There Might Be a Scary Downside to Fabric Softener Sheets

[madokie]

Those wonderfully aromatic smells from your laundry may be a major source of home air pollution.

There are few scents as comforting as warm laundry pulled from the dryer, thanks to the olfactory magic of fabric softener sheets. They are simple enough products, nothing more than thin polyester sheets coated with chemicals to “soften” fabric fibers and give clothes that irresistible scent.

But have you ever wondered what's in those dryer sheets? Start by rubbing one sheet between your fingers. That waxy and slightly tacky feeling is a surfactant compound used to coat your clothes, keeping them soft. The surfactant compound is positively charged to help remove static from clothes in the dryer.

The surfactant is typically a fatty compound such as quaternary ammonium salt (which is linked to asthma), silicon oil, or stearic acid (derived from animal fat). Some dryer sheets may contain more than one surfactant. When these compounds heat up in the dryer, they liquefy and coat the clothes. In essence, your fabrics aren't any softer—they're just coated with a fatty compound to make you think they are.

Along with the surfactant — which may or may not be listed on the ingredients list — is a fragrance whose composition may also be obscured from the consumer. Those fragrances, found in sheets from brands such as Downy and Bounce, may pose health risks, as the toxins they're made with transfer to your clothes and skin and get into the air you breathe when released from dryer vent emissions, which are not regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency. Because the fragrances manufacturers use are trade secrets, consumers have no way of knowing what they contain. Federal laws require only that cleaning products list the ingredients that are active disinfectants or known to pose hazards.

http://www.alternet.org/environment/scary-downside-fabric-softener-sheets-toxic-toxic-toxic?page=0%2C1&paging=off&current_page=1#bookmark

[GeorgeGist]

1. A friend swears by 2-4 tennis balls in the dryer for softening.

My wife hasn't tried it.

[madokie]

2. I wonder what they add to the air as they heat up

vinegar is a good fabric softener
http://www.greenideareviews.com/2012/04/25/using-vinegar-as-fabric-softener-review-does-it-work/

[Dale Neiburg]

4. Agreed!!

Distilled white vinegar makes excellent fabric softener, safe for the environment and for your drier -- and cheap! Lemon juice concentrate also works, and leaves a **faint** lemony smell.

[madokie]

8. Thanks I'll have to tell my wife that

she like the scent of lemon anyway
I wonder how much of the concentrate one would use per load of clothes

[curlyred]

10. Felted wool dryer balls are quieter than tennis balls

Instructions all over the internet on these. We bought four skeins of 100% wool yarn and rolled it into six balls of yarn, which we put into an old (very old!) pair of panty hose with knots in between. Washed several times until they felted up nicely. Now they live in the dryer. I guess you can put a drop or two of essential oils on them if you like but we haven't done that yet.

[leftynyc]

12. Not just softening

they also cut way down on the static cling. Those same chemicals that are making the clothes and towels softer is also making them less absorbent.

[Warpy]

77. They work, but they won't take static cling out of plastic clothing

I don't notice any difference at all when I use unscented dryer sheets from when I don't except for the static problem.

If I've got a bunch of cotton/poly stuff to be washed, I'll use a quarter of the recommended amount in the washer, nothing in the dryer. That does the trick.

The main thing I hate about most dryer sheets is the perfume.

[cbayer]

3. It's all about the scent. Is there any evidence that they actually soften anything?

They reduce static, but there are other things that can do that.

They are another hoax on the american people, imo, just like bottled water and american spirit tobacco.

I have also read somewhere that they can cause major problems with your dryer's exhaust system.

If one can draw any conclusions from the amount of advertising they do, they are big winners with the american public.

[tularetom]

5. Our cat loves 'em

She roots them out of a basket of dry clothes and rolls around on them. Once we caught her trying to eat one of them. We try to keep them away from her but sometimes she's too quick for us.

Probably not good for her, but she's been doing it most of her life and she's now 16 years old. And she sure smells good for a day or two after one of her little episodes.

[democrat in Tallahassee]

41. Those things are toxic to animals.

I just read an article about them because my rabbit will eat anything and I was afraid he might get a hold of one of them. They are toxic to all living creatures if eaten. We stopped using them.

[TwilightGardener]

50. Yup--my dogs will try to eat them out of the basket. I use them for fragrance,

I love fresh laundry smell. Considering all the hair-raising stuff I've exposed my lungs to over a lifetime, I don't think it's going to be dryer sheets that do me in, especially since I use maybe one sheet every couple days.

