Top 5 Uses for Dryer Lint

The little bundle of dryer lint left over after every humble load of laundry has a surprising number of applications. Here are the top 5 uses for dryer lint.

Dryer Lint Fire Starter

One of the best uses for dryer lint is as a fire starter. These highly flammable bits of fabric lint are a great easy way to give kindling a little extra boost toward ignition whether you are making a primitive campfire in the backcountry or a cozy hearth fire back at home. While a zip lock bag full of dryer lint in your backpack will work just fine, there are instructions available online for making more sophisticated fire starters out of dryer lint.

Dryer Lint Clay

One of the more innovative uses for dryer lint is forming it into a kind of clay using one of the handful of recipes found online. Not only is the resulting clay practically free, it is surprisingly malleable and workable. Some finished pieces made from dryer lint clay are available through a simple image search.

Dryer Lint Stuffing and Padding

I wouldn't recommend lying down on a dryer lint pillow for anyone with allergies, but the softness of dryer lint makes it a great cushion with a variety of applications. A large collection can be used as padding when packing and shipping small, delicate objects. Drier lint can be stuffed into cracks and crevices as quick form of insulation. I've even heard of some people stuffing homemade dolls and teddy bears with their collections of drier lint.

Dryer Lint for Plant Care

Dryer lint also has some innovative applications for both indoor and outdoor gardening. Lining the bottom of a pot with dryer lint before added plant and soil will allow water to filter out the bottom of the pot without the loss of soil and nutrients. Many claim that dryer lint is a great addition to the home compost pile, I assume for the water drainage that the substance adds to the soil.

Dryer Lint for Animal Nesting

If you can't find a good application for dryer lint in your own household, you might consider passing it on to one of our animal friends. When birds are building their nests, set dryer lint out on your back lawn or hang in on a string hanging from a tree branch. Birds will retrieve it and use it as a cozy form of insulation for their nests. Dryer lint can also be used for making comfortable nests for small pet mammals, such as gerbils and rabbits.

Sources:

http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf184073.tip.html

http://www.allfreecrafts.com/recycling-crafts/dryer-lint.shtml

http://www.users.vance.net/tprewitt/lint.htm

http://www.stoptheride.net/2008/01/thirteen-ways-to-use-dryer-lint-tt-19.html

http://www.maranathalife.com/science/sc12-98a.htm