how-to-clean-reusable-lint-roller

How to Clean Reusable Lint Roller?

Lint rollers are specifically built utensils that we use to remove dirt, debris, fur, and hair and clean the surface of our cloth, body, and many other things. A lint roller leads a similar work role to a cloth lint remover or cloth brushes but it uses a different mechanism and area it covers. But the primary objective of using a lint roller is to remove lint.

It rolls over the surface and collects debris and unwanted substances. We use it in our house, office, car, and many other places. There are a few variances of lint rollers where one version uses one-sided sticky paper to absorb the lint and the other version uses a permanent reusable surface to clean them. A lint roller also needs to be cleaned for having a better result in terms of removing lint. Our motive for this article is to find and discuss the methods of cleaning a lint roller. Stay tuned!

Key Takeaways

  • Reusable lint rollers don’t require extra money to repurchase their parts. We can wash it and reuse it again and again.
  • Reusable lint rollers can be cleaned with homemade materials and use minimum effort.
  • Keep your reusable lint roller with the proper storage method to prevent extra dust to come in.

Reusable Vs Disposable Lint Roller

reusable-vs-disposable-lint-roller
Reusable vs disposable lint roller

Though their name depicts their basic credentials to elaborate, among the two versions of lint rollers the reusable one is intended for repeated use of a single roller and has a permanent surface and the disposable one has a roll of sticky surfaced paper which absorbs the lint and after using a portion it needs to be torn down and replaced by a newer portion of the sticky surface.

A disposable lint roller is a one-time use, which means the sticky paper roll needs to be refilled with a newer one. Whereas reusable lint roller can be used countless times by cleaning and maintaining it a few times. There are many other differences between them but let’s stick to the point of how to clean reusable lint roller.

7 Methods to Clean Reusable Lint Roller

Cleaning a reusable lint roller doesn’t need to happen every day. Depending on the intensity of dust, hair, and debris visible on the surface of the rolling pod you will understand when you have to clean it. Not cleaning it all or very rarely can affect the latest surface by attaching previously removed lint. So it is better to clean your reusable lint roller even once a month or two. Here are a few methods you can follow to clean your reusable lint roller using a simple yet very effective way.

1. Remove lint manually

You can use your bare hands to remove lint from your reusable lent roller. To do so rub your fingers or palm over the surface of the roller gently. This will cause the moisture of your hand to attract the lightweight lint dust, hues, and fur to come out and attach to your hand. Though the intense lint may not go away with this method it is the basic reflexing method we can use to remove lent from a reusable lent roller.

remove-lint-manually
Remove lint manually

2. Use Tooth Brush

The use of an expired toothbrush can come in handy to remove lint from your reusable lint roller. For this first drench your reusable lint roller in warm water. It will ease off the dust and debris from the roller head. Next start rubbing the roller head with the toothbrush. Wash it off several times with fresh water and repeat the rubbing and wash process a few times. If the roller head is removable then it will be better to remove the head section first at wash it only.

use-tooth-brush
Use tooth brush

3. Use a Wet Cloth

Take a moderate piece of cotton cloth and soak it in mild warm water. Press the side release button to detach the roll. Rinse its water to wash off the specks of dirt. Then rub the roller with the wet cloth gently. Don’t press very hard otherwise you end up damaging the roller. Keep rubbing until you are satisfied with the cleaning. Rinse with fresh water again to wash off loosen dirt. Leave to dry under the sun or wipe with dry cloths.

use-a-wet-cloth
Use a wet cloth

4. Use a Vacuum Cleaner

Using a vacuum cleaner to clean your reusable lint roller would be an easy one. A vacuum cleaner sucks in specks of dust and debris along with air. So if your reusable lint roller is caught up with environmental dust, light cloth dust, hues, fur, and small debris which you can blow with your mouth then using a vacuum cleaner should do the trick with much ease and perfection. Remember to vacuum every corner by rolling the roller and cleaning the handlebar as well.

use-a-vacuum-cleaner
Use a vacuum cleaner

5. Use Masking or Duct Tape

If your reusable lint roller headpiece comes with a flat surface, then you can use masking or duct tape to clean it efficiently. Take a masking or duct tape roll, pull some of the tape but don’t tear it up yet. Take the edge of the tape in your thumb in a manner that is the opposite direction (sticky side out), and gently wrap it over circling your thumb. After a few rounds stop the wrap and tear off from the tape roll. Now you will find a handmade sticky surfaced tool.

