LIKE MANY OF YOU (women), I style and dry my hair with a hair dryer.
But I’ve found other valuable uses for this tool, especially during a Minnesota winter. Several weeks ago when freezing rain iced the front storm door shut, I pulled out the hair dryer and blasted hot air along the bottom of the door. Minutes later I could open that door. I’ve done the same to thaw an iced-over mailbox.
I remember years ago de-icing the eldest daughter’s car windshield and driver’s side door with my hair dryer.
When I washed a stocking cap last week that needed air drying, I hastened that natural process by, you guessed it, turning on the blow dryer.
But probably the best winter use of a hair dryer came to me during a particularly brutal cold snap here in southern Minnesota. Randy, who has been working way too much clearing snow, took a break to warm his hands. As he stood in the kitchen rubbing warmth into his numb hands, I had an aha moment.
“I’ll get the hair dryer,” I said, returning to blow warm (not hot) air onto his hands. Then he removed his gloves and I blasted hot air inside. Now he had nice and toasty warm gloves to wear into that frigid cold. He really needs choppers.
So there you go. Think a hair dryer is just for styling and drying hair? Nope, not during a Minnesota winter.
TELL ME: Have you ever used a blow dryer for anything other than its intended purpose?
© Copyright 2019 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
Very ingenious. My best use — drying my shirt after I have to spot wash it after I have put it on and gotten deodorant all over it. 🙂
That’s a great use also.
Great ideas Audrey. I have used it to dry spots I’ve cleaned off clothing that I’m wearing at the time.
Beth Ann does the same. See her comment. Good idea.
They are great for the shrink wrapping of electrical wires.
Now I never would have thought of that use. Thanks for the tip, Keith.
I have had to use a blow dryer numerous times to quickly dry a spot after doing stain removal from Forrest’s work shirts – he’s famous for spilling or splattering something on work shirts during breakfast or lunch! Spot cleaning and a quick blast with the blow dryer has him heading to work in no time flat. After his morning shower, Forrest dries the foggy mirror with the blow dryer before styling his hair. Hmm, it appears Forrest gets way more use of the blow dryer than I do!! ha ha!
Thanks for making me laugh this morning.
I’m sure a good laugh is in store for you… with that weather you’ve had and with more to come (what my brother says). They will be heading home this morning sometime from Rochester… I’m praying they beat the next storm scheduled to move in this afternoon.
If they leave this morning, they should be OK. In Minnesota. Hopefully they won’t drive into the storm. I hope all went well for your brother.
It went very well. Managing the pain will be the difficult part for a long time. Thanks for your prayers, Audrey.
I’m thankful to hear that surgery went well. I pray the same for his recovery.
Blow dryers are great tools. I use it to dust lamp shades. I have used it to put plastic on the windows when I lived in the frozen tundra. I have been using it lately to keep an ear dry (warm air and away from the ear of course). I agree that it has many uses and some still to be discovered. Happy Weekend – Enjoy – Be Safe and Stay Warm 🙂
Both your uses are truly unique. I will definitely try the dusting lamp shades.
More snow and mixed precip forecast for our area this weekend. Sigh.
HaaaHaa.
Funny you should ask…I warmed up the sheets before Mr. L. got into bed!!! xx
Hey, that’s pretty smart. I’ve found that flannel sheets help tremendously with that issue in the winter.
Way back when I used to use mine to help me defrost the freezer. I still use one if I need to remove a label that has sticky glue on it. Add a little heat and that label comes right off! I think we women are more versatile when it comes to things like this. “Necessity is the mother of invention.”
I forgot about the defrosting the freezer usage. I’ve done that also. Thanks for the label removal tip. I never thought of that.
During the last Polar Vortex, my husband grabbed my hair dryer and a LONG extension cord to thaw out a Ritchie waterer. (for cattle)
I teased him that we should send a photo to Vidal Sassoon! -erin
Erin, it’s not too late. Send a photo to Vidal Sassoon. The way this winter is going, your husband will surely need to use it again to thaw the cattle waterer. Do you think it would work on ice dams? Randy is on the roof right now, for the second evening in a row, shoveling off snow. Yes, we have an issue with ice dams.
Thanks for sharing this humorous, but practical, use of a hair dryer.
I am also a blow dryer chest freezer defroster! It quickens the whole process and gets the food back inside faster, and the whole job takes way less time!! I also use a plastic burger flipper to scrape the sides once it has thawed a little. What we really need is a HUGE blow dryer to MELT THIS SNOW!! 😝
When you find that huge blow dryer to melt all of our snow, please notify me. Oh, that would be the sun. 🙂
Stay home and stay safe this evening into tomorrow.
Last winter I used mine to defrost the ice blocking the exit pipe for my well pump via long extension cord out to the pump house. This year I had the well house insulated in the fall, lol! Our winter has been far more mild, but very, very wet 🙄
Smart move to get the well house insulated. Thanks for sharing your creative use of a hair dryer.