Finding a dryer sheet tucked inside a mailbox can seem odd—especially if it keeps reappearing after being removed. While it might look like trash, it’s usually there for a very practical reason.
The Most Common Reason: Pest Prevention
Dryer sheets are widely believed to repel insects and small pests. Many people place them in mailboxes to discourage:
Wasps and yellow jackets
Spiders
Ants
Earwigs
Roaches
Mice or other small rodents
Mailboxes are dark, enclosed, and rarely disturbed—making them attractive nesting spots, particularly for wasps in warmer months. The strong scent and chemical compounds in dryer sheets (such as linalool and beta-citronellol) are unpleasant to many insects.
