How to Reuse Dryer Lint

Who would have thought that the icky fuzz we clean from our dryer trap could be reused? Help your planet by eliminating waste.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Dryer Lint

Step1

Save the dryer lint. Keep a small box or bag near your dryer for storing the lint until it is reused.

 

Step2

Reuse lint to start fires. Stuff an empty paper egg cartons with lint. Stuff it full and close the lid. Make a hole in each "egg" at the bottom of the carton. Pour melted candle wax in each hole. Let this dry until the was is hard (2-3 hours). You can use these for kindling, as you would newspaper, but they work much better.

 

Step3

Reuse lint as mulch. If you were natural fibers such cotton and linen, dryer lint makes a great mulch. I would not put lint from synthetic fabrics into my organic garden. Just make a donut of lint around your tiny plant. Don't get it right against the plant, as mulch should not touch the stem of the plant. This promotes fungus and root rot. You can use lint alone or in combination with other materials reused for mulch.

 

Step4

Reuse lint as clay. You can actually make clay out of dryer lint. Put 1 1/2 C of dryer lint in a sauce pan. Add 1 C water. Add 1/2 C of flour and stir until smooth. Add 2 drops of vegetable oil or essential oils. Cook over low heat stirring constantly until it forms peak and has a solid consistency. Place on newspaper to cool. You may use it for molding as you would any clay then allow to dry for 3 days. You can paint it to add pizzazz.

Tutorial for Making Fabric Roses

Reuse and Recycle Your Old Denim Jeans to Make Fabric Flowers

This craft is so simple, that you can literally make a dozen roses in 1/2 an hour. Not to mention that it is a great way to reuse those old denim jeans with holes in the knees. All you need to get started is a pair of scissors, a pair of old jeans, and some tacky glue.

Step 1: Cut the Hem Off the Jeans

Tutorial for Making Fabric Roses

Cut the fabric approximately 1 inch above the hem of your pants. Cutting more fabric allows you to grasp it better as you wrap the rose, but you end up with a lot of bulky fabric behind your rose. I prefer to cut only and inch so that the back of the rose isn't bulky.

This is the perfect way to use a cuff that is cut off while hemming a new pair of pants, or you may just be finding ways to reuse old denim jean. The great thing about using the cuff of pants, or jeans, is that the edge is already finished for you. You can run the unfinished edge that you just cut through a serger if you wish, but it's not necessary.

Step 2: Run a Bead of Tacky Glue

Tutorial for Making Fabric Roses

Run a bead of glue along the newly cut edge of your fabric. This holds the flower in place as you wrap it.

Step 3: Roll, or Wrap, the Denim Loosely

Tutorial for Making a Fabric Rose

Wrap the rose, beginning with the inner seam of the pant leg on the inside of the flower. It looks like the center of the flower when finished. Wrap loosely to make the rose appear as if it is opening. The tacky glue will help to hold the fabric in place as you wrap. You can also stitch, sew, or pin the base of the rose when finished to help secure it. I like to pin mine until the glue finishes drying.

Step 4: Put Your Finished Fabric Roses to Good Use!

Decorate Your World with Your Fabric Flowers

Get creative with your fabric flowers. Here are some ideas:
1. Make a fabric flower potpourri (add a little essential oil for fragrance)
2. Add a stem and place the denim flowers in a vase
3. Embellish your craft and sewing projects with fabric flowers.

Fabric Flowers

More Ideas to Reuse Denim!      

How to Reuse TShirts to Make a Latch Hook Rug