DIY: Alternate Uses for Dryer Sheets

DIY 4 Minutes

FROM HOWSTUFFWORKS:

Many people routinely toss a dryer sheet or two into their dryers before pressing the start button. That’s because these small, papery sheets reduce static cling and wrinkles, soften your duds, and leave them with a pleasing, fresh scent. But dryer sheets are typically thrown in the trash once the clothes are dried. That’s a shame, because they can be repurposed to perform a wide variety of other tasks.

Dryer sheets are stiff, woven pieces of fiber, generally about 9 inches long and 6.4 inches wide. They’re coated with fabric softeners and lubricants as well as a scent like lavender, linen, musk or rain. Some sheets are also sold unscented.

When you start your dryer, these sheets do their magic when the coating melts off them and onto your clothing as they all tumble together, leaving your laundry soft and free of static. Afterward, the dryer sheets are ready for their second incarnation.

Here are 16 ways you can recycle and reuse your old dryer sheets. Some of these hacks are for new sheets, too.

Regular Cleaning

That coating that dryer sheets come with is useful for picking up dust and dirt. Here are some things you can use dryer sheets for as you clean.

Dust almost anything. Take an old dryer sheet and use it as a dust cloth, running it over items such as window blinds, baseboards, ceiling fan blades and your car’s dashboard. Bonus: The sheets are great at picking up pet hair in the process, and any coating still on them will also help the surface you’ve just cleaned repel dust and lint.

Wipe up spills. Spilled some flour, baking soda or seasoning? Dryer sheets are great at cleaning up such messes, as dry ingredients will stick to the sheets. But don’t use them when you’ve spilled something on the floor, as they can make it quite slick and a slipping hazard.

Remove sap and sand. When you’re in the great outdoors, use old dryer sheets to remove tree sap from your hands — it sticks to a dryer sheet better than a wet wipe — and to easily brush sand from your feet and legs.

Tough Cleaning

Scrub pots and pans. Dryer sheets are great at tackling the hard stuff. Take dirty pots and pans. If you’re not in the mood to vigorously scrub them for an indefinite amount of time, fill the pot or pan with hot water, toss in a new dryer sheet and let it soak at least an hour or overnight. In the morning, the sheet will have helped loosen the crusty food so you can more easily wipe it off.

Remove grime from oven racks. If your oven racks become grimy — a common occurrence — fill your bathtub with warm water, a half-cup of dish soap and eight new dryer sheets. Then lower in the racks and let them soak overnight. In the morning, scrub off the gunk with the dryer sheets, then rinse, dry and replace in your oven.

Clean crusty irons. Dryer sheets work well if you need to clean the bottom of your iron, where residue can accumulate from spray starch buildup and even melted synthetic fabrics.

Remove soap scum. Unfortunately, it’s easy to discover a film of soap on your shower door or bathtub. Scrub clean with a used dryer sheet.

Deodorizing

If you’ve got scented sheets on hand, either new or just out of the dryer, they can be used to make any number of household items smell more pleasant. In general, it’s better to use new sheets for deodorizing, as their scent is stronger.

Freshen wastebaskets and vacuum cleaners. Toss a dryer sheet in the bottom of your wastebasket before adding the bag, or in your vacuum cleaner to combat unpleasant smells.

Refresh camping gear. Even outdoorsy people don’t enjoy unpleasant smells. Before you pack away your camping equipment, toss dryer sheets into items like your tent, sleeping bag and backpack. They’ll smell much better the next time you use them.

Get rid of car odors. Tuck a few dryer sheets under your front seats and you may be able to get rid of that pine tree deodorizer hanging from your rearview mirror.

Freshen up workout gear. Stick dryer sheets into your gym shoes and gym bags to keep nasty smells at bay.

Remove stale odors from your suitcase. Travelers should place dryer sheets in their suitcases to avoid the stale smells that can develop when they’re closed up for a while.

Eliminate smells in your home. If a room in your house smells a little funky, tape a dryer sheet to the back of a vent or two so that the air flowing through them will pick up their pleasant scent. If you do this, though, make sure to replace the sheets weekly so no dusty build-up will impede the air flow.

