Charlotte Foster
Home & Garden

22 uses for dryer sheets (that aren’t laundry)

Along with making clothes soft and sniffably fresh, dryer sheets can be used in dozens of ways around the house. Their clean scent covers up plenty of odours, and they’re abrasive enough to clean, but won’t damage most surfaces. Here are the most unexpected uses for dryer sheets.

Clean skirting boards

Vacuum the carpet or sweep the floor, then wipe a dryer sheet along the skirting boards to remove stubborn dust and pet hair. Bonus: It repels dust later, too!

Dust your TV screen

The sheets have anti-static properties that will help prevent dust from settling on the screen.

Clean window blinds

Just like with the TV, dryer sheets will repel dust and make blinds easier to clean over time.

Tame flyaway hair

Did dry air make your hair static-y? Rub a dryer sheet between your brush’s bristles to smooth things over.

Clean up pet hair

Dryer sheets are great grabbers. Rub one along the floor or couch to pick up pet hair – or clippings from at-home haircuts.

Freshen up your shoes

Stick a dryer sheet in your flats or sneakers overnight to get rid of stinky odours.

Scrub away soap scum

Rub a sheet on glass shower doors to clean caked-on grime.

Easily scour pans

If food gets burned on a pan, let it soak overnight with water and a fresh dryer sheet.

Give chrome a polish

From bathrooms to vehicles, dryer sheets can help restore chrome’s trademark shine.

Clean up pantry spills

From bathrooms to vehicles, dryer sheets can help restore chrome’s trademark shine.

Freshen the air fast

Place sheets in vents or behind fans to fill your home with a fresh, clean scent.

Cover up nappy smells

Tuck a fresh sheet into your nappy bag or bathroom garbage bin can help take the edge off odours.

De-musk old books 

You scored some great reads at a garage sale – but they’re a little musty. Put old books in a bag with some dryer sheets – after a few days, they’ll smell as good as new.

Remove crayon marks

Lightly rub walls with a sheet and watch the crayon disappear. Magic!

Get paint off brushes

Put a dryer sheet in warm water along with the brush – within a few minutes of soaking, the paint should wash right off.

Sharpen scissors

Run a used dryer sheet along the blades to restore their snipping power.

Repel insects

Mosquitoes don’t like the smell of dryer sheets, so slip one into your belt loop to ward off the pesky insects.

Keep camping gear fresh

Toss dryer sheets into your tent and sleeping bags to stave off a mildewy smell.

Banish post-beach sand

This is one of the most surprising uses for dryer sheets! Wipe yourself and your kids with a dryer sheet to rid skin of dry sand before getting in the car.

Keep cars smelling fresh

Put a few sheets underneath the seat to freshen up your car without hanging something from your rear-view mirror.

Clean the toilet

Dryer sheets are great to use for cleaning the toilet – especially that crevice at the back that traps all kinds of hair and dust.

Remove deodorant stains

Keep your clothes streak-free (and smelling fresh) with a quick dryer sheet wipe on deodorant stains.

Image credits: Getty Images 

This article originally appeared on Reader's Digest.

Tags:
home & garden, dryer, sheets, laundry, hacks