No matter what dryer you use, it will produce some lint. The fuzzy stuff left over at the end of the wash cycle is composed of loose fibers from clothes plus any other lightweight items that happen to be tumbling around in the dryer, such as human hair, pet hair and tissues.
It’s important to clean the lint from the dryer regularly to avoid fires. But what to do with all that leftover material? Some people use it in craft projects, but seriously, who wants to play with clay or toys made of leftover sock bits and human hair? Here are four slightly less gross ways to use dryer lint:
- Put it in the compost. Lint makes a decent carbon source in the compost bin, particularly when it’s made up of mostly natural fibers like cotton.
- Make fire starters. Toss lint in an old egg carton, pour some melted wax on top and voilà! A great thing to take camping. Recycling bonus: melt down old, partially burned candles for the wax. Lint is quite flammable, so it also makes a good fire starter all by itself. (This is yet another reason not to use it for children’s toys.)
- Keep plants warm and moist. Lint works as a mulch on both indoor and outdoor plants. Lint will help keep outdoor plants warm in the winter, and will slow evaporation, meaning you don’t have to water as often.
- Keep pets warm. Indoor pets like guinea pigs and hamsters can use dryer lint as nesting material.
