Dryer Lint Use

The other day, I was cleaning around the house and thought, "you know, I should really clean out the lint trap in the dryer."  So I pulled out the trap and found a huge mass of lint.

I've written about different reuse ideas for dryer lint in the past.  You can place it in the yard, for example, and birds will come and pick it up and use it feather their nest. You can also use it as a firestarter in the fireplace or BBQ; just light it with a match and it'll get the fire roaring.  I've heard people who use it to stuff pillows, too.

Anyway, as I was holding the mound of dryer lint in my hands, I noticed how soft it was.    And here's what I discovered: It makes the absolute best buffing cloth for cleaning around the house.    I took it to the range where it soaked up greasy stains and polished up stainless steel to perfection.   Then I flipped it and buffed the countertops clean with just a few spritz of Method's Go Naked all-purpose cleaing spray.   

Before I knew it, the kitchen looked spotless and clean and I could toss the dryer lint away, full of dirt, grime and who knows what else.

Comments

[Janet McKinney]

Ohhh dear - I am sure you found good use for the lint. The main problem is that, as you noticed, it burns very easily, and allowed to accumulate in the dryer in this amount, it is a perfectly good ignition point for a house fire.

Regardless of your alternative uses for the lint - for your own safety, please don't allow it to accumulate to this degree...

[mary walmer]

eee-gads I agree with the above message-you are supposed to clear your lint trap before every load,not only for safety but also to make your dryer run more efficiently.

[jane]

Please retract "birds will come and pick it up and use it feather their nest".

When lint gets wet it has no insulating factors and hardens into a rock like form.

[allison]

I throw mine in the compost. Call me crazy, but I see no harm. It appears to decompose, as I didn't find any trace of it when I moved my compost to a new bin.

[erika]

I got a chill with the thought that anyone uses it to stuff pillows. It's extremely flammable. I compost mine.

[sherrieg]

Please, please, please follow the advice of the previous posters and clean it more often! It will save energy, and it's definitely worth the small effort! I'm surprised if that's not included in your calendar. :)

[kathy]

I found recipes online to make paper and clay out of dryer lint, which I can't wait to try with my daughter.

[Kerri K.]

I don't know if I could bring myself to clean with my dryer lint. I mean its a great idea and all but when I clean the lint out, its always so darn dusty. I'm always wiping off the top of my dryer because the lint dust flies everywhere. There are certain loads that aren't as bad though. Perhaps I will try lint as a cleaning cloth one of those days.

[Grace]

I agree with the previous comments about the flammability of lint. PLEASE use it sensibly.

I too have put it out for birds to use in nesting. Not concerned about it turning 'rock-hard.' I don't think this is going to happen. 1)it's made up of many different fibers depending upon the fabric it's from. I always choose natural fibers for my clothing.
2)The birds gather nesting materials from many different sources, the dryer lint will comprise a small portion of any nest.

On the topic of nests: For years I have also been wedging fluffs of cat fur (from their combs and brushes) into shrubs and bushes. The birds love it and use it. Come to think of it, I imagine my dryer lint includes cat fur too.

[Liz]

Fire starter: good idea. Compost: good idea. Bird nest material: not sure. Dust cloth: bad idea. Craft material: maybe, but only use white lint. I made something with gray lint once and it was soooo ugly!

[Jules]

it does make an excellent fire started..I fill up empty toilet paper rolls with it then seal them with the remains of old candles that have burnt down..they work wonderfully!

If I ever pulled lint out of my dryer and it looked like that- I would be frightened..nevermind cleaning it almost daily with every load- I stick the vaccum down there weekly to get rid of the lint! be careful Danny!

[Beth/Mom2TwoVikings]

Was gonna use dryer lint for birds too but was told it would be bad for the birds:

"For years I've heard the suggestion to save clothes-dryer lint and put it out for the birds in the spring. Although it feels soft, warm and fuzzy, clothes-dryer lint can be a poor selection for a bird's nest.

"'Never set out dryer lint for nesting birds," according to Laura Erickson in her book "101 Ways to Help Birds" (Stackpole Press). Laura says, "Although the soft, fluffy lint feels suitable both to us and to birds, after it gets wet and then dries, it becomes brittle and crumbly and could cause a nest to fall apart.'"

source: http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2008/mar/30/some-nest-building-materials-unwise-choices/

[Lalla Lydia]

Wow! I had no idea that lint was so useful! I now have a burning desire to raid my apartment building's laundry room lint bin and go dust my home! Thanks Danny.

[Liz]

After using them in the dryer, I save my Method dryer sheets (the wet kind that come in a little tub) for dusting around the house. They're made of a textured material that's great for wiping dust off of surfaces and it's good way to get an extra use out of them before they're thrown away.

[Winnie]

We no longer have a dryer. When the last one crapped out, we made the decision that with just the two of us left (we raised 3 kids) we didn't need one. However, I never let my dryer filter get that much crap on it! It really reduces the efficiency and is highly flammable - take it from someone who lost all her 8 year olds son's underwear in a dryer fire. Besides, with a daughter in Girl Guides, there was always a paper egg carton sitting there waiting to have it's little cups filled with lint. Then, like the poster above with the toilet rolls, you fill with wax. Break them apart, hey presto, easy, portable fire starters!

[Kerri K.]

I did some research on that picture Danny posted of the dryer lint. ITS NOT ACTUALLY WHAT HE PULLED OUT OF HIS DRYER! If you type "dryer lint" into Google, that is one of the images that comes up (from another website). Everyone seems to be on his case about the hazards of that much lint, but I'm sure he knows. Hes a pro!

[Krista]

well, in perfect frankness, if i pulled out dryer lint from my dryer that was sturdy enough to use as a cleaning cloth for anything, it would have been waaaaay too long since i'd cleaned it! i do agree with the other cautions about fire hazards.

we generally either use it to make paper with our 3 yr old for fun, or compost it. torn up old tshirts are great for cleaning cloths and more effective in my opinion.

[John]

paper making. Puree in a blender and pour it in a form for geometric shapes or pour it pancake style. You can also lay a woodcut on the wet slab and you'll have an interesting homemade paper tile that can be used as wall art.

[Sarah]

I'm so glad you posted about this. We recently tried using the dryer lint as a fire starter and it worked great! I even wrote about it. I will definitely be collecting to use later when we go camping again.
http://alivewithanticipation.blogspot.com/2008/04/reuse-that-dryer-lint.html