Tumble Dryer fluff

*flutterby*

I read on here some time ago that it's good to leave it out for the birds around this time of year...

I saved up some and gave it to my mum a few weeks ago for her to put on her bird table... She gets lots of different kinds of birds, we reckon they eat better than she does... anyway, they never took it... I've managed to save quite a bit more now... What could we be doing wrong or what should we do to encourage them to take it?

Thanks all

StudentLife

I think it's a little early to be putting the fluff out. It should be in early Spring, when they are starting to build their nests. I too read a thread on this and the poster suggesting filling an old bird feeder (one you put peanuts etc in) with the fluff. HTH

Nile

Hello *flutterby*

Maybe the birds will be more interested in Spring, when they're busy nest building and repairing.;)

Regards

Nile

*flutterby*

aaahhh... Ok... I thought they'd need it now to help keep them warm? hehehe

I will keep saving it then

scoot1on1

We have the tumble dryer connected to an outside wall and the sparrows were flying into the vent and pulling the fluff from inside to make their nests last spring.
Clever Little boogers

LizD_2

TBH tumble drier fluff isn't the safest thing for birds. It can consist of synthetic fibres which don't break if they get caught around a bird or other animal (think plastic drink-holders around ducks' necks). It's also not biodegradeable, which isn't good for the environment.

http://forum.biggonline.co.uk/viewtopic.php?p=17769&sid=97d58ba70878af49f29e81479d3edd25

Animal hair is good, if you have pets.

LizD_2

scoot1on1 wrote:

We have the tumble dryer connected to an outside wall and the sparrows were flying into the vent and pulling the fluff from inside to make their nests last spring.
Clever Little boogers

Fair enough, if they find it for themselves, i guess!

Sadierhianne

Hmm also i'd think full of chemicals if you use normal washing powder - my fluff amount has just reduced dramatically with dryer balls although my cotton towels still seem to loose a lot of fluff - i am surprised that they havent fallen to bits;-) I like the idea of natural fibres though so will save the cotton from my towel washes and save it all up for the spring.

liz.._4

how about stuffing it into toilet roll tubes and making your own firelighters? good for bbqs in the summer!

martindow

Maybe it can be spun into thread and then you could reknit your clothes!

looby75

Sorry if this is old news to you all but I've been encouraged to post this tip over here.

I read something a couple of years ago that you should save the "fluff" out of your tumble drier filter/door and scatter it in your garden in the spring so that birds can use it to help them build nests, so that's what I've done since then.

Today I found a much more mse use for the fluff. While making tea I split some pasta sauce on my cooker and looked round for a cloth to wipe it off before it burnt on. The only thing to hand was some of the fluff i'd been saving, so I grabbed that. It worked SO well, my cooker came up gleaming so I tried using the fluff on other bits and bobs. No matter where I used it the surface came out nice and shiny and my tv, which is usually a total dust trap is still clean hours after I "fluffed" it.

Now I know that for a lot of you this tip will be totally irrelevant as you don't use a dryer but I hope it might be useful to those of you who do (Then again you have all prob been doing it for years already lol)