25 Ways to Use Dryer Sheets Around the House

Use fabric softener sheets to clean, add fragrance, and repel pests

Fact checked by Sarah ScottReviewed by Rhea Mehta

Dryer sheets have many uses beyond their primary purpose of softening clothes and reducing static. Scented or unscented dryer sheets can help with household tasks, including pet care, freshening stinky shoes, repelling pests, and other uses.

What Are Dryer Sheets?

Dryer sheets are material pieces made with a polyester substrate, non-woven base, or recyclable cellulose base. The sheets are coated with silicone-based fabric softeners that transfer to clothes when activated by heat in a dryer.

Dryer Sheet Uses Besides Laundry

These dryer sheet hacks illustrate their secondary uses in the kitchen, with pets, as air fresheners, static and pest repellent, and cleaning.

Scrub Away Stuck-on Food from Pots and Pans

If you have baked-on or stuck-on food in a pot or pan, fill an unused, non-woven polyester dryer sheet with hot water. Allow the pan to soak overnight. The silicone coating on the dryer sheet will help soften the food. The following day, use the dryer sheet to wipe away the food. The slight texture of the polyester woven sheet will remove the traces of food and won't harm the finish of non-stick surfaces.

Finish the task by washing the pot or pan with dishwashing detergent and hot water to remove any remaining residue.

Calm Your Pet During a Storm

Rubbing your pet's coat with an unscented, plant-based dryer sheet will help calm him during electrical storms by reducing static electricity that can cause his hair to stand on end.

Warning

Since most animals lick their own fur, avoid dryer sheets containing toxic ingredients and stick to unscented dryer sheets.

Lift Away Pet Hair from Clothes and Furniture

The same properties that allow dryer sheets to reduce static in the dryer will remove pet hair from clothes and furniture. Rub the sheet over the fabric to loosen the hair. Follow up with a lint roller or clothes brush.

The dryer sheet can be new or used. Used dryer sheets can be dampened slightly to remove dust and hair from shelves, books, window screens, and even large leaves on indoor plants.

Tip

The polyester-based non-woven dryer sheets are best for pet hair removal.

Freshen Stinky Shoes and Quiet Squeaky Soles

Tennis shoes can get dirty and smelly. Add a scented dryer sheet to shoes and boots that have gotten too ripe. You can cut each sheet in half for kids' shoes or ladies' pumps and still get great results.

If squeaky shoes are driving you crazy, dryer sheets also work to quiet squeaky rubber soles when walking on solid floors. Rub the bottom of the shoes with a dryer sheet, and the residue will minimize the friction and eliminate the squeak.

Get Rid of Embarrassing Static Cling

Fabric softener or dryer sheets are commonly used to reduce static cling. To remove static cling affecting you as you walk around, rub a dryer sheet directly onto your legs, socks, or tights to remove static cling and stop skirts from riding up your legs.

Make Needlework and Sewing Easier

There's no need to get frustrated over threads that knot up while you stitch. When you are ready to start hand sewing or doing needlework, run the thread between a folded dryer sheet to keep it tangle-free. The silicon coating will help the thread smoothly through the fabric.

Freshen Luggage

Before you put away your luggage after a trip, tuck in a dryer sheet to add a fresh scent and prevent musty odors.

Clean Electronics Screens

Use a dry dryer sheet to dust television and computer monitor screens. The silicon coating on the dryer sheet will pick up dust and help to reduce static. Remember, never use a dryer sheet that is already dampened. The moisture can harm screens.

Remove Gunk from an Iron

A dryer sheet isn't useful for cleaning the inside of an iron, but it's great for removing scorch marks and starch or sizing build-up on the bottom of the iron. Rub the dampened dryer sheet on the bottom of a cold iron. Then, heat the iron to a low setting and run it over a couple of clean paper towels to remove any remaining residue.

Freshen a Trash Can or Diaper Pail

Put a scented dryer sheet in the bottom of each trash can in your home before you add the plastic liner bag. This same method works for diaper pails. Change the sheet every time you change a bag.

Clean Your Car

Keep some polyester non-woven dryer sheets in your car cleaning kit for insect removal. Wet the sheet to remove bugs from your windshield and the front grille. The fabric is abrasive enough to scrub away the insects but not so harsh as to damage the finish.

You can also use a dryer sheet to remove pet hair from car seats. Plus, keeping dryer sheets in the trunk helps it smell fresh.

