I love the smell of fresh laundry. More often than not I find myself sniffing warm towels rather than folding them. Seriously, they should bottle that smell and I would wear it every day! I never would have guessed those wonderful little dryer sheets had so much more to offer than making my laundry smell amazing and keeping it static free. Now, rather than idly throwing those dryer sheets in the trash, I am finding great ways to reuse them.
Check out 10 Ways to Reuse your Dryer Sheets in your home.
1. Cleaning chrome: Used dryer sheets do a fantastic job of cleaning and polishing chrome fixtures. They can be used for the kitchen and bathroom faucets and even shine up the chrome on your car.
2. Cheaper Swiffer Sweeper sheets: Use them on your Swiffer sweeper! They will pick up dirt, hair and dust off the floor just as effectively as the Swiffer sweeper sheets do but a whole lot cheaper. You may want to use more than one dryer sheet—especially if you are cutting them in half.
3. Removing deodorant from clothes: Dryer sheets make it easy to remove deodorant dust off your clothes by lightly wiping the dryer sheet over the deodorant residue. It will pick it right up!
4. Taking off old nail polish: When you are ready to take off your DIY Manicure and Pedicure use these dryer sheets with nail polish remover for a quick and easy way to wipe off your nail polish. The sheets are just abrasive enough to gently scrub it off without leaving any strands of cotton on your nails.
5. Making a fire starter: Dryer sheets combined with dryer lint make excellent fire starters. The easiest way is to put them in an old toilet paper roll and fold the ends inward so the contents are trapped inside. It’s an instant fire starter. Use it in your fireplace or save it for your next camping trip!
6. Dusting: The anti-static properties in a dryer sheet are amazing. The dust and other particles that live on your baseboards are wiped away and the dryer sheets help to repel dust for the future. This works like a dream for window blinds, too.
7. Cleaning Cookware: Soak dirty pots with a dryer sheet and warm water overnight. The dryer sheet will loosen the blackened food particles on the dish. Make sure you thoroughly rinse the cookware after you have cleaned it.
8. Sewing: Use a dryer sheet to wipe down the thread and needle to keep it from getting tied into knots as you are sewing.
9. Cleaning Paint Brushes: Place your used paintbrushes into a container with warm water and a dryer sheet. Latex paint comes off the brushes within minutes!
10. Removing Soap Scum: Dryer sheets are a great tool to clean soap scum off glass shower doors, bathroom tile or ceramic sinks. With a little bit of water on the dryer sheet you should be able to easily rub away all that soap scum with minimal effort.
Do you have any unique ways to reuse your old dryer sheets?
I put them in my drawers with my clothes to keep them fresh!
Carrie, I love getting your emails with all your great tips! Thanks!! We re-use dryer sheets on our cross country skis: after waxing, scraping, and brushing we wipe any remaining wax dust off with a dryer sheet. We also stuff them in our ski boots. Keeps them fresh!
Karrie,
A wet dryer sheet works fantastic to remove bugs from your car – perfect after a summer road trip!!
Hey Karrie,
I have very long hair, and I live in a very dry desert. When the static in the air gives my hair annoying ‘flyaways’, I spear a dryer sheet onto the teeth of a wide-toothed comb. After I run it through my hair, it’s calm & has a nice, fresh scent. Feels better than coating it with tons of hair spray !
Great idea!
Carrie, I so enjoy getting your ideas of living frugal. Do no harm, and leave as few footprints as possible. Carol
Those are great ideas, but and even better idea is to not use dryer sheets at all. Instead, pour 1/4 cup of vinegar in your washing machine. This gets rid of the need for fabric softeners or dryer sheets. Save money and be kind to the environment!
I put fabric softener in a spray bottle with a little water. I Spray the softener on the used dryer sheets or a wash cloth. Toss in the dryer and use again.
I use dryer sheets to appliqué. Sew the used dryer sheet on to the right side of the fabric you are going to appliqué then cut a small hole in the dryer sheet, turn fabric to the right side.
Great idea!
Used dryer sheets can be used to clean mirrors. Keeps them dust freeď
Great tip, Flo!
Throw a used dryer sheet in your stored luggage pieces. Next time you unzip to pack: a great fresh scent- no more musty luggage! http://www.ABBAapothecary.com
I put them in my air filter in my house, they leave a fresh scent whenever it kicks on (especially good for a smokers home as well).
You just change your air filter and before putting the cover back on stick a couple of new dryer sheets on top and close it up as usual. Do this about every ten days and you’ll have a nice fresh scent throughout your house or apartment.
No more stinky hockey equipment! Tuck dryer sheets into skates and gloves after every game and you’ll never have to banish a funky hockey bag to the garage again.
Hi, whenever you bring home bags of fertilizer in your trunk or pickup bed that is closed in, throw some dryer sheets in there and let set overnight and the smell goes away quickly. Can do the same thing in closets for a fresh smell.