Aug 13, 2007

I'm 'Bouncing'Around Today!


Like a lot of people, I use and re-use fabric softener sheets. But, being a quilter, I also save my 'already been used' fabric softener sheets for foundation piecing. I prefer muslin, myself, but I have a sweet friend who just LOVES the smaller size and thinness of the the little 'Bounce' or other brands of fabric softener sheets and that is what she likes to use for her foundation pieces.

So, I carefully stack my well-used fabric softener sheets into recycled empty containers and when I have a box full...I pass them on to her. She is always delighted and that makes me happy to see her happy! I like the fact that I am re-using, as well as recycling, and I'm helping that little sheet spin around in its bounce cycle to become part of something bigger and better than itself :)


With my usual extensive pattern of research, I was not suprised to discover that there is an entire list of other things that one can do with these little sheets besides taking wrinkles out of laundry or making friends happy. The brand name "Bounce" is used here, but I assume that any perfumed softner sheet will work just as well. I start with my favorite, of course.....


1. Save and reuse for foundation piecing in quilts.


2. It takes the odor out of books and photo albums that don't get opened too often.





3. Spread sheets around foundation areas, or in trailers, or cars that are sitting and it keeps mice and ants from entering your vehicle.






4. It repels mosquitoes and bees. Tie a sheet of Bounce through a belt loop when outdoors while gardening, camping or golfing.


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, just clean with a sheet of Bounce, while still wet.


7. To freshen the air in your home, place an individual sheet of Bounce in a drawer or hang in the closet.


8. Put Bounce sheet in vacuum cleaner. It will freshen as it cleans.


9. Prevent thread from tangling. Run a threaded needle through a sheet of Bounce before beginning to sew.


10. Prevent musty suitcases. Place an individual sheet of Bounce inside empty luggage before storing.


11. To 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 lose 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.


19. Put a Bounce sheet in your sleeping bag and tent before folding and storing them. It will keep them smelling fresh.


20. And finally, run a sheet through your hair to calm down the frizzies and static electricity.


Some of these I have tried, others ...well, they may be a bit questionable. But hey, if nothing else, try string quilting on a few, yourself, and hang them up in the laundry room as laundry room art :)

9 comments:

Shelina said...

Those dryer sheets sure do come in handy. I like throwing them in my trash and making the whole room smell fresh. I kept a couple in a baggie at the office. Whenever my pantyhose and my slip got too frisky, I would rub them down with the dryer sheets.

doni said...

I leave a Bounce sheet in my Featherweight case. It was musty when I bought it - now it smells neutral to me!

Paula, the quilter said...

I wonder how they would work against moth ball odor? Hmmm...

SuBee said...

In your HAIR???? REALLY? Don't know about that, but I sure do like them for foundations. They make perfect backings if you want to do the inside-out applique method too, a la Elenor Burns.
Hair, huh? Hmmmmm.......

Sew Create It - Jane said...

I've got one more. I use them to clean the scum off the bottom of my iron. Armed with oven mitts and a paper towel I take one Bounce sheet and rub down the HOT (must be as hot as can be) sole plate of my iron. A little elbow grease and the sticky goo from fusibles comes straight off.

Holly said...

Good tips! I'm going to try #'s 6 and 9. I have a collection of used Bounce sheets I've been saving to use as foundations.

Anonymous said...

I just dont think I could put it in my hair, unless I dyed it, added embellishments and a clip and made it into a hair bow.
Bouncing back to my sewing room! hugs to all.!

Mrs. Goodneedle said...

Great tips/uses... I have run them over my tights in the winter when the air is dry to keep my skirt from "clinging" and I have heard about keeping one under the seat of the car but the rest of these alternate uses only make perfect sense. Now, if I can retain them! That's another story...

Debi said...

A lot of great uses. I acutally put them into suitcases when I store them in the garage and in the boat storage where the life jackets are stored.