Dryer sheets life expectancy?

[Earl E Retyre]

My DW just asked me how long I think she can continue to reuse dryer sheets. She says she has a clump of them in the dryer that she keeps reusing and thinks it might be time to throw those out and start some new ones.

So, I figured I would defer to the experts. How long do you reuse dryer sheets?

Come to think of it, this is probably best for a poll.

 

[Walt34]

We don't use dryer sheets.

 

[Red Badger]

Don't reuse, but do tear in half.

 

[braumeister]

Once they have gone through the dryer we put them back on the bed.

I mean, how much dryer are they going to get?

 

[Scrapr]

have you turned the old ones over? That seems to help. I use the same strategy for printer paper

 

[GravitySucks]

Don't use them or fabric softener. DW was allergic and now I can't stand the chemical scent.

 

[Choices]

No stinkin’ dryer sheets for us!

 

[swakyaby]

Love dryer sheets. Can't live without them.

 

[MoneyChic]

Sometimes I tear them in half, but only use them once in the dryer. After that, I tuck them in my dresser drawers and in my closet to keep clothes smelling better. This works particularly well in the winter if I put them in the top of the closet next to the air vent with the heat.


I also place them in my car - smells much better than any air freshener. Put it on the dashboard if it's summer and you park in the sun. Tuck them in the air vents in the winter and the heat will blow across them.


And now that I've clearly shown how much of a cheap nerd I am, I'll go back to reading other posts on this site

 

[6miths]

Do tear them in half and if I can find them they go back in. I suspect that total life is less than 6 months though.

 

[Tadpole]

I find dryer sheets years later caught in a piece of clothing I rarely wear. I have never found an insect hole in any such clothing, so, assuming the dryer sheet played a role, I would argue that a dryer sheet is capable of working day and night for years upon years.

 

[CRLLS]

Dryer sheets work pretty well at keeping mosquitos away from your face. Just tuck one in your collar or shirt pocket. I'm not sure if used sheets work as well.

 

[SumDay]

I don't use them at the advice of our appliance repair guy. I just put a little vinegar in the fabric softener dispenser of the washer. Works great.

So, I guess mine last forever.

 

[W2R]

We don't use dryer sheets.

I don't use dryer sheets either.

 

[Richard4444]

Nope. No dryer sheets here.

Rich

 

[Oz investor]

dryer sheets ?? what dryer sheets

i don't even have a dryer ( clothes or hair )

i also rely on my own weather forecasting ( don't hang soon to be needed stuff out on rainy days , prefer windy days )

and yes my power bills are lower than most .

 

[Winemaker]

My high school physics teacher, and her husband, had a doctorates in Physics from Universities in India. He worked for Westinghouse Nuclear back in '70's. The "Doc" as we affectionately called her, told us to NEVER, NEVER, use dryer sheets.

I've had too much wine over the years to remember why.

 

[atmsmshr]

My high school physics teacher, and her husband, had a doctorates in Physics from Universities in India. He worked for Westinghouse Nuclear back in '70's. The "Doc" as we affectionately called her, told us to NEVER, NEVER, use dryer sheets.

I've had too much wine over the years to remember why.

Until Tip O'Neil and Jimmy Carter proposed changing the EPA regulations, dryer sheets had waaay too much polonium allowed. (Same substance that the Bulgarians used to kill Boris Spasky in Vienna during the 1987 checkov crisis). Thanks to the foresight of O'Neil and Cater, Reagan signed the 1980 law substituting thorium for the active agent in dryer sheets. This is the same isotopic substance used in OFF spray, which is why a sheet tucked into a shirt collar makes such an effective insect repellent.

To be transparent, we save on the cost of dryer sheets by putting a teaspoon of turpentine into each washer load as a fabric softener.

Atom

 

[Lukeee]

Don't use them or fabric softener. DW was allergic and now I can't stand the chemical scent.

We gave up on dryer sheets years ago when I did a tour of a chemicals plant .... actually also gave up on wall plug ins, changed laundry detergents, car air fresheners.

 

[always_learning]

Huh. Now I'm embarrassed to admit that I just bought a new box of them.

I don't do lots of laundry anymore so I don't use that many. With just two of us, they seem to last through a few cycles. I found that when the kids were here and the loads were larger, I couldn't reuse them at all.

I can't bring myself to use turpentine but I am open to trying vinegar and no sheets (I already use vinegar on towels and on any new clothes with dark colors to 'set' the dye). Does it work during the winter when things get super static-y or is it simply a 'softener'?

I love the tips about using them as mosquito deterrent. I will have to try that. Those *$%@ love me and I'm tired of dousing myself with OFF. DH doesn't need them as he likes to joke that I'm all he needs when he is outside. They bypass him and go straight for me.

Any tips to prevent DH from collapsing with laughter when he sees me in the yard with dryer sheets tucked into my socks, shirt sleeves, shirt neck and under my hat?

 

[GrayHare]

Their life expectancy is about the same as that of dryer pillowcases.

 

[ABQ2015]

I have sensitive skin and dislike the smell so do not use dryer sheets. Instead I use the perfume and dye free liquid fabric softener. But I have an unopened box of dryer sheets that I bought for the next time gophers invade my yard. If you stick a few dryer sheets in their tunnel, the smell is supposed to repel the gophers.

 

[dtbach]

My wife does the laundry so I can't say how long we use them. . .

 

[aja8888]

What's a dryer sheet?

 

[ncbill]

Vinegar in the washer instead.