PICK UP PET HAIR • Pet hair can get a pretty tenacious grip on furniture and clothing. But a used fabric softener sheet will suck that fur right off the fabric with a couple of swipes. Just toss the fuzzy wipe into the garbage.
END CAR ODORS • Has that new-car smell gradually turned into that old-car stench? Tuck a fresh fabric softener sheet under each car seat to counteract musty odors and cigarette smells.
FRESHEN DRAWERS
There’s no need to buy scented drawer-liner paper. Give your dresser drawers a fresh-air fragrance by tucking a new dryer fabric softener sheet under existing drawer liners or just tape one to the back of each drawer.
FRESHEN UP HAMPERS & WASTEBASKETS
There’s still plenty of life left in used fabric softener sheets. Toss one into the bottom of a laundry basket or wastebasket to counteract odors.
LIFT BURNED-ON CASSEROLE RESIDUE • Those sheets will soften more than fabric. The next time food gets burned onto your casserole dish, save the elbow grease. Instead fill the dish with hot water and toss in three or four used softener sheets. Soak overnight, remove the sheets, and you’ll have no trouble washing away the residue. Rinse well.
REPEL DUST FROM ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES • Because television and PC screens are electrically charged, they actually attract dust, making dusting them a never-ending chore, but not if you dust them with used fabric softener sheets. These sheets are designed to reduce static cling, so they remove the dust and keep it from resettling for several days.
DO AWAY WITH DOGGY ODOR • If man’s best friend comes in from the rain and smells like a, well, wet dog, wipe him down with a used fabric softener sheet, and he’ll smell as fresh as a daisy.
BUFF CHROME TO A BRILLIANT SHINE
After chrome is cleaned, it can still look streaky and dull, but whether it’s your toaster or the hub caps on your car, you can easily buff up the shine with a used dryer fabric softener sheet.
USE AS A SAFE MOSQUITO REPELLENT • For a safe mosquito repellent, look no further than the laundry. Save used dryer fabric softener sheets and pin or tie one to your clothing when you go outdoors to help repel mosquitoes.
DO AWAY WITH STATIC CLING • You’ll never be embarrassed by static cling again if you keep a used fabric softener sheet in your purse or dresser drawer. When faced with static, dampen the sheet and rub it over your pantyhose to put an end to clinging skirts.
KEEP DUST OFF BLINDS • Cleaning venetian blinds is a tedious job, so make the results last by wiping them down with a used fabric softener sheet to repel dust. Just wipe them with another sheet whenever the effect wears off.
USE AS INCONSPICUOUS AIR FRESHENERS • You don’t need to spend hard-earned money on those expensive plug-in air fresheners. Just tuck a few fabric softener sheets into closets, behind curtains, and under chairs.
PREVENT MUSTY ODORS IN SUITCASES
Place a single, unused fabric softener sheet into an empty suitcase or other piece of luggage before storing. The bag will smell great the next time you use it.
USE A DRYER SHEET AS A TACK CLOTH • Sticky tack cloths are designed to pick up all traces of sawdust on a woodworking project before you paint or varnish it, but they are expensive and not always easy to find at the hardware store. If you’re in the middle of a project without a tack cloth, substitute an unused fabric softener sheet; it will attract sawdust and hold it like a magnet.
CONSOLIDATE SHEETS AND MAKE THEM SMELL FRESH • To improve your sheet storage, put each sheet set into one of its matching pillowcases, then tuck a new fabric softener sheet into the packet for a fresh fragrance.
TAME LOCKER-ROOM AND SNEAKER SMELLS •Deodorizing sneakers and gym bags calls for strong stuff. Tuck a new fabric softener sheet into each shoe and leave overnight to neutralize odors (just remember to pull them out before wearing them). Drop a dryer sheet into the bottom of a gym bag and leave it there until your nose lets you know it’s time to renew it.
WIPE SOAP SCUM FROM SHOWER DOORS • If you’re tired of having to clean those scummy shower doors, give it up! It’s easy to wipe the soap scum away with a used dryer fabric softener sheet. A sparkling clean glass shower door is just a swipe away.
ABOLISH TANGLED SEWING THREAD • To put an end to tangled thread, keep an unused fabric softener sheet in your sewing kit. After threading the needle, insert it into the sheet and pull all of the thread through to give it a nonstick coating.
RENEW GRUBBY STUFFED TOYS • Wash fake-fur stuffed animals in the washing machine on gentle cycle and put them into the dryer, along with a pair of old tennis shoes and a fabric softener sheet. They will come out fluffy with silky-soft fur.