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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?
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.
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. (But don't use bleach at the same time—mixing vinegar and bleach may create toxic fumes.)
- 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"!
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