Dryer Fabric Softener Sheets for String Quilts
 

Stupid (?) question, but do you wash out the sheets first? Many times I've taken them out of the dryer and they are still heavily scented and almost "slimy" from the softener.

One other thing I just learned...wash the lint filter on your dryer often! The fabric softener sheets and bars leave a residue which can cause a dryer to overheat. Learned this from the local fire department after a house in town burned due to a dryer fire. Just a word of caution. Just use soap (dish soap is okay) and water and a soft brush to get into the screening. How to tell if your filter needs cleaning? Run water through it. If the water doesn't run through in a good stream, wash the filter. You don't want to see the water beading up on the filter - this means there is softener residue on it.

Thanks for listening and the advice on using the dryer sheets on string quilts.

Anita

Thank you! I never thought about cleaning the lint filter except after drying a load. I don't use fabric softener sheets very often, but this is good info to know.

I run the finished quilt through the washing machine and that seems to eliminate the dryer sheet residue. I love using them for string quilts. Plus I feel good that I am actually recycling something.:)

No, I don't use dryer sheets for quilting. Don't even use them in the dryer. I like to use fabric as the base for string quilts.

I use fabric or dryer sheets as a base... I've never had a problem with them being slimmy.

I've also been known to reuse a dryer sheet...more than once in the dryer... not for the smell but for the antistatic then tend to work fine for a couple of loads ( shhhh don't tell hubby... he is a strictly by the instruction kind of guy=== me?? what instructions???)

I worked with dryer sheets once - used ones that had already been through the dryer - and after about 5 blocks, I was so sick of the scent I swore I'd never use them in quilting again.

I would never use them as foundations or give anything away to others made with them. Yuck. Sorry, but there are so many other alternatives!

I never have used dryer sheets available for anything else since I discovered how great they are for cleaning the bathroom. With the sheet and plain water I can remove grandkid's toothpaste mess, hubby's greasy hand gunk, polish the faucet and even remove toilet ring. Bonus, makes the bathroom smell nice and is much faster than anything else I have ever tried.

They work great in my mini's and yes they are well used before I sew with them. Usually don't wash them as I'm like bluteddi :-) I use them in the dryer only when I know I will have a very static prone item to be dried.

My 2 cents: there have been more than one discussion on this Board about dryer sheets for foundation piecing and my gut (a large one) feeling is 'don't.' I like to use old cotton sheets for a foundation and endorse others who use paper and then remove it before assembling the sandwich. I don't trust the fragrance and the synthetic material to remain stable for the life of the quilt. BUT I have no proof and many, many quilters do enjoy using them.