55 Ways to Reuse, Re-purpose, and Recycle Dryer Sheets

I have found over 55 different ways to reuse, re-purpose and recycle dryer sheets. You don’t even have to buy the pricey name brand sheets, just pick up an inexpensive box at the dollar store and start experimenting with this vast collection of uses I have gathered over the years!

Clean bugs off your car

Wet a dryer sheet and use to remove bugs from your windshield and front grill. The fabric is abrasive enough to scrub away the insects but not so harsh as to damage the finish.

Remove burnt on food from dishes

Place a fresh dryer sheet in the bottom of a dirty pan, fill with lukewarm tap water, and let sit in the sink overnight. The pan will be much easier to clean in the morning.

Remove soap scum in the bathroom

Dryer sheets are amazing at getting rid of soap scum. All it takes is just a few drops of water on a used dryer sheet and soap scum build up on your shower doors, shower curtains, ceramic sinks, or tiles practically slides off!

Fight static

• Before playing any 45 or LP records, use a dryer sheet to eliminate the static. A lot cheaper and works better than the anti-static sprays made for records.
• When packages arrive with packing “peanuts” that are full of static, just rub a dryer sheet on your hands and clothes, and they won’t stick to you when opening your goods.
• Eliminate static cling from pantyhose by rubbing a damp, used dryer sheet over them.
• When your hair is full of static, press a dryer sheet through the bristles of your hairbrush and brush your hair! All the static is gone!
• Rub a dryer sheet on the inside of winter hats to avoid “static hair syndrome” when the hat is taken off.
• Keep a dryer sheet in your winter coat pocket to avoid getting “ZAPPED” when grabbing the grocery cart handle or the gas pump.

Cleaning electronics

Because television and PC screens are electrically charged, they actually attract dust, making dusting them a never-ending chore. Dryer sheets are designed to reduce static cling, so they remove the dust, and help keep it from resettling.

Dusting

Use dryer sheets to dust painted baseboards, crown molding, and cabinets. It cleans them up great and repels dust much longer than traditional dusting sprays.

Pet hair removal

Swipe dryer sheets across flooring, furniture, stuffed toys, lampshades, even your clothes, to clean up leftover pet hair!

Make chrome shine

Hard water can leave calcium deposits on chrome surfaces. Whether it’s your car or your plumbing fixtures (like faucets or shower heads), dryer sheets will make the chrome shine and sparkle. Simply buff the chrome with a sheet to restore the spotless shine.

Winterizing campers

Put dryer sheets in your camper before closing it up for the winter to deter critters from settling in. Place them around the cushions and in the cupboards. When you open the camper up in the spring…..no pests and it smells fresh.!

Repel rodents

Use dryer sheets to keep out mice, skunks, squirrels, rats, etc. from your basement, garages, boats, and clubhouses. Also, place dryer sheets in the rafters to keep spiders and bugs from nesting.

Camping gear freshener

• Sleeping bags: Every time you roll up your sleeping bag, place a used dryer sheet in it to keep it smelling good.
• Tents: Keep your tent smelling good by putting several used dryer sheets in the tent before you pack it away.

Quilting backing

Use dryer sheets as a base for making pieced blocks for quilts. If the size needs to be larger, simply stitch a couple of used sheets together.

An end to tangled sewing thread

Keep a new dryer sheet in your sewing kit. Thread a needle and poke it into the sheet and out the other side before knotting the thread. The thread will not tangle.

Clean up dry spills

Flour on the kitchen floor can be difficult to clean because it’s so fine. Dryer sheets are able to get the flour to stick to it, making the clean-up a lot easier. This works for pretty much any dry, grainy spill and even short hair clippings.

Tack cloth substitute

Wipe up sawdust from drilling or sand papering. A used dryer sheet will collect sawdust like a tack cloth.

Mask stinky diapers

Throw some dryer sheets in your diaper bag to wrap around a dirty diaper to keep it from smelling until you can throw it away.

