5 New Ways To Use An Old Hair Dryer

by BrightNest

Your hair dryer may be your go-to tool for a perfectly coiffed mane, but it isn’t a one-trick pony. (See what I did there?) Hair dryers are handy outside of the bathroom, too. From thawing frozen plumbing to transforming baked goods into perfectly-glazed delicacies, a warm blast of air is useful all over the home.
Safety tip: Always keep your hair dryer about six inches away from the target. Because, burning!
Here are five new ways to use your hair dryer around the house:

1. Remove Stickers from Furniture

Is it time to part with that Coldplay bumper sticker on your dresser? Run the hairdryer over the sticker for a minute and then slowly start to peel it away. The heat will loosen the adhesive. If the sticker is still difficult to remove, repeat the heating process as many times as necessary to remove entire sticker.

2. Clear Dust from Under the Bed or Behind Furniture

Lots of dust under the bed? Your hair dryer will make it possible to clean it up without moving the furniture. (Win!) Run the hair dryer under your bed or behind furniture for a minute or two to move the dust to a spot that’s easy to sweep up. Note: This tip is for hardwood or laminate floors only – it’s not gonna work on carpet!

3. Remove Candle Wax

Picking at hardened candle wax can be tempting, but there’s a better way! Protect your table and your nails by using a hair dryer to melt the wax.

Hold the hair dryer on medium heat over the wax for 30 seconds (or until it starts to melt). This will allow you to easily peel off the wax pieces. Next, use a wet rag to clean the surface.

4. Set Cake Frosting with a Gloss

Bolster your baking arsenal and create a professional-looking shine on your next frosted treat with the “hair dryer gloss trick”. Next time you bake some sweet treats, run your hair dryer on low heat and move it across the cake or cupcakes slowly until you see a glossy shine.

5. Thaw Frozen Pipes

A frozen pipe in the winter can be more than just annoying; it can actually cause extensive (and expensive) damage (see our full post for link!).

If your pipe freezes, grab the hair dryer. On high heat, hold the hair dryer in front of the frozen area. If you can’t see the frozen area, blasting some heat towards your pipes is still a good idea. Keep in mind this method can take up to an hour to work. If this doesn’t work, check out these alternative frozen pipe thawing methods: (see full post for link!)

To see the full post with links, and to view all our other great home tips, please visit: http://bit.ly/1nQm1Ah

Enjoyed the project?

You can do it! Saved to your projects

Frequently asked questions

Have a question about this project?

Ask a Question

Comments

Join the conversation

3 of 75 comments

Jazzishaz2 on Jul 03, 2015
Who has an old hair dryer that works? Mine burn out every year and a half like clockwork no matter how expensive or cheap, single or double switch...doesn't matter.

Like Reply
- Linda T on Jul 04, 2015
  @Jazzishaz2 As soon as I smelled burnt hair, I would take my hairdryer apart and clean out all the hair that get's sucked in. I have NEVER had one burn out, even though it was used for all three of us, and to help dry nail polish and rush the charcoal along, and I'm in my 70s.
  
  1
Fran Gagliardotto Erdogan on Jul 01, 2017

I use my hair dryer to take off those annoying stickers on glass, tins, ceramics, etc. It works like a charm.

Like Reply