Miscellaneous

Bet you never thought of using your dryer sheets for the following:

De-squeak shoes. Have a squeak in your shoe due to orthotics or insoles that are rubbing against the bottom? Place a new or used dryer sheet in between the bottom of the shoe and the orthotic or insole, and the squeak will disappear. If it comes back, it may be because the sheet has slipped out of place; simply readjust. Or it may be time for a new sheet.

Sharpen scissors. Scissors dull? Then use them to cut up a dryer sheet or two and that should restore some of their cutting ability.

Repel insects. If you enjoy hiking but flying insects keep circling your head, tuck a new dryer sheet into the back of your ball cap, leaving several inches hanging out. Both the scent of the sheet and its movement as you walk may keep insects at bay. (Studies have shown that linalool, a popular floral-scented chemical in cosmetics, perfumes and dryer sheets, repels fungus gnats and some types of weevils. But linalool didn’t seem to have much value at repelling mosquitoes.)

 

SOURCE: HOWSTUFFWORKS

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Published by pat frederick

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126 thoughts on “DIY: Alternate Uses for Dryer Sheets”

  1. Morning, Pat! Wow! Who knew??!!?? When I pull the dryer sheet out, I use it to help get all the lint off of the dryer filter. But I never considered some of these ideas! Cool!!!

    Liked by 1 person

  10. Emerald Robinson ✝️
    @EmeraldRobinson
    The GOP did not build a wall.
    The GOP did not protect the 2020 election.
    The GOP did not release the J6 tapes.
    The GOP did not impeach Biden.
    The GOP did not defund the FBI.
    The GOP did not defund the IRS.

    The GOP’s real job: keep Trump out of power.

    Liked by 1 person

  12. Tom Fitton
    @TomFitton
    ALERT: A federal court in Northern District of Georgia (Atlanta Division) will allow plaintiffs to proceed to trial after they presented expert evidence which found 7 core vulnerabilities in the Dominion voting system:

    “1. Attackers can alter the QR codes on printed ballots to modify voters’ selections;
    2. Anyone with brief physical access to the BMD (ballot marking device) machines can install malware onto the machines;
    3. Attackers can forge or manipulate the smart cards that a BMD uses to authenticate technicians, poll workers, and voters, which could then be used by anyone with physical access to the machines to
    install malware onto the BMDs;
    4. Attackers can execute arbitrary code with supervisory privileges and then exploit it to spread malware to all BMDs across a county
    or state;
    5. Attackers can alter the BMD’s audit logs;
    6. Attackers with brief access to a single BMD or a single Poll Worker Card and PIN can obtain the county-wide cryptographic keys, which are used for authentication and to protect election results on
    scanner memory cards; and
    7. A dishonest election worker with just brief access to the ICP scanner’s memory card could determine how individual voters voted.”

    The main conclusions of the expert analysis of the Georgia computerized Dominion voting systems, as described by the Court:

    “• The ICX BMDs [Dominion’s ballot marking devices] are not sufficiently secured against technical compromise to withstand vote-altering attacks by bad actors who are likely to attack future elections in Georgia. . .
    • The ICX BMDs can be compromised to the same extent and as or more easily than the AccuVote TS and TS-X DREs they replaced. . . .
    • Despite the addition of a paper trail, ICX malware can still change individual votes and most election outcomes without detection . . . Although outcome-changing fraud conducted in this manner could be detected by a risk-limiting audit, Georgia requires a risk-limiting audit of only one contest every two years,27 so the vast majority of elections and contests have no such assurance. And even the most robust risk-limiting audit can only assess an election outcome; it cannot evaluate whether individual votes counted as intended. . . .
    • The ICX’s vulnerabilities also make it possible for an
    attacker to compromise the auditability of the ballots,
    by altering both the QR codes and the human readable text. Such cheating could not be detected by an [risk-limiting audit] or a hand count, since all records of the voter’s intent would be wrong. . . .
    • Using vulnerable ICX BMDs for all in-person voters, as Georgia does, greatly magnifies the security risks
    compared to jurisdictions that use hand-marked paper ballots but provide BMDs to voter upon request. . . .
    • The critical vulnerabilities in the ICX — and the wide variety of lesser but still serious security issues — indicate that it was developed without sufficient attention to security during design, software engineering, and testing. . . . [I]t would be extremely difficult to retrofit security into a system that was not initially produced with such a process.”

