Everything Finance

Standard dryer sheets can do far more than just keep your clothes from sticking together in the laundry. The chemical combinations in these powerful sheets can perform many different tasks around the house. Keep in mind that research has shown a high risk of allergic reaction to the perfumes and other chemicals in dryer sheets. Even sheets that are marked “green” or “organic” contain chemicals that could cause a harsh reaction. If you are sensitive to such chemicals, you would be better off avoiding these tips.

1. Drawer Freshener

Tuck a dryer sheet into the back of a clothes drawer. The sheet will draw unwanted odors away, and keep everything in the drawer smelling fresh and clean. Replace the dryer sheet with a new one every six months.

2. Straighten Thread

The static fighting chemicals of a dryer sheet work well for keeping sewing thread from becoming tangled. If you store your sewing needles in a dryer sheet, it will coat the needles. You will find that your thread stays straight and is easier to work with.

3. Keep Shoes Fresh

Keeping a dryer sheet tucked into the toes of your shoes while they are stored will reduce the amount of foot odor that can collect inside the shoes. Your feet will always smell fresh after you wear the shoes, too.

4. Clean Your Iron

Dryer sheets are excellent for cleaning the surface of your iron. The iron will move more easily across fabric when it is treated regularly with a dryer sheet, as well.

5. Clear Away Dust

A dryer sheet is a dust magnet. It makes it easier to pick up dust from home surfaces, and it tends to keep dust from collecting as quickly. You can also use a dryer sheet to clean up woodworking spaces that collect sawdust.

6. Air Fresheners

Stash a dryer sheet under one of your car seats or in the glove box. As the air inside your car warms up while you are not driving, the scents of the air freshener will be released into the car. Your car will always smell fresh and clean, without needing an expensive automotive air freshener. This also works great when the vacuum cleaner starts putting out a musty-smelling exhaust. A dryer sheet in the filter freshens the air while you vacuum.

7. Remove Paint from Brushes

Put a dryer sheet into a bucket of warm water when you soak your paintbrushes. The dryer sheet will cause latex paint to separate from the bristles of the brushes quickly and easily.

8. Help with the Dishes

Dryer sheets are easy ways to remove baked on crusty foods from dishes. Soak the dishes in warm water with a single dryer sheet. After about half an hour, the food will have dissolved and you can wash the dishes normally.

9. Clean up Hair

A dryer sheet is a handy way to collect pet hair or human hair from sofas, carpets, jackets, or any other place that it might collect. Simply run the dryer sheet along the fabric to pull off the excess hair.

10. Reduce Shocks

All you need to do is keep a dryer sheet in your pocket during the dry months of winter and you will reduce the amount of static electricity that you collect as you walk across a carpeted floor.

11. Pest Repellents

Rodents do not like the chemicals that make up dryer sheets. If you stash a dryer sheet in an area that could collect pests, like under the sink or in the basement, the pests will find other places to live.

Jessica Bosari likes to write about affordable living tips for LowIncomeApartmentFinder.com. The site matches renters to apartments for rent the fit nicely within a tight budget.

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About Tushar Mathur

Tushar Mathur has been blogging about Personal Finance since January, 2007. This has helped him recognize what topics readers like and relate to. The goal is to spot good news-worthy info and get it out to the public as soon as possible. Tushar Mathur maintains this Personal Finance blog called Everything Finance. The blog articles fall under these categories: Investing, saving money, shopping, blogging and making money online. Send Tushar Mathur an email at tushar@everythingfinanceblog.com