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Old 08-12-2003, 11:37 AM   #1
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A new kind of "Bounce" plan

I was really intrigued with this info when sent to me last week. We had been camping at a full hookup campground in Estes Park and had an uninvited guest in the shape of a mouse while there. Not sure if she came along for the ride or entered after we arrived, but was our first and now I hope, our last. Anyway, I might do a poll on this info after you all read and try some of the suggestions listed. Very interesting reading and seems as tho these dryer sheets would be a very compact, but useful and inexpensive item to include in our AS, if they work. I have placed quite a few in our "Mini" for the mice to circumvent. Enjoy!!

BOUNCE DRYER SHEETS WILL:
chase ants away when you lay a sheet near them -
repel mice when spread around foundations areas, in trailers or cars that are sitting -
take the odor out of books and photo albums that don't get open too often -
repels mosquitos and bees; tie a sheet to belt loop when outdoors -
eliminate static electricity from TV or computer; when you wipe screen it keeps dust from resettling -
dissolve soap scum from shower doors -
freshen air; place in drawer, closet, vacuum cleaner when sweeping, under seat in car, bottom of wastebaskets, bottom of laundry bag or hamper -
prevent thread from tangling by running needle thru dryer sheet before sewing -
prevent musty suitcases; place inside before storing -
clean baked on food from pans; put sheet in pan with water, let sit overnight and sponge clean -
eliminate static from venetian blinds -
wipe up sawdust from drilling or sand papering -
deoderize shoes
rub dryer sheet on clothes, or nylons to stop cling
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Old 08-12-2003, 02:38 PM   #2
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I have kept dryer sheets in every drawer, closet, cabinet and storage area in my Airstream for two years now and have not seen a critter of any kind. Amazing stuff!
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Old 08-12-2003, 02:55 PM   #3
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Did you place them because of the critters or was it just a happy coincidence that you discovered after the fact?

Did you know about some of the other benefits also? Leigh
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Old 08-12-2003, 04:56 PM   #4
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I had read that they kept critters out so I thought I would give it a try. I did not know about the other uses so thank you for the information. Jerry
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Old 08-12-2003, 05:13 PM   #5
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A used car dealer once told me he used them to take the smokers smell out of used cars. I now use them in my truck. My wife is a smoker and I can say they do work in getting rid of the smoke odor.
Don't know about the other stuff, sounds to good to be true !!!!

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Old 08-12-2003, 07:06 PM   #6
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Do you know what chemical Bounce is using.

Maybe the little critters are the smart ones?

I will give it a try. Have had a problem with ants and mice.
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Old 08-12-2003, 07:26 PM   #7
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HaHa.....

and we dry our clothes with these things

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Old 08-13-2003, 12:50 PM   #8
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Here is another trick from a woodworking magazine;

Sweeper cloths remove wood and sanding dust.
Procter & Gamble’s disposable refill cloths for the Swiffer dust sweeper make excellent tack cloths. The cloths do a great job of removing wood and sanding dust and do not interfere with subsequent finishes. They are relatively inexpensive and can be used repeatedly.
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Old 08-13-2003, 12:58 PM   #9
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I don't know what chemicals are used in the dryer sheets. Also don't know if you have to use the "Bounce" sheets or any brand will do. I think I remember once reading that prolonged use in your dryer might gum it up, but can't remember now exactly what it said. I remember when they first came out, I thought they were a a little too sickly sweet smelling for me, but they have come out with several 'scents' now - we used a citrus smelling one in "Mini". HOPE IT WORKS!!!! Leigh
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Old 08-13-2003, 01:56 PM   #10
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So tell me...what exactly do you do with the dryer sheets to keep the ants out or get rid of them? just toss a couple on the floor? a whole bunch of them? one or two? and does it have to be "bounce" brand, or does any brand work?
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Old 08-14-2003, 09:37 AM   #11
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Hi Chuck - Well, I got to tell you, I really am not sure how these work, cause I just got the info myself, so I am using the "Bounce" brand only to see if it helps with the mouse problem we had. The info sheet only talked about "Bounce" dryer sheets. We have put several on the floor, in storage areas, in bathroom and left a few on the cabinets. I would think doing the same would work for ants.

By the way, I had a bit of an ant problem last year in my house (the little sugar ants) they were sneaking in thru a seal crack in the window. I used chalk(sp?) (the kind that kids draw with) and rubbed it around the area they were coming in. I read about it in a book about saving money on everyday household supplies and it seemed to work. So that might be another plan of attack for you. My 2 cents worth and more.... Leigh
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Old 08-14-2003, 11:13 AM   #12
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I just called the toll free number on my box of Bounce.

The woman was very helpful. She explained that whenever the subject comes up, the management at Procter & Gamble adamantly say that the Bounce product has not been tested for any uses besides it's designed and intended use in the dryer.