    What can the court do if the plaintiffs succeed in trial?

    “Plaintiffs carry a heavy burden to establish a constitutional violation connected to Georgia’s BMD electronic voting system, whether in the manner in
    which the State Defendants have implemented the voting system — i.e., that it imposes serious security voting risks and burdens impacting Plaintiffs’ voting
    rights — or otherwise. If Plaintiffs prevail at trial on one or more of their claims, there are pragmatic, sound remedial policy measures that could be ordered or agreed upon by the parties, such as (1) providing for the use of printed ballots for vote counting without the use of QR codes, (2) administering a broader scope and number of election audits to address vote count accuracy and other related issues, and (3) implementing other essential cybersecurity measures and policies
    recommended by the nation’s leading cybersecurity experts and firms, including the Department of Homeland Security’s CISA.”

    Liked by 1 person

  15. LOL – that was funny! Kilmeade went out into the audience to ask where some of them stand on their primary motivation for the next election….economy, economy, economy…until he approached one woman who was all in on Trump! He asked how she felt about all the indictments and she said they are all fake, it just makes us love him more…he moved on pretty quickly!!! ROFL

    Liked by 1 person

  19. and he’s off….lol

    Citizen 817
    Citizen 817
    November 17, 2023 12:30 am

    @realDonaldTrump

    5h
    Judge Arthur Engoron has just been overturned (stayed!) by the New York State Appellate Division (Appeals Court), for the 4th TIME (on the same case!). His Ridiculous and Unconstitutional Gag Order, not allowing me to defend myself against him and his politically biased and out of control, Trump Hating Clerk, who is sinking him and his Court to new levels of LOW, is a disgrace. They are defending the Worst and Least Respected Attorney General in the United States, Letitia James, who is a Worldwide disgrace, as is her illegal Witch Hunt against me. The Radical and Unprecedented actions of Judge Engoron will keep BUSINESSES and JOBS forever out of New York State. I have done NOTHING WRONG, my numbers were low, not high, I have a COMPLETE DISCLAIMER CLAUSE, their Star Witness admitted he lied and made up this Fake case against me, and the the Attorney General used a “Get Trump” platform in order to run for A.G. & Governor (she failed!). This wicked attack on Democracy must be ended, NOW!

    Liked by 1 person

  28. Julie Kelly 🇺🇸
    @julie_kelly2
    Every time I cover a J6 proceeding in DC, I fume at the fact there’s no video/audio access to public.

    Yesterday I attended jury selection for J6er defending himself. Before prospective jurors entered courtroom, the defendant, Taylor Johnatakis, asked Judge Lamberth to recuse himself. Why?

    Lamberth, 80, a Reagan appointee, had declared the day before that Johnatakis was guilty and told him he was going to jail–confirmed by Ryan Reilly.

    Liked by 1 person

  33. Winston
    November 17, 2023 10:35 am

    Dave Walsh Describes America Buying Solar Panels And Batteries From China To Fight Climate Change
    Bannons War Room
    16 Nov 2023

    https://rumble.com/v3w77pv-dave-walsh-describes-america-buying-solar-panels-and-batteries-from-china-t.html

    S-U-C-K-E-R-S!!!

    China is building six times more new coal plants than other countries, report finds
    2 Mar 2023

    https://www.npr.org/2023/03/02/1160441919/china-is-building-six-times-more-new-coal-plants-than-other-countries-report-fin

    “Everybody else is moving away from coal and China seems to be stepping on the gas,” she says. “We saw that China has six times as much plants starting construction as the rest of the world combined.”

    Liked by 1 person

  36. hmmmm….did the illegals make the signs? check the spelling on the one on the right…

    notice as well, who’s leading the protest–an “immigrant” coalition—so it’s a $$$$$$ thing

    FTA
    The protestors staged a “sleep in” — complete with tents and sleeping bags — outside Hizzoner’s official residence on the Upper East Side as they slammed his push to suspend the decades-old mandate that requires the city to provide a bed for anyone who asks for one.

