22 Uses for Dryer Sheets (That Aren’t Laundry)

Don't toss dryer sheets after one load of laundry—hold onto them instead. From eliminating dust to fighting static, here are our favorite uses for dryer sheets.

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dryer sheets
Alaina DiGiacomo/Taste of Home

Along with making clothes soft and sniffably fresh, dryer sheets can be used in dozens of ways around the house. Their clean scent covers up plenty of odors, and they’re abrasive enough to clean, but won’t damage most surfaces. Here are the most unexpected uses for dryer sheets.

FYI: This is how dryer sheets actually work.

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Img 8633 Dryer Sheet Baseboard Sq
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Clean Baseboards

Vacuum the carpet or sweep the floor, then wipe a dryer sheet along the baseboards to remove stubborn dust and pet hair. Bonus: It repels dust later, too!

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Dust Tv With Dryer Sheet Ad Toh
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Dust Your TV Screen

The sheets have anti-static properties that will help prevent dust from settling on the TV screen.

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Img 8550 Dust Window Blinds Dryer Sheet Ad
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Clean Window Blinds

Just like with the TV, dryer sheets will repel dust and make blinds easier to clean over time. See our best cleaning tricks for hard-to-clean household objects.

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Static Hair Dryer Sheet Ad
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Tame Flyaway Hair

Did dry air make your hair static-y? Rub a dryer sheet between your brush’s bristles to smooth things over.

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CLOSE-UP DOG OR CAT HAIR ON BLACK SOFA FURNITURE.
smrm1977/Getty Images

Clean Up Pet Hair

Dryer sheets are great grabbers. Rub one along the floor or couch to pick up pet hair—or clippings from at-home haircuts.

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 Shoe Smell fix with Dryer Sheets Adedit
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Freshen Up Your Shoes

Stick a dryer sheet in your flats or sneakers overnight to get rid of funky odors.

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hxdbzxy/Shutterstock

Scrub Away Soap Scum

Rub a sheet on glass shower doors to clean caked-on grime.

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Dryer Sheet Burnt Food Pan Ad Toh
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Easily Scour Pans

If food gets burned on a pan, let it soak overnight with water and a fresh dryer sheet. Check out this dryer sheet hack in action!

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Close-up of white bathroom vanity with silver faucet
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Give Chrome a Polish

From bathrooms to vehicles, dryer sheets can help restore chrome’s trademark shine.

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Spilled Flour Dryer Sheets Ad Toh
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Clean Up Pantry Spills

Flour, pancake mix and other powdery ingredients will stick to dryer sheets, unlike paper towels.

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electric fan in the room; Shutterstock ID 336276917; Job (TFH, TOH, RD, BNB, CWM, CM): Taste of Home
Shutterstock/ben bryant

Freshen the Air Fast

Place sheets in vents or behind fans to fill your home with a fresh, clean scent.

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Mother's handbag with items to care for child.
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Cover Up Diaper Smells

Tuck a fresh sheet into your diaper bag or bathroom garbage can help take the edge off odors.

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Pile of old books
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De-Musk Old Books

You scored some great reads at a garage sale—but they’re a little musty. Put old books in a bag with some dryer sheets—after a few days, they’ll smell as good as new.

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Hispanic girl drawing on wall
Jose Luis Pelaez Inc/Getty Images

Remove Crayon Marks

Lightly rub walls with a sheet and watch the crayon disappear. Magic! Parents, here’s how to remove crayon from furniture and more.

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An artist's palette with open tubes of paint, brushes and a palette knife. Focus is on the brushes
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Get Paint Off Brushes

Put a dryer sheet in warm water along with the brush—within a few minutes of soaking, the paint should wash right off.

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Sharpen Scissors With Dryer Sheet Ad
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Sharpen Scissors

Run a used dryer sheet along the blades to restore their snipping power.

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Women who are itching from insect bites in the grass. / Health care and medicine.; Shutterstock ID 1016599672; Job (TFH, TOH, RD, BNB, CWM, CM): Taste of Home
namtipStudio/Shutterstock

Repel Insects

Mosquitoes don’t like the smell of dryer sheets, so slip one into your belt loop to ward off the pesky insects.

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Mountain Camping Equipment with a Tent,Boots, Backpack, Trekking Poles and Sleeping Pad; Shutterstock ID 215842618; Job (TFH, TOH, RD, BNB, CWM, CM): Taste of Home
catalina.m/Shutterstock

Keep Camping Gear Fresh

Toss dryer sheets into your tent and sleeping bags to stave off a mildewy smell.

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Clean Sand Off Feet With Dryer Sheet Ad
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Banish Post-Beach Sand

This is one of the most surprising uses for dryer sheets! Wipe yourself and your kids with a dryer sheet to rid skin of dry sand before getting in the car.

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Car Interior
mauro_grigollo/Getty Images

Keep Cars Smelling Fresh

Put a few sheets underneath the seat to freshen up your car without hanging something from your rear-view mirror.

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Bathroom interior
Marlene Ford/Getty Images

Clean the Toilet

Dryer sheets are great to for cleaning the toilet—especially that crevice at the back that traps all kinds of hair and dust.

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White spot on the dress armpit and deodorant on a wooden background. Top view.
Mukhina1/Getty Images

Remove Deodorant Stains

Keep your clothes streak-free (and smelling fresh) with a quick dryer sheet wipe on deodorant stains.

Amrita Thakkar
Amrita is a writer, poet and amateur photographer who often ends up applying these skills to her one great love: food. You can find her up at 3 a.m. writing, researching the perfect combo for her next grilled cheese or making a more eco-friendly grocery list.