Why You Should Consider Saving Your Dryer Lint

To make sure your dryer always works properly, it's important to empty out the lint trap after every time you use it. Typically, when most people complete this task, they throw the lint directly into the trash. However, there are a number of reasons why you may want to save and reuse this material instead.

Reusing your lint keeps it from harming the environment, which could happen if it was thrown into the trash. A 2021 study published by Chemosphere discovered that microplastics in lint can harm marine life when they inevitably wind up in the sea. Another benefit of repurposing this material is that it could save you money, as it can replace things like craft stuffing or fire kindling. Further, it's extremely easy to collect. By simply placing it inside a plastic grocery bag or a small trash can, which you could leave in your laundry room at all times, you could store up an extensive amount of lint in a short amount of time. Once you've gathered a large stash, consider recycling this material for one of the following uses.

Inside the home, one of the most common uses for dryer lint is to fill things like craft projects, throw pillows, toys, and pet beds. Typically, these items are stuffed with something like Poly-fil or polyester, but 16 ounces of this product costs over $5 on Amazon. If you simply save your dryer lint, which is always readily available for those who consistently dry clothes, you could save a large amount of money over time. However, keep in mind that whatever you fill with this material should not be washed, as the material could become compacted when wet. 

Another use inside the home is to clean up spills in the kitchen, garage, bathroom, or anywhere else. Because dryer lint is made out of tiny pieces of fabric, it can soak up liquid just like a fabric or paper towel would. However, the soaked material will have to be thrown away afterward, since, once again, it will break apart once wet. This is a much cheaper and more sustainable option over regularly using paper towels. 

There are also a couple of ways to use dryer lint outdoors. The main reason why you need to remove your lint from your appliance after every use is because it is highly flammable. But that doesn't have to be a bad thing: You could save this material to start fires when camping. When storing lint for this use, try stuffing it into cardboard toilet paper or paper towel rolls and make sure to keep it dry. This could save you money on kindling and make the process of starting a fire much easier.

Another use for dryer lint is to prevent weeds or soil erosion around the home, as a thick layer could help the soil stay more compact. However, keep it away from growing plants, as it could negatively impact their growth. Dryer lint can also be used in your compost pile and will add more carbon to your mixture. However, only utilize this material if you don't use dryer sheets, as these add toxic chemicals to your lint that shouldn't be added to your garden.