Creative Uses for Dryer Lint

Don't throw out that fuzz from your dryer's lint screen! You can turn it into many practical and beautiful items.

For example, why not give lint of various colors to your children for art projects? They can use it for anything that needs a soft and fluffy look, like Santa's beard or a snowman on a homemade Christmas card, fluffy clouds on a picture, or the pom-pom buttons on a clown's suit.

If you sew, use it for stuffing. I saved up my lint for several months, and put it inside cloth ornaments I was sewing for my Christmas tree. It sure beat buying that expensive pillow stuffing at the craft store, and looked every bit as nice.

Why not make homemade paper with it? You can use it for scrapbook pages, wrapping small gifts, or make a stationery set with a nice pen for a gift.

Here is the recipe for turning lint into paper:

Make a concoction called "slurry" by mixing torn scraps of paper, dryer lint and water together in a blender. Pour it onto a paper-making frame that is placed in a pan of water. Carefully lift the frame up, flip the paper out and let it dry.

You can also use dryer lint to make clay:

Mix together 2 cups of firmly packed lint, 1/3 of a cup of warm water, 1 tablespoon of clear dish washing liquid, and 6 tablespoons of white glue. If you want to add color or sparkle, mix in a few drops of food coloring or glitter. Mix and knead evenly into a nice pliable clay.

Animals also like dryer lint! Give it to your hamster for bedding. Or leave it outside for birds to line their nests with it. This works best in desert climates, as lint can absorb a lot of moisture, and might waterlog the nest in cold or rainy climates.

Keep cold air from coming in the house under your doors. Simply stuff dryer lint into old tube socks, and use it as a draft stopper.

Put lint inside toilet paper rolls and use it for a fire starter when camping, or for your home fireplace. Remember that lint is very flammable, so store it carefully. Try putting the fire-starters in a coffee can. It will keep the lint dry while camping outdoors.

Finally, use lint as a packing material, instead of buying those expensive padded envelopes at the post office.


Irene Helen Zundel is a freelance writer, educator and mother, and an expert in child development, home schooling and creative parenting and home making.
Visit her online at http://www.irenehelenzundel.com