[fadedrose]

69. Use less detergent so that one rinse is necessary OR

Rinse twice. No fabric softener needed and clothes feel and look like new.

We used to have a feature called "water saver" where water was saved in a stationary tub or large steel tub and was sucked back into the washer to use for washing rugs, or presoaking.... no more of that good feature.

We don't have a water shortage problem in Michigan, but I never waste it. Using 2 rinses is better for the environment or one rinse with a cutback in soap and NO softener either way.

Hi efficiency washers, which I just bought, use so little water and detergent that 2 rinses are economical and keep your washer cleaner than with softener to gum up the works. I used 2 rinses with my old regular washer, and was very satisfied with the results. Presoaking dirty items in a bucket or jar for a day with a tablespoon helps clean them without overdoing the detergent.

Our parents used 2 rinses, in large tubs or stationary tubs, or way way long time ago, in streams and rivers. Detergents harden our clothes.

[otohara]

56. Keep Her Away From Fire

because the chemicals in those things leaves a film of that is very flammable and will catch your kitty on fire in an instant. Dryer sheets make fire retardant treated clothes flammable. (another toxic practice that needs to be banned)

Poor kitty, you know she licks the toxic chemicals off her fur.

http://healthimpactnews.com/2014/secondhand-fragrance-contamination-a-public-health-problem/

[tularetom]

63. Nah, we're just gonna quit using the fabric softener sheets

Much easier to use some other kind of fabric softener than to try to keep it away from our scheming, devious and determined cat.

Perhaps it's genetic. She has a brother who likes to roll around on surfaces that have been cleaned with clorox or some other kind of bleach.

[onlyadream]

6. Interesting.

I always felt a bit guilty NOT using them for my family. I guess my cheapness paid off in this case. microwave popcorn, I heard, is also bad for you, so we do air popped. Now my hubby is on a "canned food is bad" kick.

[HockeyMom]

7. They discolored my towels and sheets

It looked like bleach had gotten on them in spots. Since I have skin allergies, I only used the Free and Clear sheets. So if they have no perfumes or chemicals in them, why did they do this?

I no longer use dryer sheets at all.

[madokie]

9. If I had my way about things we wouldn't use them either

from that you can see who the boss is around my house

[PADemD]

13. I no longer use dryer sheets, too.

I tried Bounce sheets when they were introduced and ended up with an itchy rash.

[BlueJazz]

34. I'll be darn. I thought I was the only one who got an itchy rash from those things.

I remember trying them and finally had to rewash all my shirts 'cause it felt like somebody played a cruel joke with itching powder.
I've never used any of them since.

Thanks for your post.

[Ino]

59. I suffered for a year...

with horrible soreness "down there." Then I overheard two women chatting about one's sister, who was always sore, and her ob-gyn asked her if she used dryer sheets. Seems that there was an epidemic of women complaining about this soreness and they had tracked it down to dryer sheets.

My roommate, who always did the laundry, used dryer sheets. And he had moved in a year before!

Problem solved. But the whole ordeal made me super-sensitive to all products with "whatever" in them. I now have to use hypoallergenic laundry detergent & bath soap.

[pipi_k]

60. OMG same here

Now I use Tide Free and Clear. No scent. No color. No fabric softeners, and not even any bleach.

I wash undies and socks separately from the rest of the wash because my feet are also very sensitive

I have a High Efficiency washer and dryer, so I can set the cycle to "Sanitary" and it will use steam while washing for about 1 hour 40 minutes.

[canoeist52]

11. I don't get the desire for soft clothes.

To me, there's nothing nicer than the feel of crisp cotton off the clothes-line. And most of the commercially available scents, to me, smell nothing like the scent they are trying to copy.

But if you still want soft static-less clothing without the flammable and toxic chemicals, try this;

- Add a quarter cup of baking soda to wash cycle to soften fabric

- Add a quarter cup of white vinegar to wash soften fabric and eliminate cling

[yeoman6987]

47. I really wish I could have a

Clothes line, but alas, HOA says no way under any circumstances.

[Historic NY]

14. I've started using dryer balls sometime ago they work better.....

Last edited Wed Aug 27, 2014, 08:41 AM - Edit history (1)

we use dryer sheets in storing our old cars, it keeps the critters out.

[marions ghost]

16. LOL they should repel us as well...

...maybe the dryer sheet industry could merge with pest repellants.

[marions ghost]

15. And then there's that nasty chemical "potpourri"

--those horrible smelling air fresheners and "plug-ins" which give people headaches and respiratory distress. Not to mention Febreeze with those commercials about blindfolded people in rooms of garbage. Personally I'd rather smell the garbage--we need smell to tell us what to avoid. In stores with a strong "potpourri" smell I don't stay long.

