Toxic Dryer Sheets

Bonnie Hunt on her TV show mentioned how dryer sheets can be toxic to your health and to reconsider using them.

If you get a rash or welts, feel stuffy, watery eyes, sneezing just from wearing your clothing, you could have an environmental allergy to a household product. You will have to remove potential items from your life to find out what it is that is bothering you. Sometimes it could be what other people use also.

Soaps, shampoos, conditioners, perfumes, shaving cream etc, can all have the same allergic result.

Even dry cleaning can do this to you.

Getting back to the dryer sheets, use 1/4 cup of vinegar in your laundry for light fabrics (cottons) and 1/2 cup for heavier fabrics (jeans, bedspreads, etc) instead of fabric softeners. Vinegar is a natural product and less expensive.

As for the dryer sheets -- those spikey dryer balls work really well. I have found them to "fluff up" the towels a bit better than the stiffness dryer sheets tend to do to them due to the residue the dryer sheets leave.

Here is an article on fabric softener and dryer sheets with some alternatives ...

Articles listed below on the subject by Dr. Anne Steinemann, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Professor of Public Affairs at the University of Washington, can be found at: CleanerIndoorAir

Toxic Chemicals in Scented Laundry Detergent and Fabric Softener by Dr. Anne Steinemann
Toxic Chemicals Emitted by Air Fresheners by Dr. Anne Steinemann
Toxic Chemicals Emitted by Dryer Sheets and Scented Laundry Products by Dr. Anne Steinemann

Hope this helps someone.