A cure for SERIOUS smells

For a spill that is particularly smelly — think vomit, soured milk, urine — wipe up the spill, then places three layers of dryer sheets on top of the spot. Sprinkle coffee grounds on top of that. Overnight the area will be totally deodorized.

De-squeak your shoes

Are your new rubber-soled shoes squeaking all over the office? Quiet them down by rubbing the bottoms with a dryer sheet.

Leave the sand at the beach

Dryer sheets are great for getting dry sand off skin. Wipe yourself down with a dryer sheet and the sand will disappear.

Use as a fire starter

Place used dryer sheets (bonus points for adding dryer lint) inside of an old paper towel or toilet paper roll tube. Fold or pinch each end of the paper roll tube to keep the contents inside. You just made your own fire starter.

Help for hairbrushes

Fill a bowl with warm water, add a couple dryer sheets and then place your hairbrushes and combs into the mixture. Let it soak for a few hours. Rinse. Dry. Your brushes will be like new!

Ditch deodorant stains

Use a dryer sheet to wipe away unwanted deodorant stains on your clothes.

Swiffer alternative

You may have to use a couple of layers, but when you try this you’ll be amazed at how the used dryer sheets will pick up dirt, dust, and hair off the floor just as well as the Swiffer cloths do.

Soften your feet

Soften the soles of your feet by soaking your feet in warm water and rubbing them with a used fabric softener sheet. Try it…it works!

Deer repellent

Cut dryer sheets into one-inch strips and tie them on the tips of greenery or in trees. The scent will repel plant-munching deer.

Toilet ring cleaner

Have tough water stains in your toilet? Toss two dryer sheets into your toilet and let them sit. Use your toilet brush to scrub the stains away!

Filter and freshen your home

• Place (or tape) a dryer sheet on your HVAC vents to filter and scent the air circulating through your home. Replace when it’s dusty.
• Also works on ceiling fans, and on the back of box fans.

Soil saver

A used dryer sheet in the bottom of a pot will help keep the soil from falling out of the drainage holes.

Insect repellent

Mosquitos and other annoying insects will steer clear of dryer sheets. Stick them in your picnic basket, under lawn furniture or even in a belt loop or sock to prevent bug bites.

Book deodorizer

Freshen up musty books by placing a used dryer sheet in a zippered plastic bag with a book for a few days.

Clean paint brushes

Soak used paintbrushes in warm water with a dryer sheet, and within a couple of minutes you’ll be amazed at how easily the paint washes off.

Iron cleaner

Remove gunk from the soleplate of an iron. With the setting on low, rub the iron over the dryer sheet until the residue disappears.

Spruce up your spectacles

Use sheets to clean and polish the glass lens of your eye glasses. They’re not recommended for plastic lens, though!

Window blinds

Keep your window blinds clean longer by wiping them periodically with used dryer sheets. The anti-static properties of the product will actually help to repel dust and dirt.

Crayon remover

Rub the area lightly with a clean, dry fabric softener sheet and watch the crayon marks disappear.

Clean a gummed-up dryer

If you find melted gum or adhesive stickers in the dryer, wet a dryer sheet and scrub away. You’ll find that the fabric softener and the texture of the sheet will help loosen the stickiness without harming the interior finish.

Scissor sharpener

Are your scissors not cutting as smooth as they should? Wipe the blades clean with a used dryer sheet to remedy this problem.

I use these ones for masking smells in the bathroom trashcan, there also great for days when my hair is wild. Just rub the sheet over your hair.

Used dryer sheets make cleaning the dryer lint screen a breeze.

They are great for storing out of season clothes. I put a few in the plastic bin that I store them in. The clothes will smell great and not musty when it’s time to rotate them.

When I wash sheets as I fold them up I put a new sheet in as I do the last step of rolling them up to keep them smelling fresh.

I put them in my kid’s shoes and under the seats in the car to freshen things up.