Smart Ways To Reuse Dryer Sheets In The Laundry Room You Probably Hadn't Thought Of

If you're one to toss out a dryer sheet after a finishing a load of laundry without a second thought, you may want to hold on to it a little bit longer. In addition to keeping newly washed laundry scented and static-free, they actually serve a multitude of purposes that extend beyond the dryer. This nifty laundry additive has already proven its brilliant usefulness outside of the laundry room, even going so far as to convince us to keep a pack of dryer sheets in our kitchens. But even before exploring their various uses around the house, dryer sheets can be reused to clean, polish, and freshen things up within the immediate confines of your laundry room.

Dryer sheets are a great tool for removing errant lint and dust. A quick swipe of a used dryer sheet around the lip, the lint tray, and your dryer drum saves you from the trouble of plucking lint off your clothes from the next dryer load. Though seemingly harmless, excessive lint can actually spark a fire, so removing it as soon as it appears easily prevents a dangerous fire hazard from building up.

You can also use dryer sheets to remove pesky stains from your iron by turning the iron to its lowest heat setting before carefully scrubbing at its surface stains with a used dryer sheet. While we're on the topic of stains, a used dryer sheet can also be useful in ridding dark-colored shirts of embarrassing traces of deodorant. Just swipe away at the underarm stains to stretch that shirt out to another wear before tossing it in the laundry; it will even give it an extra boost of fragrance.

Since a laundry room easily succumbs to moisture and dampness, you may want to remove watermarks or smudges from the room's faucets or other metal fixtures with the help of an old dryer sheet.

To take advantage of their air-freshening qualities, stuff a few dryer sheets in your linen closet or between folded bed sheets to keep newly washed laundry smelling fresh and scented much longer. Alternatively, ward off unpleasant odors in your laundry room by leaving some used dryer sheets in your dirty linen hamper until those used clothes are due for the washing machine.