Sometimes I'm bewildered by the cost of basic necessities while I browse the cleaning product aisles. After all, some of this stuff costs a lot and is supposed to last through one use. Take dryer sheets for example. You pop them in with a load and toss them when you're done. That is wasteful and costly. But what if you could get two uses out of a dryer sheet? You'd lower your cost and waste. There are plenty of ways you can reuse a dryer sheet. Here are my favorites.
Dusting electronics
My TV screen collects a lot of dust, but I'm hesitant to use a feather duster or a towel to wipe it down. I'm afraid I'll scratch the screen while I'm cleaning. Recently, I've been using an old dryer sheep to wipe down my electronics. The dryer sheet pulls all the dust off quickly and is gentle enough that it hasn't damaged my screen.
Clean up flour
I hate cooking with flour simply because I can't seem to keep from spilling it all over my counters. When I try to clean it up by hand, I end up with a mess across the counter, sink and floor. My neighbor suggested using an old dryer sheet and it worked. Now, whenever I spill flour on the counter, I run a dryer sheet across the surface. The dryer sheet has small pockets that scoop the flour up and away from the counter, without creating a bigger mess.
Remove pet hair
I love my dog, but I could live without all the pet hair everywhere. It's a constant battle in my house. I bought a specialized cleaner meant for removing pet hair off of furniture, but it didn't work as well as I hoped. Out of desperation, I tried a used dryer sheet and it worked perfectly. I ran the dryer sheet over my cloth couch and chair and it pulled up 99 percent of the pet hair off the fabric.
Air freshener
An old roommate of mine used this trick and our apartment always smelled wonderful. She would add a used dryer sheet to the vacuum bag. While she was vacuuming, the smell of the dryer sheet dispersed in the air. The apartment would smell fresh and clean, just like laundry, for a few days after vacuuming.
Closet freshener
Now that I have hardwood floors, I've found another way to freshen the air with dryer sheets. After I do my laundry, I toss the old dryer sheet into my closet or inside my dresser drawers. The dryer sheet helps keep the clothes inside smelling freshly washed for at least a week.
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