Take some regular aluminum foil, make a ball about the size of a baseball, and toss it in the dryer. The ball discharges built-up static in the clothes and also helps your items dry faster. A single ball of foil can last through tons of washes, so this is definitely the cheapest and easiest choice for static.
Sturdy coffee filters make an awesome cleaner for glass and don't leave lint. They're also great for quick wiping of computer or TV screens, microwave and oven doors, and faucets. Filters are also great for cleaning car windows, bathroom mirrors, and light fixtures.
Paper coffee filters are very absorbent and feature a tight weave. This means they're easily able to filter out most of the microgrounds and oils present in ground coffee.
It might seem like a simple and cost-effective way to cut down on smells coming from vents in your HVAC, but that's a bad idea. Some claims have even been made that dryer sheets will extend the life of your air filters, but this is sadly not the case.
Aside from leaving fabrics smelling fresh and feeling soft, dryer sheets provide an important safety service. They help eliminate static on clothing. Static can cause dryer fires if a spark ignites debris in the lint trap. (An important reason to keep the lint trap clean.)
This use appears on most lists: “After you are done washing your cast-iron cookware, place a coffee filter in the bottom of the pan and it will absorb moisture and prevent rust.” While it is true that the filter, or any paper, will absorb water, it absolutely will not prevent rust in your cast iron pans.
Taste-wise, the color of the coffee filter is likely to have minimal impact on the final brew's flavor. Both brown and white filters are made of the same material and should, in theory, produce similar outcomes. However, some believe that brown coffee filters may contribute a slight papery taste to the coffee.
Skip the mess in the microwave! To prevent splatter, cover bowls and plates with coffee filters before popping them into the microwave. Don't worry–coffee filters are microwave safe.
The EPA says that 40% to 70% of the dioxins contained in bleached coffee filters get transferred to your coffee. Therefore, the simple routine of using bleached coffee filters results in a lifetime of unsafe exposure to dioxin. According to the World Health Organization, dioxins are highly toxic.
Using the coffee filter and olive oil combination is an effective way to wipe away dust, and can actually help to reduce static, meaning it'll take longer for it to build up again.
Crumple a piece of aluminum foil into a ball and throw it into your dryer as you would with a dryer sheet. This will help agitate the fabric to both soften it and to reduce static cling. Note that you should watch when using these with delicate items, and always pay attention when crumpling the foil.
For static-free loads of laundry, two or three inch-thick balls of aluminum foil should do the trick. Rip off a few sheets of foil, crumple them up tightly and toss them in your dryer. Your clothes will come out sans static, all due to an exchange of electrons. Here's how it works.
But dryer sheets can be costly, and some even leave a “slimy” layer on clothing that can damage the fabric and the color. Instead, try aluminum foil. Roll up a sheet of aluminum foil into a ball and throw it in the dryer. This helps to reduce static electricity and keep clothes crisp.
Reasons behind coffee filter bleaching
While the white filters look more sanitary, they're still just as clean as the brown filters. However, it's for this reason that companies bleach their paper products. They want them to sell, so they take extra steps to make them look cleaner.
Other than basket filters, most other coffee makers use a #2 or #4 filter; these two filters look almost identical, but there is a significant size difference between them. #2 coffee filters fit a 4-6 cup brewer, while the #4 fits an 8-12 cup perfectly.
Small molecules, such as water and the organic molecules responsible for the properties of coffee, can easily move through the pores in the filter paper. Other materials, such as coffee grounds, cannot.
Reuse Paper Filters
Most coffee filters can be reused multiple times before they stop being effective. Dump out or compost the grounds, then rinse and dry the filter.
But they are single use and between our favorite V60 to the versatile aeropress, we do end up producing quite a significant amount of paper waste – a household that brews only a cup a day would use up 28 – 31 filters in a month, and the numbers will build up overtime.
The belief is that tennis balls can soften items in the dryer as well as speed up the amount of time it takes to fully dry. Luckily, the trick does seem to work, so rather than resorting to a chemical-based fabric softener, you can simply toss in a few tennis balls (as long as they're clean!).
They help prevent laundry from clumping together in the dryer by tumbling between layers and separating fabric. This action allows warm air to circulate better which can even help reduce drying time. The movement of the dryer balls against fabrics can also help fight wrinkles, prevent static and soften clothes.
Use Them Sparingly
Use the product as directed, which generally entails using one sheet for a small to average sized load. You can also reduce usage by throwing a dryer sheet into the laundry once every one to two loads.