Press on over the lint roller head in repeated motion. You will see dust attached to the tape from the roller. Keep doing so until you find the roller head much cleaner. It is like cleaning your lint cleaner with another lint cleaner.

use-masking-or-duct-tape
Use masking or duct tape

6. Use Big Teethed Comb

If your reusable lint roller surface has caught up with lint-like long hair or has grown layers of dust or debris, then another suitable option for removing them is to use a big teethed comb. Based on availability it can be a metal or plastic comb. A plastic comb is more suitable as in the process of removing the lint it may scratch or damage the flat surface of the roller.

Take a plastic comb and gently rub it over the lint rollers head. The teeth of the combs will catch up with all the hair, fiber, and fur-like lint easily. The edge of the comb teeth will also ease off the dust layers of the surface of the roller. After that shake the roller a few times or wash it off with a wet cloth.

use-big-teethed-comb
Use big teethed comb

7. Use hot water and dish soap

If your reusable lint roller comes in a plastic body, then the use of warm water and dish soap shouldn’t be a problem. You can use a dishwasher or even vinegar to ease off the stubborn dust from the reusable lint roller. First, drench the head section of the roller in warm water for a few minutes. Careful about the temperature of the water because if it is boiling then it can damage the lint rollers surface or even melt down the plastic body even a little. You can also mix dish soap directly with the water which will ease off the existing dust and debris.

After drenching, attach or pour dish soap on a cloth and start rubbing the surface of the roller. It will cleanse the already loosened dust due to drenching in hot water. Finally, clean the roller from top to bottom by dipping it in a freshly watered bucket.

use-hot-water-and-dish-soap
Use hot water and dish soap

Drawbacks With Reusable Lint Rollers and Tips For Solving

Cleaning a reusable lint roller may look like a mere easy task. Of course, it is.  But you have to understand the methods properly and apply them efficiently. Otherwise, you may end up messing up the whole process or your hard work will go in vain if the dust hasn’t been removed properly. There are a few certain things you may keep on a note while cleaning your reusable lint cleaner.

drawbacks-with-tips-for-solving
Drawbacks with tips for solving

1. Careful how you clean it: A reusable lint roller may come in different shapes and surfaces. Many come with extended metal handlebars with tips made of wood and the roller surface is made of elastomers, including silicones and polystyrene as tacky surfaces. We often wash the tacky surface but don’t care about the other two parts.

While cleaning the roller with water we should be careful about the wood section as it may rot in constant touch of water. Though they are overlapped with a water-resisting layer this layer may fade away over time. You also can maintain the wood handlebar with a protective oil layer over time.

Another component is the metal bar which usually comes with rust-resisting metal but you should try to wipe it with dry cloth to remove dust and water to extend its longevity.

2. Careful what you clean with a lint roller: The use of a reusable lint roller is to clean dust and hair-like fibers from your clothes, car, bed, or any other dry surface which is prone to attract dust. It is widely popular among pet lovers as pet tends to leave fur everywhere they go.

The point is to identify what type of surface you are using the lint roller for. Try to stick its use on similar surfaces where they tend to clear quickly. The use of reusable lint cleaners to clean bigger dust and debris is neither efficient nor they are made for this job. Rather it damages the tacky surface. You can use a different surfaced lint roller to remove different types of dust.

On an important note, the use of a lint roller on wet surfaces is strictly non-recommended. It gradually reduces the tackiness of the lint roller and ultimately it becomes non-usable very quickly.

3. Store them properly while not using them: You may not need to use a lint roller every day. It is important to store them properly while not using them. Because lint rollers can get dirtier while in storage than removing lint.  Use its default bag or box to store them. You can make a custom box to keep the roller out of environmental dust.

FAQs

1. Do lint rollers damage clothes?

A reusable lint roller doesn’t usually damage clothes by any means. But disposable lint roller sometimes leaves a sticky effect on clothes which causes more lint to attract.

2. What fabric attracts lint?

Fabrics that contain yarn such as nylon, knitted sweaters, and linen shirts attract lint. In some scenarios, terry cloth and cotton cloths are also lint prone.

3. Which type of lint rollers are good?

Its answers are based on the user experience. But environmentally reusable lint roller doesn’t cause much wastage whereas disposable lint roller has to refill their sticky paper roll quite often.

Final Thoughts

Lint rollers come in very handy to clean our cloth, cushion, and very efficiently. Reusable lint roller has the advantage of using over and over again with a little cleaning. There are tons of reusable lint cleaners in the market. Use one which comes with your flexible design and fills your specific requirements. You can use cleaning methods from your user experience from the above cleaning method lists once you start using and applying them.

So, use reusable lint cleaner to reduce waste in your house and theoretically the whole planet. Try these easy methods at home and enjoy the pleasure of a dust-free environment.

Author

Todd Smith is a trained ecologist with five years of experience in environmental conservation and sustainability. He has a deep passion for promoting sustainable practices and has developed a thorough understanding of the natural world and its complex interconnections.

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