets make great dusting cloths for your wooden furniture.
17. Help keep dust and other contaminants out of your house. Simply place a used sheet inside every furnace/AC register in your house. Make sure it covers the openings and replace once they are dirty.
18. Keep your window blinds clean longer by wiping them periodically with used dryer sheets. The anti-static properties of the product will actually help to repel dust and dirt.
19. Are your scissors not cutting as smooth as they should? Wipe the blades clean with a used dryer sheet to remedy this problem.
20. Used dryer sheets make great little cloths for quick shine ups in the bathroom and kitchen too. Just use one on each of your chrome faucets and see how brightly they shine!
RELATED LINKS:
- 27 Household Uses for Citrus Fruit
- 20 Best Household Uses for Velcro
- Best Uses for Cork Trivets
- 5 Best Household Uses for Vaseline
- The 12 Best Household Uses for Vodka (Not Including Martinis)
[Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Orange County Register]
Comments (30)
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I find it hard to believe number 5.
view spossberg's profile
Or number 10.
view spaceagemouse's profile
Wow. That's a lot of stuff. But, I'm pretty sure I will not be trying any of them.
view PlanItGirl's profile
why use dyer sheets in the first place? they smell gross and are just more landfill.
view TheoJ's profile
we save our dryer lint and sheets for camping to start fires. We've got a big bag going in the laundry room. I'm excited.
view revolution9's profile
Good idea, rev9!
view Molly Margarita's profile
i'm definitely going to try #7
view ponyinarope's profile
ah the mystery of dryer sheets! What chemicals make them smell so? They were great stuck to the back of a small fan in a stinky college apartment, but since my former roommie moved in another city, I don't feel the need to use them for anything-- including laundry.
view raven's profile
#5 is true I use them all the time because I have to cats and at times there so much fur I could build another cat.
Also place the sheets on the back of a fan and the sweet smell will cover a room. Don't forget vents as well.
view Sara48's profile
Sorry i didnt see raven's post
view Sara48's profile
i think this list is super and i'ma try each one. yes, i use dryer sheets and usually i leave the used ones in drawers and stuff, but i like some of these other ideas.
view kdkaboom's profile
Thanks! I'll definately be trying some of these.
view Jon-D's profile
I used to let my dog grab them out of my just-dried clothing pile. She would hold them between her paws, and tear them apart with her teeth, leaving pieces all over the place.
She's old and doesn't care anymore, but she used to be so strangely fascinated by used-up dryer sheets, and it was so much fun for her.
view NancyInLA's profile
I had used it for #10 when my daughter was a baby we put a couple under her seat and it worked really well. Great stuff thanks for putting this up.
view sugarm0mma's profile
Thanks for #15! I'm wiping down my head right now! :)
view BonivaGScott's profile
Who actually uses dryer sheets? They smell terrible.
view Palmetto's profile
....and they're full of chemicals. I wouldn't burn them for that very reason. Why are they needed at all? I don't want to smell my clothes anyways....except if they're line dried and have that delicious line dried smell...
view mskk's profile
mskk, I need them because I live in a bone dry climate that absolutely crackles with static electricity all winter, and without them my hair would stand on end when I get dressed every morning. Also, it's the only way to keep bunny hair off my favorite black pants.
view kelseylynn's profile
is this an april fools joke?
and while we're on the subject - has anyone ever come across dryer sheets that don't smell? i am allergic to the weird smell they emit.
view Joan in SB's profile
fragrance free dryer sheets: http://www.methodhome.com/products.php?cat=type&type=laundry&prod=dryer_cloths&name=dryercloth_naked
view vertigo's profile
Quilters also use them for foundation piecing. They work great. They're just about indestructable.
view rose's profile
much to the horror of "green" people, i LOVE fabric softener and dryer sheets. I'd bathe in Gain original scent fabric softener, if I could. Im going to buy some dryer sheets for my stale smelling car.
view chusmabilly's profile
Trader Joe's makes all natural lavender dryer sachets. You can re-use them up to 3 times, and when you're done, stick them in your clothes drawer.
view Miriam's profile
I tried the Trader Joe lavender sachets once and it exploded in the dryer. I cleaned up the mess as best as I could but I don't think the other folks who share the laundry room were very pleased to find lavender bits in their clothes. I'll admit that everything did smell good...
Anyone know if the Method dryer sheets are "greener" than standard dryer sheets?
view snacktime's profile
I use them instead of the filters that go in the hood of the kitty litter box, they are WAY cheaper, and smell better too!
view circusheather's profile
Wasn't this dryer sheet list in Real Simple recently??
view shalg's profile
but them in smelly shoes - it works wonders
view sanchezperrier's profile
Someone told me recently that you can use them when washing dishes to get grease and such off of pans. Any one know if there's any truth to that?
view GinaAnn9's profile
Personally, I use them because otherwise my clothes morph into a huge ball of static electricity and stiff/scratchy from our crappy hard water.
I dunno. Some dryer sheets smell good to me anyway.
view jyw's profile
I need dryer sheets for pet hair but like some of you I can't stand how they smell. Thanks for the method and trader joe's suggestions, miriam and vertigo! I suspect I'll be using a lot less paper towels when (1) I can use old dryer sheets instead for a number of things, (2) my cleaning cloths are less linty, since I'm using dryer sheets again!
view deidrel's profile