Likewise with the scented laundry detergents and fabric softeners. They just make you and your clothes smell weird. Like a cover-up is going on. The cover-up smells much worse than the odors we are supposed to be offended by.

People, stop wasting your money. "Fresh" cannot be bought in a product.

[KittyWampus]

23. Odoban>>> alternative to Febreeze. It's natural. Developed for use in kennels and animal shelters

Comes in Eucalyptus scent everyone likes and also Lavender (haven't tried).

Read the reviews on Odoban- universally glowing.

[marions ghost]

51. Thanks for the tip

but Odoban is still injecting chemicals into your environment even if it does work (and therefore may have industrial, hospital, kennels, and large-scale cleaning usages). But it may not be better for you or pets, or the home environment than Febreeze or potpourri chemicals, especially if sprayed rather than used as a liquid cleaner. Just sayin.

This is the main ingredient in Odoban: dimethylbenzylammonium chloride

Here's the basics about it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benzalkonium_chloride

-------excerpt:

As with antibiotics, the use of biocides at sub-inhibitory concentrations can potentially result in resistant organisms, and should be used at recommended dilutions and extended contact time to ensure effective disinfection. While resistance is rarely linked to disinfectant usage at low concentrations, a 2009 study suggested that when used in less than lethal concentrations, benzalkonium chloride solutions could result in increased resistance Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and an increase in resistance of the bacteria to the ciprofloxacin antibiotic, even though the bacterial colonies had not been previously exposed to the antibiotic.[19]

Several human case studies have identified allergic and irritant reactions to benzalkonium chloride, including asthma,[20] contact dermatitis[21][22][23][24][25] and ocular hypersensitivity.[26] Animal studies support the toxicity of benzalkonium chloride on the lung,[27][28][29] including the induction of bronchoconstriction.[30]

Several larger studies, including epidemiological studies, have identified a strong link between the occupational use of quaternary ammonium compounds, specifically benzalkonium chloride, with an increased incidence of asthma[31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38] and rhinitis,[39] especially amongst nurses, cleaners and farmers. Whether these are irritant or immune-mediated responses is not clear, though the hypothesis that bronchial hyperresponsiveness is secondary to epithelial cell damage is supported by the literature.[40] More recently, biopsy results on mucosal epithelium suggest that neurogenic inflammation as a result of epithelial injury may be responsible for irritant-induced asthma and rhinitis.[41][42] Studies on exposure of atopic subjects to ozone[43] and to diesel exhaust particles (DEPs)[44] have identified that co-exposure to irritants and allergens leads to allergic sensitization.

A 2012 study reported that simultaneous ocular exposure to an inert antigen and benzalkonium chloride leads to a significant change in the systemic immune response to the administered antigen in mice, thus suggesting that the preservative's effects could be more profound than the local disruption of the epithelial barrier integrity and raising the question of whether benzalkonium chloride has a role in the induction of allergy.[45]

[canoeist52]

61. +1 "Fresh" cannot be bought in a product. "

[TransitJohn]

17. They're fracking our laundry!!

[cwydro]

18. I dry my clothes

On the line

[KittyWampus]

24. Me too, except for undies and socks.

[Quantess]

19. I use liquid fabric softener.

I wonder if that's better?

[tammywammy]

21. I use liquid if I use it

Use white vinegar with towels in the wash.

[Quantess]

39. Towels are the only thing I don't want softened.

Towels with softener aren't thirsty enough, and I don't want them to smell at all. I just rinse them extra thoroughly to get all the detergent out.

[KittyWampus]

25. No need to buy it anymore, just use white vinegar.

[Quantess]

38. Vinegar doesn't smell good. (no text)

[KittyWampus]

58. No smell in laundry, promise. Doesn't do anything for static cling though.

[ProfessorGAC]

49. As Someone In That Industry . . .

. . .yes, liquids are more effective. And, they leave less residue because there the water being run out of the washing machine.

They are more efficacious because being highly diluted, they actually help to neutralize the negative static charge imparted by the detergent used to clean.

I prefer the way clothes feel with them, and with an HE washer, it puts it in for us, so there is no extra step or attention needed.

Softener sheets became popular mostly because they came along before washing machines had a reliable mechanism to put in the softener at the right time. And, too soon is a problem because the detergent reacts with the softener molecule and neither does any good.

