By Bill Derby
Cold dry winter weather brings on the static electric shock. Shuffle you stocking feet across a carpet and touch your wife’s nose. That will quickly let you know if you are static inclined.
Static cling is another issue. I occasionally do the laundry at home. Sunday was static cling day for me. Dang undies along with everything else were sticking together, sparks flying. I’ve also had static on one of my guitar’s pick guards. It crackles and pops with static while picking a tune.
I discovered that wiping down my guitar pick guard with a dryer sheet will remove the static. That’s pretty smart stuff.
I read these other uses for the dryer sheet that your folks who help out around the house might find interesting. If you don’t mind smelling like a freshly cleaned pair of underwear, try some of these ideas.
Bounce type dryer sheets- Other uses in addition to throwing one in the dryer.
1. Bounce will chase ants away when you lay a sheet near them.
2. It also repels mice – spread them around foundation areas, or in trailers, cars that are sitting and it keeps mice from entering your vehicle. Same goes for squirrels, raccoons, and other rodents. Tuck dryer sheets under the doors of your basements, RVs, and garden sheds, to keep critters out.
3. It takes the odor out of books and photo albums that don’t get opened too often.
4. It repels mosquitoes. Tie a sheet of Bounce through a belt loop when outdoors during mosquito season.
5. Eliminate static electricity from your television or computer screen. Since Bounce is designed to help eliminate static cling, wipe your television screen with a used sheet of Bounce to keep dust from resettling.
6. Dissolve soap scum from shower doors. Clean with a sheet of Bounce.
7. To freshen the air in your home, place an individual sheet of Bounce in a drawer, or hang in the closet.
8. Put a Bounce sheet in the vacuum cleaner.
9. Prevent thread from tangling. Run a threaded needle through sheet of Bounce before beginning to sew.
10. Prevent musty suitcases. Place an individual sheet of Bounce inside empty luggage before storing.
11. Freshen the air in your car. Place a sheet of Bounce under the front seat.
12. Clean baked-on foods from a cooking pan. Put a sheet in a pan, fill with water, let sit overnight, and sponge clean. The anti-static agent apparently weakens the bond between the food and the pan.
13. Eliminate odors in wastebaskets. Place a sheet of Bounce at the bottom of the wastebasket.
14. Collect cat hair. Rubbing the area with a sheet of Bounce will magnetically attract all the loose hairs.
15. Eliminate static electricity from Venetian blinds. Wipe the blinds with a sheet of Bounce to prevent dust from resettling.
16. Wipe up sawdust from drilling or sand papering. A used sheet of Bounce will collect sawdust like a tack cloth.
17. Eliminate odors in dirty laundry. Place an individual sheet of Bounce at the bottom of a laundry bag or hamper.
18. Deodorize shoes or sneakers. Place a sheet of Bounce in your shoes or sneakers overnight to keep from stinking up the joint.
19. Golfers put a Bounce sheet in their back pocket to keep bees away.
20. Put a Bounce sheet in your sleeping bag and tent before folding and storing them. It will keep them smelling fresh.
21. Wet a Bounce sheet, hose down your car, and wipe bugs off easily with the wet Bounce.
22. De-static your clothes. Shirt sticking to your arms like a temporary tattoo? Wipe the shirt down with a dryer sheet, and enjoy the release.
23. Clean paintbrushes. Soak paintbrushes in dryer-sheet-steeped warm water, and latex paint will apparently peel right off.
