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Articles and Information
Dryer Sheets: What's a Better Alternative?
by EarthTalk
If you're concerned about the health and safety of your family
members, you might want to stay away from both conventional dryer
sheets and liquid fabric softeners altogether. While it may be nice to
have clothes that feel soft, smell fresh and are free of static cling,
both types of products contain chemicals known to be toxic to people
after sustained exposure.
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According to the health and wellness website Sixwise.com, some of the
most harmful ingredients in dryer sheets and liquid fabric softener
alike include benzyl acetate (linked to pancreatic cancer), benzyl
alcohol (an upper respiratory tract irritant), ethanol (linked to
central nervous system disorders), limonene (a known carcinogen) and
chloroform (a neurotoxin and carcinogen), among others.
Since fabric softeners are designed to stay in your clothes for
extended periods of time, such chemicals can seep out gradually and be
inhaled or absorbed directly through the skin. Liquid fabric softeners
are slightly preferable to dryer sheets, as the chemicals in dryer
sheets get released into the air when they are heated up in the dryer
and can pose a respiratory health risk to those both inside and
outside the home.
For those who don't want to give up the benefits of fabric softeners
but are afraid to risk exposure to potentially toxic chemicals,
National Geographic's Green Guide recommends adding either a quarter
cup of baking soda or a quarter cup of white vinegar to the wash
cycle. Either one will soften clothes, while the latter will also
address static cling. (Be sure not to mix either with bleach, though,
as resulting chemical reactions could cause noxious fumes.) If
eliminating static cling is your top priority, try drying
natural-fiber clothes separately from synthetic materials. The
combination of cotton and polyester is often the culprit behind static
cling. Better yet, reports Green Guide, line dry synthetic clothing,
as it tends to dry fairly quickly anyway.
A few companies have heeded the ever-increasing call for greener,
safer ways to soften clothes and reduce static cling. Seventh
Generation's Natural Lavender Scent Fabric Softener and Ecover's
Natural Fabric Softener are both good choices that rely on vegetable
products and natural essential oils instead of harsh chemicals to get
the job done.
Another safer option is Maddocks' Static
Eliminator, a non-toxic, hypoallergenic reusable dryer sheet made
out of a proprietary, chemical-free polynylon. The Canadian company
Maddocks originally developed the material to rid industrial-scale
mechanical systems of explosion-inducing static electricity, but soon
realized that it could benefit consumers as well, who can now buy the
sheets?each one is good for some 500 wash loads?from natural foods
retailers as well as from several online vendors.
CONTACTS: Sixwise.com, sixwise.com; The Green Guide,
thegreenguide.com; Seventh Generation, www.seventhgeneration.com;
Ecover, www.ecover.com; Maddocks' Static Eliminator,
www.staticeliminator.ca.
EarthTalk, presented by VegFamily in partnership with E/The Environmental Magazine, answers questions submitted by readers on a wide range of environmental topics-from recycling to rainforests and "from the global village to your backyard."
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