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Dinged By Dryer Sheets

posted by Annie B. Bond Jan 27, 2008 11:37 am
Dinged By Dryer Sheets
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By Annie B. Bond, author of Better Basics for the Home (Three Rivers Press, 1999).

You know if you are one of those sensitive to dryer sheets and fabric softeners. (I think this is the No. 2 consumer complaint behind perfume.) You are sad that you don’t like to walk in your neighborhood on Saturday mornings because of the offense smell wafting from neighbors’ dryer vents. If someone uses them in your home you may have a nightmare of burning skin, respiratory irritation, anxiety attacks and irritability. I have one friend who became so sensitive to the fumes that he had to sleep in a chair until he could get new bedding! What is the problem with these laundry products? Plenty.

How I would love to have full disclosure of ingredients in consumer products. Given how many people complain about getting sick from dryer sheets and liquid fabric softener, it is disturbing that there is so little research available for the general public about the ingredients in the products. Dry sheets and fabric softeners actually waterproof your clothes to make them feel softer! I have found information on waterproofing and there are few safe ways to do that.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and industry-generated Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) from the 1990s, the following is a list of chemicals in fabric softener products, most in untested combinations. Liquid fabric softeners additionally may contain formaldehyde.

  • Benzyl acetate: Linked to pancreatic cancer.
  • Benzyl Alcohol: Upper respiratory tract irritant.
  • Ethanol: On the EPA’s Hazardous Waste list and can cause central nervous system disorders.
  • Limonene: Suspected Gastrointestinal or Liver Toxicant, Immunotoxicant,
    Kidney Toxicant, Neurotoxicant,
    Respiratory Toxicant, and Skin or Sense Organ Toxicant.

  • A-Terpineol: Can cause respiratory problems, including fatal edema, and central nervous system damage.
  • Ethyl Acetate: A narcotic on the EPA’s Hazardous Waste list.
  • Camphor: Causes central nervous system disorders.
  • Chloroform: Neurotoxic, anesthetic and carcinogenic.
  • Linalool: A narcotic that causes central nervous system disorders.
  • Pentane: A chemical known to be harmful if inhaled.

To hide the chemical smell, companies load dryer sheets full of chemical fragrances, which are potentially carcinogenic.

Dryer sheets are designed to stay on clothing for a long period of time and slowly release their chemicals throughout the day, which leads to prolonged exposure to toxic chemicals.

The toxins in dryer sheets and their chemical fragrances enter the body both through inhalation or are absorbed through the skin.

Some of the symptoms experienced from prolonged exposure to the chemicals in dryer sheets include headaches, nausea, vomiting , dizziness, central nervous system disorders, blood pressure reduction, fatigue, difficulty breathing, skin irritation, difficulty concentrating and remembering, cancer, irritation to skin, mucus membranes and respiratory tract, and liver damage.

Alternatives point to successfully substituting vinegar in the rinse water of the laundry cycle. We’ve received quite a few comments from our readers finding this approach works well. There are also a number of alternative products on the market. Read our article Fabric Softener: Easy Greening.

Fabric softeners are static cling busters, mostly. One easy way to avoid using them is to use natural fibers.

More on Health & Safety (111 articles available)
More from Annie B. Bond (3171 articles available)

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151 comments

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151 Comments       add a comment »
JK K.
  • JK K. says
  • Apr 30, 2008 6:56 PM

To the man who thinks he can make a concentrated product with corn and coconut to replace vinegar for 21 cents a gallon: That product is not a possibility. Corn and coconuts are environmentally problematic unless you're talking about organic corn and organic coconut. The non-organic corn is GMO and those who are growing it are destroying our earth. The non-organic coconut used is also endangering the earth. If you choose to use organic ingredients, you will have much closer to the real cost of the product, which is hidden when cheap items using ingredients that are grown in such a way that the environmental costs will be tremendous when the final reckonings come in. But that will still not make your product possible because corn and coconut do not soften products, remove stains, or remove odors, and are not antibacterial. Your hypothesis is actually just a pipe dream and if you look at the ingredients of products with corn and coconut, they usually include toxic synthetic ingredients.

Sandrea S.

Amen to all... TY!

elaine b.

I love vinager and think its a wonderfull idea!I use it to clean the house it smells great

JK K.
  • JK K. says
  • Apr 18, 2008 7:15 AM

Also, you can get very good, chemical free laundry soap at health food stores and at some grocery stores. Just read the labels. The only problem with the grocery store brands is that you have to go into the aisle with all the others and it can make you sick just breathing the air there.

JK K.
  • JK K. says
  • Apr 18, 2008 7:12 AM

You add the vinegar to the rinse only. It doesn't really matter how much; I just pour some in. Even if the clothes smell a little bit of vinegar when they come out, they won't by the time they are dry.

Stacie Lee

It's not commonly known but dryer sheets are POISONOUS to cats & dogs.

Stacy M.

Per a suggestion someone made here on this site I started using aluminum foil for getting rid of static cling. I put some white vinegar and about 12-15 drops of Aura Cacia lemon essential oil in a Downy Ball. The vinegar makes our clothes SO soft and the end up smelling a little bit like lemon. Very nice. Then the aluminum foil I wad up into three small balls, 1/3 of a golf ball size, and toss them in the dryer. What comes out is super soft and static cling free clothing!

But what I'm stuggling with is how to make my own detergent without using Fels Naptha and Borax since both have dangerous chemicals in them.

Marilyn B.

I use "As Seen on TV" dryer balls instead of dryer sheets and they work great.

Marilyn Miller

Would like to know if the vinegar goes into the wash or the rinse only and how much to use. Thanks.

Sara R.
  • Sara R. says
  • Mar 19, 2008 7:10 AM

Steve, someone else brought the FCOD to my attention. I read about it on uncaged.co.uk/crueltyfree.htm. This means that they do not conduct any animal tests at all, and have a policy of not using any ingredients tested on animals from a fixed date. The FCOD is widely accepted by anti-vivisection organizations across the world as the gold standard. Some companies operate the so-called ‘five-year rolling rule’ policy(such as Ecover). This is not ethical because, over time, it does not actually do anything to stop animal testing. Shaklee products seem cool, I just don't know much about them yet... but I did just read about the Scour Off Heavy Duty Paste featured in the April Vegetarian Times issue. They also mentioned some great programs Shaklee is involved in.

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Disclaimer: Care2.com does not warrant and shall have no liability for information provided in this newsletter or on Care2.com. Each individual person, fabric, or material may react differently to a particular suggested use. It is recommended that before you begin to use any formula, you read the directions carefully and test it first. Should you have any health care-related questions or concerns, please call or see your physician or other health care provider.

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