But, she went on to tell me things she has heard from others. Those things of course not being supported by P&G.

I keep Bounce Free (no perfume) in my desk drawer. It works great to eliminate any static that my clothes pick up in the winter, and I don't suddenly smell like I just stepped out of the dryer.

I asked if I could use my Bounce Free to deter ants and bugs. She said she'd heard that it was the scent not the chemicals in the dryer sheets that deter pests, so she didn't think the unscented sheets would work.

Now I want to figure out a way to test the effectiveness of different scents. We have plenty of test ants in our yard. I just need to figure out how to set up the experiment...
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Old 08-14-2003, 12:52 PM   #13
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Cool Edie - I like your style!~~ keep us posted on which one seems to work. I didn't think about whether one scent might work better that another - just which one I liked. Could make a difference. Thanks for calling too!!!! Leigh
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Old 09-06-2003, 04:33 PM   #14
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Here's an article you might enjoy, in case you wondered (though it doesn't really answer the mysteries of why they would keep mice away)

How Do Dryer Antistatic Sheets Work?

I think I might go stick some in the trailer and the truck anyway, just to give it that dryer-fresh smell. Sounds like a good solution for The Funky Trailer Smell issue.
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Old 09-06-2003, 06:33 PM   #15
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Just added some Bounce to ours today. If nothing else they make the pad smell good. In the past, we have also used Bloodmeal from a landscaping yard, which we were told would keep out spiders, etc.. It seem to work fine, as we have had no un-invited guests.
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Old 09-07-2003, 09:49 AM   #16
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Hello again - we will be going out to "Mini" in the next couple of weeks to winterize. Anxious to see if any hints of critters. Now would be the time I would guess they might be seeking a warm, comfy place to hang out for the winter!! "Mini" has to sit out in an open field when not in use. There are a variety of barn/house cats on the premises, but of course, they cannot enter the trailer if an uninvited guest makes it in!! We have taken the precaution of adding foam to obvious areas around trailer and we even tried using some treated corks (from wine bottles) that fit some of the holes in the closet floors. Also the mothball trick in the outside back holding area. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!!! Leigh
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Old 09-29-2003, 10:39 AM   #17
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Unhappy Bounce is not a mouse bouncer

My Caravel is parked on the edge of a field behind my daughter's house. Two weeks ago I generously placed Bounce sheets throughout it to test the mouse repellancy.
Yesterday I checked on it. Mouse droppings all over the place!
It seems they loved the "spring fresh scent".
Not to be outdone, I sprinkled moth balls all in and around. We'll see if that works.

I hate meeces to pieces!

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Old 09-29-2003, 11:55 AM   #18
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Ditto!!!

Hey Rog - you beat me to the punch. I had high hopes on this mousey project, but no go. We too had a little muncher again, after bountiful sheets of Bounce were left down. We went over to winterize, took "Mini" out for one night and...BUMMER a mousey was along for the ride again!!! Got back to the winter home, did the winterizing, set traps, left for home, realized after we got home that we left the battery attached, called property owner to go into trailer to get key to retreive battery and hold for us. The property owner (friend) couldn't get in cuz door lock was BROKEN, but did let us know the mousey had met his demise. GREAT, dead stinkin mouse in locked trailer!!! Husband drove back with spare battery compartment key, got battery, looked in and saw mouse, tried to open door, no luck. We checked with AS dealer in Idaho (Charlie) cause he has an Argosy and he has given us some plan for removing door to get in (hope it works) Now it's just a matter of time to get back over there. Dead mousey will hopefully be dried up by then!! I did read something about using aluminum foil in certain areas of trailer to "foil" the little critters. They don't like to chew on it~~~me either. I am going to try that in obvious areas that they might try to enter. We need all the help we can get!~! Leigh
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Old 09-29-2003, 12:51 PM   #19
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Angry Mice... not all of them are Jerrys!

We had our share of problems with the little ones in our old apt.

Everyone had their piece of advise and since I'm a big animal lover we really tried them all before having to recur to extreme measures.

No bounce sheets, onions, garlic, foil, moth balls or other worked. After a couple of weeks we were tired of Adam's (I named him since he was linving with us) droppings all over the kitchen. My husband finally got his way: a trap and peanut butter poison. 2 hrs later Adam was dead. Not a terribly smart mouse.

We keep our AS behind my dad's restaurant, an area were mice and all sorts of critters love to hang around. The restaurant exterminator who comes once a month (no trace of critters or bugs in the restaurant!) gave of this advice, which my husband already took care of:
Seal all possible entrance holes in the unit with copper mesh - steel will rust - (mice do not chew metal mesh), and cover with "great stuff" a yellow expanding foam. He'll then leave some traps near the wheels, just in case they thought of climbing up.

We hope all of this works!
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Old 09-29-2003, 01:34 PM   #20
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Has anyone had positive results with Blood Meal???
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