Imagine opening your mailbox and finding something unexpected tucked between the bills and grocery store advertisements: a scented dryer sheet. You didn’t put it there, and it certainly isn’t something you ordered. Before tossing it in the trash, however, you might want to know why it appeared.
Some mail carriers have been placing dryer sheets inside residential mailboxes for a surprisingly practical reason: they’re trying to keep wasps and other stinging insects away. The unusual trick has circulated among postal workers for years, with some claiming that the strong fragrance discourages insects from building nests inside mailboxes. But does it actually work, and should homeowners leave those mysterious dryer sheets alone?
