I've Gone Country A blog about a city girl learning a whole new world

Many years ago I worked as a Cosmetologist.  One day a young lady was in the salon and was talking about cleaning out her grandmothers house.  She laughed and rolled her eyes when she told us about some of the unusual things she found.  One of them was a large paper bag full of dryer lint.  Yes, you read that correctly…a bag FULL of dryer lint.  Of course we all had interesting looks on our faces as we tried to figure out why anyone would EVER save dryer lint.   She proceeded to say that one of the reasons was to clean up broken glass.  I nodded my head and thought….well….ok….but I don’t think I will be saving mine for the rare occasion that I happen to break a glass.  Of course I was young and had it all together…and…after all this was an old lady we were talking about.  Old people do things like that….don’t they?  They often do things that just seem weird and down right silly.

Months later ….it happened….a glass shattered on the tile kitchen floor.  A million and one pieces….everywhere….some so small you couldn’t dare find them…..until you stepped on it of course.  Then that TINY sliver of glass felt like a huge chunk…. embedded deep…. into your foot.  It would practically bring you to your knees every time you took a step.  It’s bad enough when it happens to you.  But when you see your children hopping along on one foot….saying ooh and awwwwwww ….with pain…you tend to reach back in the recesses of your brain for a fix.

Potato in a sock…when you go to bed… will help pull the tiny piece out.  That one was a remedy my Mom used when we were little.

Now, what to do so that won’t happen again…..because a week later…it seems you can find that one lone shard with your bare foot.

THERE IT WAS…..in the deep corner of the old brain…..dryer lint!

You can bet that I saved dryer lint for a few days at least and rubbed it across the floor….as well as using the age old method of sweeping and mopping.  The lint does seem to pick up those tee tiny pieces that a broom…even a central vacuum… doesn’t seem to get.   Dampen the lint slightly and it will pick up even better.

Well, you probably think I save my lint now for a broken glass kind of day.  BUT I DON’T.

Buuuuuut….. I did recently decide to save some for another use.  I happened to see something on the internet one day and thought…hmmmm.  I just might try that.

We have had a really, really cold winter.  Some times I can get the wood stove going without a problem….then there are those days that I have to work at it for a while.  I hate having to buy fire starters….it seems like such a waste.  But….they work….so I do buy them on occasion.

I saw where someone had made there own fire starters….with of course….LINT.

So, I decided to give it a whirl.  Hoping that no one would see my lint stash and think I was …well… you know…loosing it!

After each load I emptied the lint catcher.

I placed a plastic bag, that our newspaper came in, on top of my dryer.

It accumulates pretty quickly around here.

Then I gathered some old candles…ones that had burned down….. to the throw away stage.

I melted them…in a throw away tin…over a pot of  boiling water.

Taking two paper egg cartons….

I cut the tops off….I stuffed the holes of the carton tightly with ….lint. ( I will probably use make more and use all the carton.  They will just be shaped differently)

Once the wax melted, I poured it over the lint filled containers….

I actually used the plastic lid to the metal pan I was melting my wax in as a counter protector from any extra wax drippings.

Wait just a few minutes for the wax to set up.  I then cut the carton into individual sections.  I turned some over so you could see both sides.  I don’t know if it matters if the was completely soaks through or not.

SO….I had the great urge to test one.

It lit immediately….and burned for 14 minutes…with a nice flame.

AND…. yes, that is a hair you see to the right…you get some strange stuff in lint.  I agree…. it is gross……

Hey….that hair burned up along with the rest of the lint……

This was all that was left….ASH.

They only took a few minutes to make.  If each one burns 14 or 15 minutes…than I have 6 hours of fire starters.  It cost me nothing…besides a few minutes of my time and the things I already had on hand.

So…go ahead…make a weird face and think…OK….but I’m not going to save my lint…..

I can almost guarantee you….that the very next time you empty your lint catcher from your dryer….you will at least think about two ways you too….can use that lint.

Ah…yes… you will laugh and shake your head to yourself….UNTIL….

Until that day comes when you break a glass…or better yet…you STEP on a piece of glass.

OR….that day when you need a fire starter.

IT is THEN that you just might….think about saving that dryer lint….at least for a short time.

You know…. sometimes you CAN learn something from old people….

I know…because I have….

and because now…..I AM one.

Oh…and did you know that you can also use lint to clean up spills, like oil spills in the garage.  You can paper mache with it and you can even make your own craft paper using lint.

And those weren’t even old people who posted those ideas!

WHO KNEW!?!?!?!?!