14 Ways to Use Dryer Sheets That Have Nothing To Do with Laundry
Perhaps you’ve seen the list of uses for dryer sheets floating around the Internet. Who knows where that list came from. What we do know is not all of the alternative uses can be verified as true.
For example, we have no confidence at all that Bounce or any other brand of dryer sheet will repel mosquitoes. We’ve tried and nope, those suckers seem to enjoy dry sheets! But spiders and flies? Or how about stinky shoes? Read on.
Pests
Many of our readers have confirmed that dryer sheets will repel both spiders and flies. Keep a few extra sheets in clothes hampers and around the laundry area and you can kiss all those spiders goodbye.
Luggage
Slip a dryer sheet into your suitcases while they are in storage and they won’t smell musty when you take them out to use.
Blinds
Wipe down your blinds with a dryer sheet to prevent static electricity and to keep dust from collecting. Grab that dryer sheet with a pair of kitchen tongs and use that to quickly run over each slat. It’s quick, easy and will even pick up the dust.
Soleplate
Remove gunk from the bottom of an iron. With the setting on low, rub the iron over the dryer sheet until the residue disappears, and you’re left with a pristine soleplate.
Stinky shoes
Shoes and boots, sneakers and tennis shoes can get really smelly. Pop a sheet into each of your less-than-fresh-smelling sneakers, sandals or boots, then place them in a plastic bag. Tie it closed. In the morning your shoes will smell so much better. For kids’ shoes or ladies’ pumps, you can cut each sheet in half and still get great results.
Faucets
Used dryer sheets make great cloths for quick shine-ups in the bathroom and kitchen. Just use one on each of your chrome faucets and enjoy the shine.
Burnt pan
Fill that icky burned-on mess in a casserole dish or pan with warm water and lay a dryer sheet flat on top to soak overnight. In the morning, the baked-on gunk will have either floated off or be loose enough to scrape off easily with a spatula. It is quite amazing.
Tissue roll
Roll up a dryer sheet and stuff it inside the paper roll. Each time you spin, it releases a little freshness into your bathroom.
Vacuum
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 provided you, like many, are not overly sensitive to the fragrance in the dryer sheets.
Scissors
If those scissors or kitchen shears are not cutting as smoothly as you would like, no problem. Cut through several layers of a dryer sheet a few times and they’ll cut easily again.
Road tar
Get the car wet, then use a dryer sheet to wipe away all the bugs and road tar. It’s easier and faster than the most expensive bug and tar removers.
Rodents
Place them in drawers and near entrances and exits in your camper when it is not being used—dryer sheets will keep rodents from coming inside.
Gym bag
A sheet at the bottom of a gym bag will mask the odor until you can get those clothes into the laundry.
Static cling
Stop static cling on clothes or tame your flyaway hair by rubbing a sheet over the problem area.
First published: 8-9-16; Updated 7-14-19
Question: Do you have other alternative ways to use dryer sheets? Please share!
You may also enjoy:
How to Use Wool Dryer Balls and Why You Should
Two Reasons to Make Your Own Laundry Softener
You can use used dryer sheets on you’re Swiffer dust mop. Just clip two used sheets and dust mop as usual.
you didn’t need to show a picture of a spider!!!!!!! Lots of us have phobias about spiders. Thanks for everything else.
It was the mouse that got me!
When your white board looses it’s shine. And becomes hard to write on and erase. Wipe it down with a dryer sheet. It will be glossy again and easy to write on and clean. I use this trick and it works great.
For use of dryer sheets: after they have been used in the dryer, I wipe down my tv and computer screens to remove dust. The dust is repelled on the sheet.
Another use for police officers is to slide one between your tee shirt and your bullet resistant vest. Working in the summer when you start to heat up, the fragrance released will be much better than with out!
Another use is to clip a sheet to your clothes when outside to repel insects and mosquitos while working in the yard.
Karen
When you re-pot houseplants, place a used dryer sheet in the bottom of the pot before placing any potting soil. This will keep the dirt from trickling out the drainage holes, but will let water through.
I’m pretty sure I read this from your site several years ago, but you can use a dryer sheet to get soap scum off of glass shower doors. : )
Some good ideas and I will try some, especially the one to keep spiders away, hate them! The one thing I’m pretty sure of though, if you soak a casserole overnight it’ll be easy to clean dryer sheet or not!
Betty Thomas … You don’t know how much of a burned on mess I can make! I’ve had some that would have never come clean with soaked with water alone!