Finding a dryer sheet in your mailbox may seem strange, but it’s actually a helpful hack that could keep you safe!
If You See a Dryer Sheet in Your Mailbox, Here’s What It Means
Updated on Sep. 27, 2024
Spotting a dryer sheet in the wild is fairly unusual. Other than the occasional rogue trip to the office stuck to the back of someone’s pants, dryer sheets mostly stay confined to the laundry room. But lately, more and more people are reporting that these laundry staples are popping up in an even stranger location: their mailbox.
Yes, you read that right: People are finding dryer sheets in their mailbox. But why, and who put them there? Is it a neighbor trying to subtly tell you that you smell bad? Is it an offering to the laundry gods begging for all the lost socks to return? Does your mail carrier just really love the scent of “fresh cotton” (whatever that smells like)? What does it all mean? You have questions. We have answers, along with a bunch of interesting facts about this random phenomenon.
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What does it mean when you find a dryer sheet in your mailbox?
If you find a dryer sheet in your mailbox, it means your mail carrier has found bees or wasps in or around your mailbox. A scented dryer sheet is supposedly a way to deter pests from setting up permanent residence there.
This oft-repeated life hack has been around for years, but it isn’t super common. We reached out to the United States Postal Service, and their spokesperson hadn’t ever heard of it. “Well, that is an interesting idea!” says Amy Gibbs, a spokesperson for the United States Postal Service. “It’s a good thing to consider because insect bites and stings can be a serious risk for postal workers. The Postal Service encourages both residents and employees to take steps to reduce the threat of stings.”
So … should a dryer sheet be one of those things?
A quick search online shows this tip popping up on many forums, including the USPS subreddit, where some mail carriers say they use this dryer sheet trick. Similarly, residents post about doing this to protect their mail carrier (and themselves when they open the mailbox). This home hack pops up most often when the weather warms up and the insects come out. According to the tips online, a single dryer sheet can work its magic in a mailbox for one to two weeks.
Does this hack really work?
According to anecdotal evidence, yes! While scientists are a little more tentative, they say the idea has some merit. “It has never been studied, so we can’t definitively say, but it’s perfectly possible it works,” says Lewis Bartlett, PhD, an assistant professor of entomology in the Odum School of Ecology at the University of Georgia. “The dryer sheets may work a little bit like mothballs, which definitely work for this purpose!”
How would this work? It’s all about the smell. It turns out that while you might love the scent of “lavender fields” or “citrus fresh,” insects really don’t. “The strength of the scent and the sorts of plants or chemicals used to make the smell may be insect deterrents,” Bartlett explains.
In terms of the particular scent, some online sources swear it has to be the Bounce Original Scent, but again, there’s no scientific evidence to back this up. “It’s possible some dryer sheet scents work great, and others not so well,” Bartlett says. “You’d just have to try it and see.” (If you do a scent experiment on your own, be sure to write to us and let us know what you find!)
How else can you keep your mailbox insect-free?
It’s important to do your best to keep your mailbox pest-free—both for your safety and the safety of your mail carrier. “If it is a consistent issue, your mail carrier will alert you to the problem, and we ask that you take care of it,” Gibbs says. And know that if your mail carrier feels like your home is unsafe in any way, whether that’s from bees or bulldogs, you may be asked to pick up your mail from the post office instead of having it delivered. So it’s in everyone’s best interest to take care of wasps and other winged, stinging things quickly.
Use mothballs
Bartlett’s top tip: Skip the dryer sheets, and use mothballs instead. “Mothballs do the same job but demonstrably consistently,” he says.
Make sure your mailbox is secure
It’s important to fortify your mailbox by making sure there are no holes for these insects to get inside, says bee expert Gard W. Otis, a professor emeritus of behavioral ecology and apiculture at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, and an adjunct researcher at the Institute of Bee Health. He says he’s never heard of people using dryer sheets to deter bees or wasps, but knowing some facts about wasp and bee behavior can help you protect yourself and others.
Learn about insect behavior
It varies between insects, so find out what you’re dealing with, as Otis suggests above, and act accordingly. Here’s a quick breakdown.
Wasps
“If you find a wasp nest in your mailbox, remove the incipient nest immediately,” Otis says. “When starting a nest, wasps are not very defensive—they have nothing yet to defend! The small nest can be knocked down with a stick.” He adds that if for some reason the nest gets large, you should call a professional to remove it.
Bees
Bees, he explains, are less likely to be inside a mailbox on purpose—”a mailbox would be rather small for a colony of honeybees”—but may end up there by accident. However, they thrive on the types of plants people often put near their mailboxes, like flowers, so they may be hanging around in the general vicinity. For this reason, the Postal Service recommends keeping flowers trimmed or planting them away from mailboxes.
“If you do come across a swarm, consisting of several thousand bees and a queen, anywhere in your yard, don’t kill them,” Otis says. “Call a beekeeper for help. She would likely welcome the free colony of bees!”
About the experts
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Why trust us
At Reader’s Digest, we’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experience where appropriate. For this piece on why you might find a dryer sheet in your mailbox, Charlotte Hilton Andersen tapped her 20-plus years as a journalist, as well as well as interviewed two insect experts and a spokesperson for the Postal Service. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.
Sources:
- Lewis James Bartlett, PhD, assistant professor of entomology in the Odum School of Ecology at the University of Georgia; email interview, Sept. 25, 2024
- Gard W. Otis, professor emeritus of behavioral ecology and apiculture in the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of Guelph and adjunct researcher at the Institute of Bee Health; email interview, Sept. 24, 2024
- Amy Gibbs, spokesperson for the United States Postal Service; email interview, Sept. 24, 2024
- Reddit: “Dryer sheets in mailboxes”
- Reddit: “YSK if you randomly see a dryer sheet in the back of your mailbox, your mail carrier put it there for a reason”
