If your old hair dryer still runs safely, someone may be able to use it. If it is broken, look for a small-electronics program that confirms it accepts hair dryers.
Check the cord, plug, battery, and recall status before passing it on. A scorched, sparking, cracked, or water-damaged dryer should not be donated.
Donate a Safe, Working Hair Dryer
Clean the outside, remove hair from the intake screen as the manual directs, and include attachments. Test only if the cord and housing show no damage.
Check the model through the US Consumer Product Safety Commission recall search. Follow the recall remedy instead of donating or recycling a recalled dryer.
Call the charity or reuse shop before visiting. Many organizations decline personal-care appliances even when they work.
Recycle a Broken Hair Dryer
Search your city or county directory for small appliances, electronics, or scrap metal. Ask whether the program accepts corded hair dryers and whether a fee applies.
EPA’s electronics guide recommends checking community facilities and manufacturer or retailer programs. It also says removable batteries may need separate recycling.
Do not place the dryer loose in a curbside recycling cart. Cords can tangle sorting equipment, and mixed plastic and metal appliances may not belong in container recycling.
If no electronics program accepts it, ask your trash hauler whether the dryer can go in household garbage. State e-waste laws and local lists differ.
Handle Cordless and Battery-Powered Models
Check the manual before removing a battery. If it comes out without dismantling the dryer, tape exposed terminals as the battery program directs and recycle it separately.
Do not pry out a built-in lithium-ion battery. EPA says these batteries and devices containing them do not belong in household trash or recycling bins.
Stop using a dryer with a swollen battery, unusual heat, odor, hissing, or smoke. Move away and call 911 for a fire or immediate danger.
Prepare It for Drop-Off
- Unplug the dryer and let it cool.
- Keep the cord loosely coiled without wrapping it tightly around the body.
- Do not cut the cord or take the dryer apart.
- Separate a user-removable battery only when the manual allows it.
- Follow the receiver’s packing and drop-off instructions.
A cloth or plastic bag is not required for safety. Use a box only when it helps contain loose attachments or the receiving program requests one.