GAC

[randome]

20. Another non-essential item to cross off my shopping list. Thanks for posting!

[hr][font color="blue"][center]“If you're not committed to anything, you're just taking up space.”
Gregory Peck, Mirage (1965)[/center][/font][hr]

[CanSocDem]

22. And the answer is...

...Wash and Dry a terrycloth towel with the load.


.

[ecstatic]

40. best solution I've seen on this thread

I'll try that. Not comfortable with the vinegar or tennis ball idea.

[roody]

26. That crap smells like poison.

How are people's minds so colonized? My clothes are plenty soft. They're made of cotton! Duh. They do not smell, just like fresh air does not smell.

[Duppers]

28. ++100

[otohara]

57. Because It Is Poison - All Petro Fragrance Products

http://healthimpactnews.com/2014/secondhand-fragrance-contamination-a-public-health-problem/

[OnionPatch]

64. Some people don't use them for the scent

I use them because I live in southern California and the static electricity in our clothes is horrible because of the dry climate. Everything sticks to you and snaps and sparks without it.

I hate being exposed to toxic chemicals though. I heard people say they use vinegar for softness but is there a natural way to combat static electricity?

[Duppers]

27. I'm so allergic to the damn things that...

they once put me into anaphylactic shock! Even my earlobes were swollen. Spent a few hours in the ER with intravenous meds.

I cannot even stay overnight with friends who use fabric softeners, either the sheets or the liquid.

I'm like the proverbial canary in the birdcage.

[marions ghost]

53. I know someone like you

--she can't walk around in the neighborhood when several dryers are going at the same time.

These chemicals should not be used in the home environment. But tell that to the industry that thrives on promoting these nasty dryer sheets that basically turn your clothes into a constantly reeking source of household pollution.

Just say no way.

[Duppers]

66. yes! I also have to close my windows if the neighbors

are drying clothes!

People think I'm nuts but I'd like to see what they'd do if they had asthma attacks or if they'd had to go to the ER twice.

My immune system alerts me to toxins in dramatic ways.

[marions ghost]

73. It is air pollution

You are not alone & certainly not nuts. You only have to look down this thread to see several people reporting symptoms. Yours may be more extreme but everyone is experiencing some level of stress when their bodies have to deal with filtering a toxic cloud of these chemicals. People get used to the perfumes and think they (or their house) "smells fresh" when the opposite is true. Actually they smell rank from these detergents and dryer sheets and deodorizers, especially as the day goes on. The industry is reaping huge profits playing on the public's insecurity about odors. It would be one thing if it was just about wasting their money, but there are significant effects on health.

I will keep fighting against this stuff until masses of people finally reject it. That day will come.

[DawgHouse]

29. I quit buying fabric softener and use vinegar instead

Last edited Wed Aug 27, 2014, 09:43 AM - Edit history (1)

A bonus to using vinegar is it keeps my front loader from that horrible mildew smell they are prone to getting.

[Hugin]

31. I'll have to try that idea.

Thanks.

[DawgHouse]

45. I just put vinegar right in the fabric softener compartment.

It also helps to leave the door open. It's made a tremendous difference in the mildew, like a brand new washer

[Hugin]

30. I can't even be in the house when a dryer is running with scented dryer sheets in it.

I tried the free and clear type and they are as bad...

:koff:

[RKP5637]

35. Same here, I can't stand the smell of fabric softeners. n/t

[JustAnotherGen]

32. Another vinegar person here

Put it in your downy ball - works wonderfully - and totally kills any odor in fabric.

[RKP5637]

33. For me, I'm horribly allergic to fabric softeners, break out in hives/itches all over. Not

sure if all, but on several I've had this happen, sent me to a dermatologist to see what was going on. They said quite a few people are allergic to fabric softeners. ... don't know about now, but at one time fiberglass was one of the components in fabric softener sheets. The one that really hit me was a liquid one. I don't recall the brand names now, it was several years ago, but now I steer clear of them. I've used these balls about the size of tennis balls that have spines sticking out, sort of rubber. I was amazed, I put two in the dryer and they worked quite well, and can be used over and over again.

[WhiteTara]

36. A bit of laundry soap on a washcloth acts the same

I stopped with the dryer sheets years ago because the smell makes me sick.

[CBGLuthier]

37. Have not used a clothes drier in years. Plenty of sunshine and plenty of time.

Did not use those things even when we did.

[mucifer]

42. You don't live in Chicago

[CBGLuthier]

43. No, the land of the constant broiling sun. Oklahoma.

and if the sun doesn't do it the wind will.

