Iowa Warning: If You See A Dryer Sheet In Your Mailbox Leave It There

We are all getting ready for Summer 2024. That warm weather is already here which means the wildlife, and bugs are out again. Those bugs can get annoying... thankfully there might be a solution.

A random dryer sheet in your mailbox sounds weird I know...and some people have noticed these dryer sheets in their mailboxes. They actual reportedly work.

Who Put The Dryer Sheet There?

If you see a dryer sheet in your mailbox odds are your mail carrier put the dryer sheet in there, and it's best that you leave it in there for their and your safety.

The Reason For The Dryer Sheets

Every year we see a countless number of bugs come out during the warmer months of the year. If you live in Iowa you know you're gonna be dealing with these annoying guys for a while since summer is still going strong.

Some bugs are more mean than annoying though. Wasps and yellowjackets are some of the worst bugs out there in the Midwest, heck there are even "Killer ones!" One place that wasps and yellowjackets like to hide out in is your mailbox.

Mail carriers already work hard, and running into a wasp or yellowjacket just makes a day worse. So if there are some mean bugs hanging out by your mailbox there's a good chance that your mail carrier will put a dryer sheet in your box. To avoid having these insects build their nests in your mailbox, mail carriers will sometimes place scented dryer sheets in there. Apparently, wasps and yellowjackets hate them, seeing as though they strongly dislike strong aromas.

According to a mail carrier user on Reddit this trick should last as long as the smell does. It should keep wasps and yellowjackets away from your mailbox.

Dryer Sheets Can Also Prevent Other Bugs

So if these sheets work on keeping the bugs away from your mailbox, do they keep bugs away from you? The short answer is it depends. Goaptive reported,

 Although dryer sheets haven’t been officially proven to repel mosquitoes, their effectiveness hasn’t been disproven, either. It’s possible these common household items are a successful mosquito-repellant.

So it's worth a try if you're really struggling with bugs or if you are out doing yard work you can put dryer sheets in the collar of your shirt to keep bugs away from your face this year..., Plus it'll help you smell nice.