Create Bug Repellent

Some campers and outdoor enthusiasts swear by scented dryer sheets to keep insects away; research has proven this. Some hikers rub the sheets on their skin; others tuck them into the tops of socks or collars. Just choose a scent you like and see if you're bug-free.

Tame Flyaway Hair

Keep a few dryer sheets in your desk or purse to calm flyaway hair. Just rub the sheet over your hair to smooth it out. Opt for an unscented variety if you don't want it to compete with your perfume.

Shoo Deer Away from Plants

Cut scented dryer sheets into one-inch strips and tie them on greenery tips or in trees. Some gardeners say the scent will repel plant-munching deer. Choose a polyester non-woven base to avoid melting during wet weather.

Freshen a Hotel Room

If your hotel room smells stale, place a dryer sheet in the air conditioning or heating vent for a quick air freshener. Take it with you when you leave, and your soiled laundry will be a bit fresher for the trip home.

Clean the Inside of the Dryer Drum

If you find melted gum, crayons, or adhesive stickers in the dryer, wet a non-woven polyester 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.

Deodorize a Gym Bag or Locker

If your gym bag isn't used too often, keep a fresh dryer sheet tucked into the bag to drown out sweaty odors. Remove smelly workout clothes as soon as you get home. If you rent out or continually use a gym locker, leave behind a dryer sheet to keep it smelling fresh.

Clean Baseboards

Use a dryer sheet like a baseboard wipe. After you vacuum the carpet or sweep the floor, wipe a dryer sheet along the baseboards to remove clinging dust and pet hair.

Wipe Down Blinds and Ceiling Fans

Dryer sheets make it more challenging for dust to stick to common dust-accumulating surfaces like blinds and ceiling fans. The coating in dryer sheets leaves a thin barrier that keeps those surfaces dust-free longer and makes them easier to clean over time.

Remove Soap Scum on Glass

One way to wash away stubborn soap scum from bath and shower glass doors is to moisten a dryer sheet and allow the chemicals in the dryer sheet to wipe away the caked-on soap.

Polish Bathroom Fixtures

Polish your shower and sink chrome fixtures with a moistened dryer sheet. It also removes soap scum that accumulates on these fixtures.

Eliminate Powdery Messes

The anti-static cling properties in a dryer sheet allow you to wipe away fine powder messes, like flour, pancake mix, spices, and other powder spills. A dryer sheet grabs the particles that a paper towel would leave behind.

Get Scissors Working Better

Scissors often get gunky when crafting with glue, tape, other adhesives, or paints. Also, after much use, the metal and screw joint can benefit from lubrication. Use a dryer sheet and wipe along the blades and screw joint to clean the surface. It also adds a thin lubricant layer to make the scissors cut better.

Remove Crayon Marks From Surfaces

The chemicals in dryer sheets can wipe away waxy crayon marks. Lightly rub walls with a sheet and watch the crayon mark slowly disappear.

Clean Caked Paint Off Paint Brushes

Soak a dryer sheet in warm water with paint brushes that have fresh or caked-on paint. Allow the chemicals to attach to the paint residue, then rinse and wash away the paint.

Are Dryer Sheets Bad?

Some environmental groups have raised concerns about fragranced laundry products as research has shown they can lead to adverse health effects, especially in vulnerable individuals with allergen sensitivities.

Other suitable alternatives to dryer sheets for laundry include wool dryer balls or tennis balls, aluminum foil balls, or a damp washcloth or sponge. Dryer sheets are not ideal for all types of fabrics either.

If you are concerned about using scented dryer sheets for these home hacks, switch to unscented, all-natural products. Or make your own dryer sheets.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are bugs, deer, and nuisance animals repelled by dryer sheets?

The strong fragrance of dryer sheets may temporarily repel insects, deer, mice, rabbits, squirrels, and other nuisance pests. However, the dryer sheet is ineffective once the scent loses strength. Also, if this method is used in the garden, dryer sheets may turn away beneficial pollinators like bees and butterflies.

Do dryer sheets repel dust?

By wiping dryer sheets along a surface, the dryer sheet coating appears to repel dust, but it doesn't. The dryer sheet wipes away dust and leaves behind a thin barrier that does not allow dust to stick to the surface; however, it does not deter dust from accumulating.

Besides the laundry room, where else do people use dryer sheets?

Dryer sheets add fragrance to gym bags, shoes, and trash cans. They are also used to wipe blinds, baseboards, shelves, ceiling fans, electronic screens, and window screens.

Read Next: What Dryer Sheets Do to Your Clothes and Dryer

Read the original article on The Spruce.