[pinboy3niner]

44. Beware the scary Downey Side, Luke

[maced666]

46. Too much marbles in hand fumbling.

Allergic, stop use. Otherwise tumble away, I'm using my dryer sheets.

[freeplessinseattle]

48. I live a few floors above my building's laundry room and the fake scents drift up all the time

Makes me feel icky, and I do worry about my cats-one of which passed from cancer last year.

[otohara]

52. Is Your Health Being Destroyed by Other People’s Toxic Fragrances?

Why yes it is.

Secondhand Fragrance Contamination: A Public Health Problem

by John P. Thomas
Health Impact News

Secondhand fragrance contamination should be the number one health problem being addressed by the public health system in America, but it doesn’t even show up on the list of current priorities. Some people love the smell of chemical fragrances, but 30.5% of the general population find the smell irritating. Another 19% reported adverse health effects from breathing air that was contaminated with these odors. [1]

Thirty years ago, we were facing the need to address secondhand tobacco smoke. Today, the problem we must face is secondhand fragrances which come from perfume, cologne, air fresheners, scented laundry products, and hundreds of other products containing fragrances. The dangers of secondhand cigarette smoke have been well established. Both public and private organizations have policies that limit smoking to outdoor locations or to personal spaces such as private cars and residences.

However, the use of perfume, cologne, air fresheners, and scented laundry products has become so commonplace that the indoor air quality of public spaces is more toxic than it was when people could freely smoke tobacco wherever and whenever they wished. The term “secondhand fragrance” is used to describe the combination of smells that are released into the public air space from the scented products that people use on their skin, hair, and clothing. It also includes products that intentionally add fragrance to the air such as air fresheners and scented candles. The fragrances are called “secondhand,” because a decision of one person to use fragrances pollutes the air for everyone. People who don’t use fragrances, or who can’t tolerate fragrances, are then forced to breathe the contaminated air that everyone shares.
Fragrances are Synthetic and Artificial

When you see the word “fragrance” on a product label or in the list of product ingredients, then this means that the scent you smell is synthetic. Fragrances are manufactured from petroleum or coal tar by the use of chemistry. This is why they are called synthetic or artificial. http://healthimpactnews.com/2014/secondhand-fragrance-contamination-a-public-health-problem/

[Taitertots]

54. Oh no! What will I put in my zoob tube if I don't use dryer sheets?

[snooper2]

55. So I shouldn't have been using those as toilet paper all these years?

[pipi_k]

62. Well, why not?

But only after you've used them in the dryer don't ya know...

[Mr.Bill]

65. I never use them in my laundry

but they are great for taking splattered bugs off the front of your car. Just get one wet and wipe lightly before washing the car. The bugs wipe right off with very little effort.

[Inkfreak]

68. Sweet, thanks for the tip. My jeep attracts lots of bugs. (nt)

[mcar]

67. They make my eyes itch

The staying power of the scent is frightening to me. My friend bought a bunch of bathing suits at a thrift shop a few weeks ago. One was my size so she gave it to me.

It looked brand new but the dryer sheet smell in it was so strong I couldn't keep it in the house. I washed it three times, in scent free detergent and in vinegar. Walked into the garage where it was air drying and immediately walked back out. The entire garage smelled like dryer sheet! I had to give the suit back to my friend.

[marions ghost]

74. Wow

that's some testimonial to the permanence of these scents.

I like to buy used clothes too. It's a problem. People with kids who tend to recycle clothes a lot should be on the lookout for this.

[moriah]

70. Remember to *never* use fabric softener on towels.

It makes them less absorbent.

[frazzled]

71. I bought a pair of these guys recently

and so far, so good; plus, they're adorable. Just throw them into the dryer and they do seem to fluff stuff up fairly well. (I never used dryer sheets, but I have used liquid fabric softener for the static cling in winter).

[arikara]

72. They stink so bad they make me gag

The only thing I've ever used them for is as an ant repellant. Seems ants are smarter than people, they avoid dryer sheets.

To avoid static cling and ironing, I take the shirts out of the dryer after 5 or 10 minutes and hang them to dry. Everything else just goes out on the clothesline, or next to the wood stove in the winter.

[tabbycat31]

75. I'm highly allergic to those things

I can't even use a communal dryer (ie a laundromat) because I don't know what residue has been left behind. I air dry my clothes.

[hedgehog]

76. I just use a three grated bars of Castile soap mixed in a bin

with a box of Borax and a box of Biz (It's mostly washing soda with some enzyme stain removers added.) I don't dissolve or melt the stuff together, just mix the dry ingredients. It's a bit more trouble, but it leaves the clothes soft.