17 Hair Dryer Hacks That Can Make Your Life Easier

Morgan CutoloUpdated: Jun. 03, 2021

This nifty bathroom essential can do a lot more than just dry your hair.

iStock/Andregric

Use your hair dryer to: Remove stickers

Remove stickers from your furniture, windows, or the bumper of your car by blowing warm air on them. You can also remove contact paper from shelves by evenly blowing warm to hot air over the surface.

Use your hair dryer to: Dry out containers before refilling

After you wash your salt and pepper containers, blast the inside with some hot air before refilling; this way nothing will clump or stick to the sides.

Use your hair dryer to: Custom fit your glasses

Mold your glasses to fit your head by heating up the ends and shaping them to comfortably fit your ears. This is perfect for those cheap sunglasses that keep falling off your face. This is not recommended for expensive glasses. Have a professional do that.

Use your hair dryer to: Store leftovers

Shrink-wrap plastic wrap or a plastic bag around a container by applying warm air to the sides. Your leftovers will stay fresh longer.

Use your hair dryer to: Remove wax

Get the wax off of your table or furniture after a romantic candle light dinner by heating it up with a hair dryer and wiping it away with a damp cloth. You can also remove crayon from walls using this same technique. Here are more tricks to get crayon off the walls.

Use your hair dryer to: Coil a cord that is too long

Wrap the cord around a pencil and apply warm heat evenly. Perfect for car chargers that are constantly getting in your way.

Use your hair dryer to: Make your desserts look fancy

Give the frosting on your cake or cupcakes a glossy finish by blasting the surface with some warm air. Try this trick to frost a cake perfectly every time.

Use your hair dryer to: Remove dust

Blast hard to reach places with cool air to remove dust. Use this method on your keyboard, plants, and intricate furniture.

Use your hair dryer to: Remove a photo from a photo album

Blow warm air on the back of the page and gently pull the photo off of the paper. These preservation tips can keep old photos looking great.

Use your hair dryer to: Stretch out a pair of shoes that are too tight

Put on your shoes wearing a pair of thick socks. Blow hot air onto your shoes focusing on the areas where you feel the most discomfort. Wiggle your toes around while heating up your shoes to make them expand. Once you stop applying heat, keep your shoes on until they cool down and then enjoy wearing them blister free.

Use your hair dryer to: Dry things before you pack them

Have an early flight to catch but want to sneak in a last minute shower before you’re covered in plane germs? Simply dry off your loofa or sponge with a hairdryer after your shower and pop it in your suitcase. Dry, clean, and ready to go.

Use your hair dryer to: Remove a bandage

Apply heat to the adhesive before removing it. This will make it less sticky and less painful to peel off.

Use your hair dryer to: Heat up leftovers

If your hotel room doesn’t have a microwave, heat up leftovers with the hairdryer.

Use your hair dryer to: Get wrinkles out

Remove wrinkles from clothes, table clothes, and shower curtains. Spray them a few times with water and then blast them with hot air until the fabric is wrinkle free.

Use your hair dryer to: Defrost

Thaw frozen vegetables or meat from the freezer. This is perfect for when meat gets frozen together. After a minute or two of being blow dried it will easily separate.

Use your hair dryer to: Remove water rings from furniture

Put the nozzle attachment on the hairdryer and point it at the stain. Begin blowing cool air on it and slowly increase the heat until the stain is gone.

Use your hair dryer to: Loosen tight screws

Simply blast the screw with hot air for a few seconds and it should easily come out.

Originally Published: July 21, 2016

Originally Published in Reader's Digest

Morgan Cutolo

Morgan is an Associate Editor at Reader’s Digest. She graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 2016 where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism. She writes for rd.com, helps lead the editorial relationship with our partners, manages our year-round interns, and keeps the hundreds of pieces of content our team produces every month organized. In her free time, she likes exploring the seacoast of Maine where she lives and works remotely full time and snuggling up on the couch with her corgi, Eggo, to watch HGTV or The Office.