Toxic dryer sheets

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Toxic dryer sheets

_http://www.greenlivingtips.com/articles/172/1/Toxic-dryer-sheets.html_

(http://www.greenlivingtips.com/articles/172/1/Toxic-dryer-sheets.html)

Green Living Tips By Green Living Tips

Published on 11/15/2007

 

Did you know that dryer sheets contain all sorts of toxic chemicals? The

good news is there are more environmentally friendly alternatives that will

leave your clothes smelling just as fresh and for only a couple of cents per

load

 

 

--

Earth friendly alternatives to toxic dryer sheets We rarely use the dryer

these days - one of the benefits of living in a drought-prone area I guess and

Australia also still has a love affair for drying clothes outdoors, but I do

remember our dryer being used more when I was growing up in a wetter part of

the country. My mom would also use dryer sheets to add a nice fragrance to

the clothes.

 

It may have smelled nice, but as with so many things we did so naively back

then, we really didn't think too much about what was in those sheets and the

possible consequences.

 

Most commercial dryer sheets are impregnated with all sorts of toxic

chemicals including Benzyl Acetate, Benzyl Alcohol, Chloroform and Linalool;

none of

which are good for the environment - or you. Some of these compounds are

known carcinogens.

 

Aside from the chemicals in the sheets winding up in your clothing and

therefore next to your skin, when heated, the fumes are also toxic.

 

If you're looking for a greener alternative to dryer sheets; here's a couple

of ideas that are very easy and cheap to do:

 

- Fill a small cloth drawstring bag with dried aromatic herbs or flowers and

throw in the dryer with your clothes. Make sure the bag is tied securely of

course

 

- A few drops of fragrant essential oil on a small cloth added to the dryer

load will also do the trick. Essential oils are highly concentrated, so don't

go overboard, the heat will release more fragrance than what you can detect

when initially applying a few drops to the cloth.

 

There's also environmentally friendly dryer sheets on the market now and

some other unusual gizmos and devices. One of the more interesting ones I came

across are " dryer balls " (not to be confused with _laundry balls_

(http://www.greenlivingtips.com/articles/167/1/Laundry-balls.html) ). These

dryer balls

look to be a lump of rubber or plastic covered in nodules. The idea is that

these get between the clothes, speed up drying time and the action softens

the fabric. Unfortunately, some of them I noticed are made from PVC (Polyvinyl

Chloride).

 

.... but really, a couple of drops of essential oil on a cloth sounds like a

very easy, cheap and very green way to go! If you're also wanting the fabric

softening qualities that normal dryer sheets provide, try throwing 1/2 a cup

of vinegar in with your washing - that's the washing load, not the dryer load

.

 

Pick up some more _earth friendly cleaning and washing tips_

(http://www.greenlivingtips.com/categories/cleaning/)

_http://www.greenlivingtips.com/categories/cleaning/_

(http://www.greenlivingtips.com/categories/cleaning/)

 

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