    Migrant advocates also took aim at Adams’ recently imposed 30- or 60-day shelter stay limits for asylum seekers as the city scrambles to find enough beds for the new arrivals in an already overburdened system.

    “The shelter limits and threats to the city’s right to shelter imposed by this administration are appalling, illegal, and go against our city’s legacy of helping those in need and welcoming immigrants from all walks of life,” Murad Awawdeh, executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition, told the crowd of roughly 50 rallygoers.

    https://nypost.com/2023/11/16/metro/migrant-advocates-protest-outside-gracie-mansion-as-they-urge-mayor-adams-to-stop-attacking-nycs-right-to-shelter/amp

    Liked by 1 person

  37. illegal who shot bald eagle in Nebraska being deported
    FTA
    LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – A man was sentenced Tuesday in federal court in Omaha for his role in killing an American Bald Eagle back in February.

    Domingo Zetino-Hernandez, 21, of Norfolk, was sentenced to time served for violating the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. He has been in custody since March 20. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said he is subject to removal proceedings with United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

    The Attorney’s Office said the other man involved, Ramiro Hernandez-Tziquin, of Norfolk, remains at large and is believed to have fled the local area around the time his arrest warrant was issued. Hernandez-Tziquin may currently be living with family or associates in Nebraska, Texas, or elsewhere.

    On Feb. 28, the Stanton County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle at the Wood Duck Wildlife Management Area.

    The Attorney’s Office said that law enforcement approached the vehicle and made contact with both men. During the encounter, Zetino-Hernandez admitted that he shot a bird and that it was in the trunk of the vehicle.

    Law enforcement obtained consent to search the vehicle and found one bald eagle carcass.

    Zetino-Hernandez admitted to taking and possessing the bald eagle found in the trunk of the vehicle without being permitted to do so, the Attorney’s Office said.

    The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking information regarding the current location of Hernandez-Tziquin. There may be a reward available for information leading to an arrest by calling 1-844-FWS-TIPS (1-844-397-8477) or online at https://www.fws.gov/wildlife-crime-tips. Callers may remain anonymous.

    https://www.1011now.com/2023/11/16/man-sentenced-role-killing-bald-eagle-northeast-nebraska/

    Liked by 1 person

  38. of course ultra maggot made an agreement with china…we agree to push hard for green energy and china agrees to the same thing–except it means billions for china who makes most of the green energy crap and they conveniently forget they ever agreed to anything

    FTA
    But the agreement — in which the nations further pledged to “sufficiently accelerate renewable energy deployment in their respective economies through 2030” — was criticized over its potential impact on U.S. consumers. Experts also noted that China has rarely followed through on international accords and stands to financially benefit from such an agreement since it controls much of the world’s green energy supply chain.

    “The agreement speaks heavily about advancing — doubling down and tripling down on renewables, wind and solar. The majority of them are made in China,” Daniel Turner, the founder and executive director of Power The Future, told Fox News Digital in an interview.

    “So, you’re basically writing an agreement that guarantees China a customer and guarantees their manufacturing sector decades of purchasing. Of course China would love this agreement. And their obligations — they’ll just ignore that. They’ve ignored every other obligation,” Turner added. “It is basically guaranteeing China decades of wealth, guaranteeing America is going to buy their products.”

    https://www.foxnews.com/politics/experts-raise-alarm-biden-strikes-agreement-china-shut-down-fossil-fuels

    Liked by 1 person

  39. T. Turtle
    T. Turtle
    November 17, 2023 12:09 pm

    Excellent News in AZ.

    “JUST IN: Kari Lake’s Attorneys File New Brief & Petition to Transfer Election Case to AZ Supreme Court After Maricopa County BUSTED Falsely Certifying Voting Machines Past L&A Testing – 260/446 FAILED On AND BEFORE Election Day”

    “Because of changes made to the voting systems before election day, “at least 8,000 misconfigured ‘fit-to-page’ ballots occurred at 127 vote centers on Election Day,” and “vote center tabulators logged over 7,000 rejections every 30 minutes from 6:30 am through 8:00 pm.” Maricopa County does not dispute this accurate data derived from their system log files. This information was presented by We The People AZ Alliance in an Arizona Senate hearing earlier this year, along with evidence that tabulators rejected ballots nearly 250,000 times.”

