Dryer sheets are laced with what?

Don't you just love to open up the dryer, grab that first article of clothing, bury your nose in it and rejoice in that fresh, clean, carcinogen?

Fabric softeners and dryer sheets contain things like the following, usually in untested combinations:

Camphor: Causes central nervous system disorders.
Chloroform: Neurotoxin, anesthetic and carcinogenic.
Linalool: A narcotic that causes central nervous system disorders.
Pentane: A chemical known to be harmful if inhaled.
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: Known carcinogen.
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.


That smell good aroma you get from dryer sheets is put there to mask the list above. Why do you think dryer sheets have that weird texture, that greasy feeling.

You may think all that comes out of the dryer with your clothes is the smell, not exactly. All the harmful chemicals are now in your clothing.

You will inhale them over time as well as absorb them in your skin.

Another high risk of dryer sheets is a fire.

Dryer sheets can cause a waxy build up on lint filters. Once there is enough build up air will no longer pass through so the heating unit can possibly overheat and burn out.

Such a stoppage can also cause the dryer to catch fire.

There's a simple way to test this theory. Take your lint filter out and run some water on it. If you have build up, the water won't pass through or might drip slowly and could also beed up like it does on grease. Most people think they are cleaning it simply by dumping the lint off.

Either way, good idea to clean off that lint filter.

As for an alternative.

If you have a space, you can always air dry your clothes on clothes line.

You can add a quarter cup of baking soda to the wash cycle to soften fabric or even a quarter cup of white vinegar. (you can also use these to make your own household cleaners, but that's another blog)

There are also earth friendly fabric softeners out there made by companies like seventh generation.


We don't use any dryer sheets and I can't really recall us going through an epidemic of static clothing. Yeah, during the winter, you might catch a shock or two pulling out those sweaters, but that's no big deal to me.