15 Things You Can Clean with a Lint Roller—Besides Clothes

Alexandra WhittakerUpdated: Mar. 16, 2023

If you're only using lint rollers to clean your clothes, you're missing out on a host of other household benefits. Let's get rolling!

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Get rid of pesky pet hair

Even the best vacuum can’t pick up every pet hair, especially if they creep into smaller spaces. Erin Meyer of Lemons, Lavender, and Laundry recommends using lint rollers to help pick up stray pet hair strands from anywhere in the house that a vacuum can’t reach.

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Find and toss tiny shards of broken glass

When glass breaks, those small pieces can scatter everywhere and eventually get stepped on. If you’re worried that you missed some small shards of glass after sweeping, grab your handy lint roller to grab any fine particles that remain. Better safe than sorry!

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Remove dirt from fabric lampshades

It’s as simple as it sounds. “Simply roll the lint roller all over the shade, and the dust comes right off,” Meyer writes in her blog. If the tape fills up with too much dust too quickly, just change it out, and keep on cleaning.

15 Things You Can Clean With a Lint Roller—Besides Clothes

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Collect stray hair in bathrooms

When excess hair collects on bathroom surfaces, it can make the whole room feel dirty. But you can use a lint roller to clean those hard-to-reach places, such as the back of your bathroom shelves or under the bathtub.

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Dispose of a bug

Who wants to touch a dead bug? Nobody, that’s who. Enter the handy lint roller. Unlike normal paper or hand towels, trapping the bug with a lint roller will prevent it from flying away or escaping. Best of all, you won’t have to make any physical contact with the icky insect.

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Clean up spilled glitter and craft supplies

If you have a child who loves crafts, you know all too well the headache of trying to clean up art projects involving glitter, sand, and tiny pieces of paper or ribbon. “One quick swipe with the sticky stuff and the glitter didn’t stand a chance,” writes blogger Jill Nystul of One Good Thing by Jillee.

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Quickly clean children’s toys

Lint rollers are an easy way to spruce up a childhood toy when you don’t have time to wash it fully. Another tip: You can also use lint rollers to dust off stuffed animals and to get crumbs out of strollers and car seats in between washes.

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Clean out your purse

All that debris that manages to collect at the bottom of your handbag? Lint roller to the rescue. “A quick swipe (or two) of the lint roller and crumbs and crusties are history!” Nystul writes. You can also use one to clean your gym bag or child’s backpack.

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Tidy up your living room

Pressed for time? Whisk a lint roller over your furniture and carpet for a quick clean-up. “Since they fit underneath your couch and chairs, you don’t need to move your heavy furniture around,” Nystul notes. “Just roll the lint roller underneath and pull out the dust.”

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Dust off some dandruff

No one likes unsightly white flakes on their shoulders. But with a quick sweep from a lint roller, you’re good to go.

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Reach those corners in your drawers

Cleaning out your drawers takes more than removing junk. To get the dirt in those hard-to-reach crevices, grab a lint roller.

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Spruce up your car

Between work, home, and travel, many of us spend a lot of time in our cars. And “every car has those hard-to-reach places where sunglasses and cell phones go missing,” Nystul writes. Those hard-to-reach places like under the seats are another place a lint roller can come in handy.

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Sweep up pine needles

Live Christmas trees can look wonderful until they start to dry out. Fortunately, with a lint roller, you can whisk up errant needles and keep your holiday display looking clean and bright.

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Clean your drapes

Don’t have time to send your drapes to the dry cleaner? Run a lint roller up and down them for a quick fix. And here’s how to clean your kitchen in a jiffy.

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Spiff up your pool table

Too much dirt can on the pool table can affect the game. But vacuums can be too harsh on the table’s delicate fibers. That’s why Nystul recommends you use a lint roller to keep the table clean.

Originally Published: January 10, 2019