Fwd: [SoFlaVegans] Dryer Sheets

[Guest guest]

Note: forwarded message attached.Ronald A. Fells

N3VPU

Amateur Radio Operator

Cheap Talk? Check out Messenger's low PC-to-Phone call rates.

 

 

 

 

 

Dryer Sheets

Keeping Clean - When is it a Hazard and When a Help?

 

I love dryer sheets for their anti-static properties.

In fact, they can be used for many other tasks. (See

the bottom of this post.) But this article reminds us

of the chemicals in dryer sheets. I don't think I'd

use them if I had children or infants. And personally,

I buy the non-fragrance Bounce. A few less chemicals

to think about.

 

Marylyn

 

AHH... THE AIR IS FILLED WITH THE SMELL OF SPRING...

AND DRYER SHEETS

 

Alternatives to the Toxic Components of Fabric

Softener and Dryer Sheets

Our rich Aunt Regina's clothes were always the latest

things from the top fashion designers. She explained

her philosophy as follows: " If it's expensive and

ugly, it's for me. "

 

Most of us poorer folk wear more normal clothes, and

whether they're a sight to make eyes sore or not, when

we're done wearing them, they get washed and dried. We

put the clothes in the washer, then we put the clothes

in the dryer, then we throw a dryer sheet in after

them. It's the way it's done. Some people also use

liquid fabric softener in the wash cycle. All this

softening and sweetening is part of Better Living

Through Chemistry. Or is it?

 

PROBLEMS WITH DRYER SHEETS AND FABRIC SOFTENER

 

Your fabric softener or dryer sheets likely include

some of the following not-so-snuggly ingredients:

alpha-terpineol, benzyl acetate, camphor, benzyl

alcohol, limonene, ethyl acetate, pentane, and

chloroform. According to the manufacturers' Material

Safety Data Sheets, these chemicals have the potential

to do things to you such as:

 

· cause central nervous system disorders,

headaches, and loss of muscle coordination;

irritate mucous membranes and impair respiratory

function;

cause nausea, vomiting, dizziness, or drowsiness;

cause liver or kidney damage;

cause skin disorders and allergic reactions;

cause cancer.

 

One of these chemicals even contains the warning, " Do

not flush into sewer system, " and another appears on

the Environmental Protection Agency's hazardous waste

list.

 

People are exposed to the chemicals by breathing the

aromatic molecules in the air near the clothes or by

absorbing them through the skin via direct contact

with the clothes (which, by design, retain some of the

fabric softener/dryer sheet molecules).

 

You may now be thinking of several " buts " to our

suggestion that dryer sheets and fabric softeners are

not safe. Let's explore them:

BUT #1: " If the product is allowed to be sold, it must

be safe. "

RESPONSE: You'd think so, but it's just not so. Most

chemicals used in household products have not

undergone in-depth testing to determine their effects

on people, particularly long-term effects.

 

BUT #2: " I don't feel ill when I use these products;

in fact, I LIKE the smell. "

RESPONSE: Chronic chemical exposure usually takes

years to catch up with you, and the negative effects

are often subtle and emerge slowly. The connection

between chronic chemical exposure and an emerging

health situation may not be obvious. Further, the

chemicals used in fragrant products can induce a

narcotic effect in humans, enticing you to crave more

exposure at the same time you're suffering the overall

negative effects of the exposure.

 

BUT #3: " The static cling! Aeeieieee! "

RESPONSE: Yes, while people may be willing to give up

the cozy smell that dryer sheets impart to their

clothes, static electricity in clothes that come out

of the dryer is a problem. Some solutions are listed

below.

 

ALTERNATIVES TO USING DRYER SHEETS AND

FABRIC SOFTENER

 

TIP #1 — The easiest trick is to not dry clothes quite

completely. The small amount of remaining moisture

keeps static cling from getting a foothold. You can

use drying racks to spread clothes out to do their

last 10% of drying. If you're a bit more industrious,

you can hang a couple of pieces of pipe from the

ceiling in your laundry area. You can then put the

drying clothes on hangers and hang the hangers on the

pipes.

 

TIP #2 — Wash and dry cottons and synthetic fabrics

separately. It's the synthetics that cause most of the

static problems. Consider not using the dryer at all

for nylon, rayon, and other synthetic fabrics. They

usually dry quickly using the air-dry techniques in

suggested in Tip 1.

 

TIP #3 — Tips 1 and 2 may not work so well for people

without in-home washer/dryers, but there are more

solutions to be had:

Vinegar is a natural fabric softener. Use 1/2 cup in

the wash cycle.

Try a natural laundry soap that has a built-in

soy-based fabric softener. Check with your local

natural foods store, or shop online. There are also

several natural liquid fabric softeners on the market,

some of them without fragrances.

Rumor has it that putting a piece of aluminum foil in

with the clothes will dissipate static. Even so, you

would not want to over-dry the clothes; doing so would

still encourage static buildup. (And if your dryer

starts picking up broadcasts from Jupiter, don't blame

us.)

 

You may be satisfied that your adult body will be OK

even if you continue to use dryer sheets and fabric

softeners, but you still might consider making a

change if there are kids in your household. Children's

developing bodies are especially susceptible to the

negative effects of chemical exposure.

 

We may not have been able to help you with your

fashion sense, but at least your brain may emerge from

its " fragrance fog " !

 

Publish date: 29-APR-2004

 

http://www.grinningplanet.com

 

Here are some helpful uses for dryer sheets you might

not have thought about. There are two sides to almost

everything that doesn’t have more than two sides!

 

· Repel mosquitoes.

Tie a sheet of Bounce through a belt loop when

outdoors during mosquito season.

 

· Eliminate static electricity from your

television screen.

Since Bounce is designed to help eliminate static

cling, wipe your television screen with a used sheet

of Bounce to keep dust from resettling.

 

· Dissolve soap scum from shower doors.

Clean with a used sheet of Bounce.

 

· Freshen the air in your home.

Place an individual sheet of Bounce in a drawer or

hang one in the closet.

 

· Prevent thread from tangling.

Run a threaded needle through a sheet of Bounce to

eliminate the static cling on the thread before

sewing.

 

· Eliminate static cling from pantyhose.

Rub a damp, used sheet of Bounce over the hose.

 

· Prevent musty suitcases.

Place an individual sheet of Bounce inside empty

luggage before storing.

 

· Freshen the air in your car.

Place a sheet of Bounce under the front seat.

 

· Clean baked-on food from a cooking pan.

Put a sheet in the pan, fill with water, let sit

overnight, and sponge clean. The antistatic agents

apparently weaken the bond between the food and the

pan while the fabric softening agents soften the

baked-on food.

 

· Eliminate odors in wastebaskets.

Place a sheet of Bounce at the bottom of the

wastebasket.

 

· Collect cat hair.

Rubbing the area with a sheet of Bounce will

magnetically attract all the loose hairs.

 

· Eliminate static electricity from venetian

blinds.

Wipe the blinds with a sheet of Bounce to prevent dust

from resettling.

 

· Wipe up sawdust from drilling or

sandpapering.

A used sheet of Bounce will collect sawdust like a

tack cloth.

 

· Eliminate odors in dirty laundry.

Place an individual sheet of Bounce at the bottom of a

laundry bag or hamper.

 

· Deodorize shoes or sneakers.

Place a sheet of Bounce in your shoes or sneakers

overnight so they’ll smell great in the morning.

 

Fidyl

Live Simply So That

Others May Simply Live

Yoga-With-Nancy/

SignSoFla/

SoFlaVegans/

SoFlaSchools/

 

________

Access over 1 million songs - Music Unlimited

(http://music./unlimited)