#Recycling: Reusing Dryer Sheets

Originally posted on RecycleBank.com by Sebrina Zerkus Smith.

Do you use dryer sheets to soften your clothes and reduce static cling? These are not usually biodegradable, but you can reuse these sheets for many other household uses. And if you don’t use dryer sheets, great for you because they can be replaced by using vinegar in the wash or on an old towel in the dryer without clogging your dryer duct.

  • Keep some used dryer sheets in a container in your car for wiping the dashboard. Place one under the driver side seat to give it that new car smell.
  • Use one to smooth your hair and prevent winter fly-aways.
  • Use them for cleaning bug splats from your windshield. Just wet one or more softener sheets and wipe over splats. Wait a couple minutes, wipe again and then flush with water.
  • Use on grill, headlights, side mirrors and any other surfaces.
  • Place used dryer sheets in the bottom of your trash can before you add the new bag, It will absorb any drips or leaks and leave the can smelling fresh. This works especially well if you use paper grocery bags in your can, which tend to leak easily.
  • Place a used dryer sheet near the trashcan at your next barbecue or picnic; it will repel bees and flies. Also, wipe one over your arms and legs to repel mosquitoes.
  • Soften the soles of your feet by soaking your feet in some warm water and rubbing them with a used fabric softener sheet.
  • Place a used fabric softener sheet inside your vacuum bag next time you change it to freshen as you clean.
  • Place them in the rafters of your home to keep spiders and other bugs from nesting.
  • They’re great for removing stuck on foods from your pots and pans. Fill the grimy pan with water and drop the sheet inside. – - Let soak for about an hour and wash as usual.
  • Use old dryer sheets to easily wipe up messes like talcum powder and flour.
  • Use old dryer sheets in the bottom of flowerpots to cover the drainage holes.
  • Stuff them in and around any place that needs freshening like tennis shoes, closets, laundry hampers, luggage and dresser drawers. Tuck one in your pillow and sleep on a fresh scent every night.
  • Use them instead of paper when doing ‘paper piecing’ for quilts. First ironed them smooth, then trace your pattern onto the dryer sheets. They’re lightweight, don’t add bulk to your quilt & they smell great.
  • Use them to remove pet hair from your clothes and furniture.
  • Run a sheet over a piece of thread before you thread the needle when sewing. The thread will glide through the eye and won’t tangle when sewing.
  • Rid your house of unwanted pests. Find any place where pests like mice are entering your house and stuff the hole shut with used sheets.
  • Use them to remove soap scum on your glass shower door, or use to wipe windows when cleaning.
  • Used dryer sheets make great dusting cloths for your wooden furniture.
  • Use just like you would a Swiffer sheet on your floors to pick up dust and pet hair.
  • If your scissors are dull and not cutting as smoothly as they should, wiping them with a used dryer sheet will remedy the problem.

Which of these are you more likely to reuse dryer sheets? I especially like the car uses and removing pet hair from clothes.

Share
September 18th, 2012 | Tags: , | Category: Greener Living Tips, Recycling | Leave a comment

Save on Personalized Greeting Cards

I really love this company and ordering personalized (paper) greeting cards is just one more way to make someone’s day special! Take advantage of this offer – you can order them all at once and personalize each one!
Tiny Prints 10 Free Thank You Cards

Tiny Prints 10 Free Thank You Cards

“Thank you.”

Two words not said enough, by bosses, by spouses, by friends, or by strangers on the street. Tiny Prints is out to change that.

For one week only, you can get 10 FREE thank you cards from Tiny Prints. All you pay is shipping (as low as $3.50).

These cards can be completely customized and personalized to your tastes. Choose from thousands of designs, add pictures, change the text, the fonts, the colors. You get to make these cards uniquely you.

Just use the promo code FREETHANKS when you check out and pay the shipping and Tiny Prints will send the 10 cards right away. Then…it’s up to you to use them!

Let’s start a Thank You Revolution!

Visit Tiny Prints now to take advantage of this incredible deal.

Share
September 13th, 2012 | Tags: , | Category: Green News | Leave a comment

Can Potted Plants Really Grow Up? Benefits of Vertical Gardening

Those topsy turvy planters may have something hanging over those who do not have the space to grow a garden. I long to have my own planted garden in a yard someday. However, until then, I have to settle for a 10 by 4 ft balcony with potted plants.

I’d really like to know how to grow a “salad garden” with green peppers, lettuce, onion, carrots, radish, cucumbers, tomatoes and herbs in my limited space. With this idea of a vertical garden, I may be able to grow my garden up – literally.

Benefits of growing a vertical garden

Small is nice (and convenient). When space is limited, vertical container gardening or a small garden bed is just what will work.  You’ll only need pots as deep as the roots will grow since your plants will grow upwards and not outwards. Less is more. You will still need some support poles or a trellis to train the plants to go up. 

Vertical tower pots and containers are perfect for a balcony or patio. Stacking pots or tower pots are commercial containers help you grow plants that don’t have a vine like strawberries, lettuce, carrots, onions, etc. As a bonus, you can add a trellis or other supports in containers or put behind containers to create your vertical garden in a small space like a balcony or patio. You can also hang containers on a wall at different heights to create an visually appealing vertical garden.

Vertical tower pots get your plants to grow up in a small space.

Think outside the clay pot.Be creative about the containers for your vertical garden. Why buy new clay or plastic pots, when you probably have something out in your garage or shed that would work just fine. Extra gutter pieces or cinder blocks taking up some space in the corner? Even an old milk crate would work. Look at the photos below for some inspiration.

Use extra gutter pieces to create a vertical garden. Courtesy of FunDesignIdeas.com

More fruit in half the space.Since your garden is growing upward and using less soil, you’ll find that the fruits of your labor will reward you much more than traditional gardens. Use a support system behind and/or beside your plants and allow about 6 inches away from a wall or fence so plants can produce fruit on all sides.

Build your own support system for a vertical garden like this one above. Courtesy of Salt Lake Tribune.

Less energy and muscle strain to harvest. Remember your grandmother’s stories of how she had an aching back from bending over while picking tomatoes, peppers and other vegetables from the garden? With a vertical garden, you won’t have to suffer so much although you may have to reach above your head if your plants reach their maximum height. It will be much easier to see and harvest your fruit, herbs and vegetables when they are growing up rather than across the ground. 

You’ll find more information in the book Vertical Gardening,  by Derek Fell available through my AmazonStore.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Share
August 18th, 2012 | Tags: , , | Category: Conservation, Gardening, Sustainable Living | One comment
« Newer Entries  
  Older Entries »