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/11/just-kari-lakes-attorneys-file-new-brief-petition/

    Like

  43. I am wrapping Christmas gifts and listening to Twisted Christmas on the cd player…lol
    I have loved wrapping presents since i was a kid!
    once i knew about Santa, Mom recruited me to wrap all the gifts. she watched me wrap my own to ensure there was no peeking, then allowed to finish by myself…lol

    Liked by 1 person

  44. i married the most patient and loving man!
    you know the cardboard rolls leftover when you use all the wrapping paper? well, as kids we would pretend they were swords and fight.

    i had 2 such rolls when i finished wrapping the gifts and took them into the backroom office and tossed him one and said en garde! he didn’t hesitate–he just sat in his chair and played swords with me for 3 minutes…LOL
    how can you not love a man like that?

    Liked by 1 person

  45. “Shock Survey: 89% of Palestinians support terror groups known for suicide attacks, while 75% approve of October 7 massacre. Another poll displays the results of cradle to grave hate indoctrination.”
    JORDAN SCHACHTEL
    NOV 17, 2023

    ENTIRE ARTICLE: “A new opinion poll released by the Ramallah-based Arab World for Research & Development (AWRAD) revealed that the vast majority of Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip support jihadist terrorism, and that Palestinians overwhelmingly approve of the October 7 slaughter in southern Israel that was carried out by Hamas.

    The Dossier has uploaded an unedited PDF of the survey in case it gets taken offline: (pdf link)

    Here are some of the key highlights: The survey shows that 75% of Palestinians approve of the October 7 terror attack against civilians in southern Israel, which is described by the PLO pollster as “attacks” that were “carried out in response to contemporary and historic oppression.”

    Despite supporting the October 7 massacre, 90% now support a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

    Some context to this: In Arabic, a ceasefire is referred to as a hudna, and the term carries a very different connotation. A hudna is more of a strategic ceasefire that allows for a pause in fighting so that a competitive advantage can be built against an adversary. In Western terms, a ceasefire seeks a more lasting end to hostilities. A hudna is purposed with allowing for your forces to regroup so that they can continue the military campaign at a later date. Now back to the survey…

    Most Palestinians believe that “Palestine will win.” That prediction is not going so well. Hamas has not only not won, they’ve run away from the fight and decided to hide within the civilian populations, as the Israeli army has successfully split Gaza in two.

    Now, here’s where the poll gets really ugly:

    The Palestinians support the most ferocious jihadi terrorist groups while having nothing but contempt for the United States and even Arab countries that had previously attempted to assist them.

    The Al Qassam Brigades, which is supported by 89% of respondents, is the militant arm of Hamas. They are known for carrying out suicide bombing missions and terrorist attacks on civilians. Islamic Jihad (known in the West as Palestinian Islamic Jihad, or PIJ), the second most popular group with 84% approval, is a terrorist organization that operates in Gaza and Lebanon. Their operations also include suicide attacks and indiscriminate violence against civilians. The Al Aqsa Brigades, which, like the two aforementioned groups, is best known for its suicide attacks, receives an 80% approval rating. They operate mostly in the West Bank.

    Hamas comes in fourth place with 76%. In all likelihood, Hamas is taking a back seat to the above groups because they are not committed to enough carnage against Israelis and the greater Western world.

    This poll is not an aberration, but the norm. The Dossier has reported on previous surveys that once more reveal the unpopular truth that is the cradle to grave radicalization problem among people who live in the Palestinian Territories. The unpopular truth: surveys show that most Palestinians support Hamas and fellow jihadist compatriot groups: https://www.dossier.today/p/the-unpopular-truth-surveys-show

    With this survey, and many before it, we can certainly put to rest the idea —advanced by President Joe Biden and the institutional U.S. foreign policy gang — that “Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people.”

    Liked by 1 person

              1. I’m more concerned with people like Ilhan Omar and her ilk! That’s what I’m talking…there are a lot more within our government agencies.

                Liked by 1 person

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