Offering nesting material is a sure way to attract birds to take up residence in your yard, but not all possible materials are safe and suitable for birds. The idea of saving dryer lint to give to nesting birds is pervasive but can actually endanger both adult birds and nestlings.

Why Dryer Lint Seems Okay

Birds use many different materials to build their nests, and the soft, fuzzy nature of dryer lint may seem perfect for cushioning eggs. Because the lint is a free byproduct of using a dryer and offering it to birds is an easy way to recycle, many people like to make it available to birds, and the birds may indeed use it. Doing so, however, can be very dangerous for the nesting birds and their newly-hatched offspring.

How Dryer Lint Is Dangerous for Birds

It doesn’t matter if you use only the healthiest laundry soaps, minimize scents, and take other steps to ensure your dryer lint is non-toxic, it can still be dangerous to birds.

• Texture: Lint is stripped fibers and has no structure of its own. Because of this, it falls apart easily and will not hold up to the kicks, wiggles, and stretches of growing nestlings. After wet lint dries, it can be particularly brittle and a nest made of dryer lint will disintegrate.
• Chemicals: Depending on the exact detergents, fabric softeners, and dryer sheets used, lint can contain perfumes, soap residue, and artificial dyes. The higher concentration of these chemicals in lint can make it particularly toxic to birds.

• Scent: The fresh scent of warm laundry can be wonderful for us, and while most birds do not have a strong sense of smell and won’t mind the odor, those same scents can attract hungry predators – with their very keen sense of smell – right to a vulnerable nest.
• Dust: Small particles of dry, loose lint are easy to disturb and can be inhaled by birds, even young chicks. This dust can cause respiratory distress and even choking or suffocation in severe cases, especially for just-hatched birds.
• Mold: When lint gets wet, it will retain the moisture for far longer than more natural materials. Not only can staying in a damp nest chill birds, but the wet lint can develop toxic mold or mildew that can cause illnesses or even become fatal.
• Stickiness: Wet dryer lint pulls apart easily but will stick to many surfaces and can become caked on birds’ legs, feet, and features. In severe cases, this can disrupt feathers’ insulation and may even impair the development of feathers in altricial chicks.
• Composition: While most dryer lint is made up of very small, fuzzy particles, longer threads or hairs can also be part of a mass of lint. Long pieces can tangle around birds’ legs, wings or necks, potentially causing injuries similar to the effects of fishing line.

Your Dryer Vent Can Be a Danger

Even if you don’t offer lint directly to , it is important to inspect your outside dryer vent exhaust regularly. Even with interior screens, some lint can escape through the vent and will collect on the edges of the opening. Birds can find that material, especially when the dryer is in use and loose bits may be moving with the exhaust flow.

Other Dryer Lint Uses

Recycling is always a good idea and a great way to be a green birder, but instead of offering dryer lint as nesting material, try these alternative, safer uses:

• Add dryer lint to a compost pile, but only if the lint is free from excessive dyes or perfumes.
• Carefully use a ball of lint as easy kindling for a fireplace, furnace, or outdoor fire pit.
• Add a layer of lint inside houseplant pots when repotting for easy compost.
• Use lint to soak up spills after a home oil change, and dispose of dirty lint responsibly.
• Add lint to a homemade paper mixture for a soft fabric component.
• Use lint to cushion packages for shipping.

Understanding why dryer lint is inappropriate for nesting birds can help backyard birders offer safer materials to encourage birds to nest nearby.