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Why You Should Keep Your Used Dryer Sheets

Shifrah Combiths
Shifrah Combiths
With five children, Shifrah is learning a thing or two about how to keep a fairly organized and pretty clean house with a grateful heart in a way that leaves plenty of time for the people who matter most. Shifrah grew up in San Francisco, but has come to appreciate smaller town life in Tallahassee, Florida, which she now calls home. She's been writing professionally for twenty years and she loves lifestyle photography, memory keeping, gardening, reading, and going to the beach with her husband and children.
published Jan 10, 2018
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If you use dryer sheets to keep your clothes lovely-smelling and static-free, don’t throw them away. Put a basket in the laundry room to hold your used dryer sheets and reach for them to make any of the following household tasks easier (and much more pleasantly scented).

Around the House

  • Wipe one over your clothes or furniture to help remove pet hair.
  • Run them over your baseboards and other molding to lift dust and help repel it.
  • Keep window blinds clean longer by wiping them down with a used dryer sheet to repel dust and lint.
  • Wipe ceiling fan blades with used dryer sheets.
  • Remove soot from candle holders with a light scrub from a used dryer sheet.

For the Laundry

  • Stuff two in any pair of stinky shoes to help freshen them up.
  • Clean a gunky iron by rubbing a used dryer sheet over it.
  • Wipe down the inside of your dryer and the lint tray with a used dryer sheet to help pick up stubborn dust and lint.
  • Remove deodorant marks on clothes by lightly rubbing with a used dryer sheet.
  • Tuck a few used dryer sheets in your dresser drawers for a nice, light scent.
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In the Office

  • Wipe and dust the television or computer screen. Dryer sheets’ anti-static properties help repel dust and lint.
  • Freshen a musty book by putting it into a large plastic baggie with a used dryer sheet or fold a piece or two within the pages of the book itself.
  • Wipe dull scissor blades with a used dryer sheet to sharpen them and get clean cuts again.

In the Bathroom

  • Wet a used dryer sheet with a few drops of water and wipe it on bathroom surfaces (faucet, shower doors, etc.) to remove soap scum and residue.
  • Help remove glitter nail polish by soaking a used dryer sheet in nail polish remover.
  • Eliminate hat head and flyaways by running a used dryer sheet on hair.
  • Scrub toilet rings with used dryer sheets.
  • Polish eyeglass lenses with a used dryer sheet (don’t use on plastic lenses).
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In the Kitchen

  • Clean up dry spills (like flour in the kitchen or sawdust in the garage) with a used dryer sheet. The tiny particles will stick better to a clingy dryer sheet than to a rag or paper towel.
  • Wet a dryer sheet and use it to clean stubborn food off cookware.
  • Toss a used dryer sheet into a sheet pan that’s soaking to help loosen cooked-on food.
  • Help keep garbage can odors at bay by tossing used dryer sheets in there (rather than, say, the laundry room trash can).

In the Yard

  • Put a used dryer sheet in the bottom of a planter or pot to keep soil from falling out of the drainage hole.
  • Stuff used dryer sheets into toilet paper rolls to use as a fire starter for camping or a backyard bonfire.
  • Wet the used dryer sheet and use it to scrub bugs from the front of your car.
  • Dust your car’s console and dashboard with used dryer sheets.
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