Creative Uses for Dryer Sheets

Slide 1Overview
Choosing the best washer and dryer sets, using the best laundry detergents, and tossing a dryer sheet or a few dryer balls into the machine can make a huge difference in the quality of your laundry. But if the only time you reach for a dryer sheet is when you’re doing the laundry, you’re missing out. Sure, this laundry essential can leave your clothes soft, static-free, and sweet-smelling, but that’s not all. What do dryer sheets do outside the laundry room? More than you might imagine. There are tons of creative ways to use dryer sheets around the home and in your day-to-day life. From a makeshift eyeglass cleaner to a gym bag deodorizer, these genius uses for dryer sheets will make you view this laundry tool in a whole new way.
Removing Soap Scum
The next time you notice a bit of buildup on your shower door or bathroom tiles, skip the heavy- duty spray bleach and reach for a dryer sheet instead. Wet it lightly under the faucet, and the rest is elbow grease.
Loosening Food
Residue
A well-worn baking sheet tends to give away its age. To remove stuck-on food residue and dark spots, place a dryer sheet in the middle of the pan, add warm water and a generous squeeze of dish soap, and let it soak. After an hour has passed, remove the dryer sheet, drain the water and simply wipe away the stains with a sponge.
Picking Up Pet Hair
When it comes to stubborn pet hair on your sofa and clothing, cheap lint rollers just don't cut it. Save yourself some aggravation (and cash) and dip into your dryer sheet stash instead. Rubbing a fresh sheet against your clothes and upholstered furniture does the trick every time.
Making Your Screen
Shine
Since television and computer screens are electrically charged, they tend to attract dust particles. Lucky for us, dryer sheets are designed to reduce static cling—meaning they remove the dust and prevent it from resettling.
Wiping Down Your
Bumper
You may think your car needs a top-to-bottom hose-down, but before you rush off to the car wash, try this quick home remedy: Dampen a fresh or used dryer sheet and run it along your windshield and bumper. The dead bugs and dirt will disappear.
Lifting Melted Wax
Off Hard Surfaces
Give an old candlestick new life by placing it in a sink or bucket with hot water and a dryer sheet. After an hour's soak, use the dryer sheet to wipe away even decades-old wax with ease.
Removing Deodorant
Marks
That shirt you wore to brunch last weekend still has one more wear in it before it's ready for the hamper, so don't let those telltale deodorant streaks give away your secret. Grab an unscented dryer sheet—you won't even need to wet it— and gently dab at the smudge until it's gone.
Keeping the Creepy-
Crawlies Away
Before mosquitoes put the kibosh on your cookout, try tucking a dryer sheet or two into your pocket. Outdoor enthusiasts swear the bugs can't stand the scent.
Sharpening Your
Scissors
As if by magic, carefully running a dryer sheet against a dull blade will restore some of its sharpness. Although it isn't a permanent solution, you'll get enough of an edge back to carry on with that weekend craft project you've been eager to start.
Taming of the Do
As if this humble hero of the laundry room didn't already have plenty to do, there's yet another hidden use for the dryer sheet: taming flyaways. Just run one from root to tip and you'll soon be winning the war on frizz and static.
Deodorize your
bathroom
Placing a dryer sheet in the cardboard part of your toilet paper roll is a sneaky way to add extra freshness to your bathroom. After all, every time someone spins the toilet paper roll, a nice smell is released into the air.
Remove soap scum
buildup
It’s never a good feeling to see soap scum gathering in the shower. Thankfully, dryer sheets can come to the rescue. Wet a dryer sheet and then use it to wipe away the soap scum.
Deodorize old books
Not everyone is a fan of that old-book smell, and even the most beloved books need a good cleaning every once in a while. To rid your books of musty odors, brush them lightly with a dryer sheet.
Line your garbage can
to rid it of smells
If your garbage can is carrying a lingering scent, lining it with dryer sheets will help. The sheets will absorb odors and leaks and keep the can as clean as possible.
Freshen up your gym
bag
Even the tidiest gym equipment needs to be sanitized now and again. Putting dryer sheets in your gym bags will absorb foul odors and keep your bag (and your workout gear) smelling garden fresh.
Clean spilled flour
You know the saying: Don’t cry over spilled flour. Er, maybe that’s not the exact phrase, but it should be—dryer sheets can easily clean flour accidents and other dry spills because flour sticks to the sheets.
Make your hair less
staticky
Wearing a hat on a crisp day is like playing Russian roulette with static electricity. Wiping yourself down with a dryer sheet will eliminate static, not just on your hair but also on your clothes.
Clean sand off skin
After spending a relaxing day at the beach, trying to get into the car without dousing it in sand can be an obstacle. That’s where one of the most genius dryer sheet uses comes in handy. Get sand off your skin easily with a quick wipe of a dryer sheet over your feet and legs. You’ll be amazed by how well this hack works!
Polish your
eyeglasses or sunnies
While there are tons of creative hacks for dryer sheets, cleaning your glasses or sunnies with a few quick wipes is one of our favorite dryer sheet uses. Be careful though: Dryer sheets shouldn’t be used on plastic lenses.
Clean up sticky tree
sap
Tree sap is notoriously difficult to remove, but the solution to freeing yourself of this sticky nuisance is actually in your laundry room. The sap will stick to a dryer sheet more easily than a normal wipe, which makes it a perfect remover.
Freshen Shoes
A lot of people ask: “Do dryer sheets absorb odors?” The answer is YES, they do! They can absorb moisture as well. The reason this is so useful is that you can get rid of nasty shoe odor (and other odors) by placing a dryer sheet in the sole of the shoe and letting it sit overnight. This is super easy and I LOVE to do it for my athlete children! Their sports shoes can smell horrible and this helps so much.
Deep Clean Toilets
The softener in the dryer sheet helps soften stubborn bathroom rings. Plus the sheet helps to gently scratch off the rest of the ring. And after you are done, you just throw it away!
Conclusion
Dryer sheets can be found in scented and unscented varieties. Pick your favorite scent for the freshening hacks. You can use the unscented varieties for other tasks. Price is not a factor so grab a box of the bargain brands for household tasks.