Dryer sheets may seem harmless, but they pack a punch when it comes to their chemical content. Chemicals abound in dryer sheets, there may be varying degrees of toxicity, but safe to say, you’ll want to find an alternative to dryer sheets!
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What Is The Purpose Of A Dryer Sheet?
Dryer sheets are used to give our clothes an upgrade by softening them, getting rid of that pesky static cling, and making them smell good. In fact, dryer sheets serve the same purpose as fabric softener just in a more convenient form.
However, the chemicals don’t just stay in the dryer, they coat your clothes and pollute the air through dryer vents.
Thankfully, dryer sheets are not the only solution to achieving soft, good smelling clothes that don’t cling to you. But before we dive into the alternatives to dryer sheets, let’s talk about why dryer sheets are so effective at their job.
Static electricity can be formed by clothes tumbling into each other during the drying cycle. The friction is what produces static or that zap of electricity.
Dryer sheets absorb static electricity through positively charged ions that balance the electrons and ions that cause static cling. All of this anti-static power lies in the coating of the dryer sheet.
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What Makes Dryer Sheets Toxic?
First of all, the chemicals on dryer sheets don’t just stay in the dryer, they get on your skin, and get spewed into the air through dryer vents.
The following are some of the chemicals found in Bounce dryer sheets according to the Environmental Working Group:
- Dipalmitoylethyl Hydroxyethylmonium Methosulfate – linked to respiratory, developmental/endocrine/reproductive, immune system, and nervous system problems, potential for acute aquatic toxicity.
- Fragrance – can cause skin irritation/allergies, acute aquatic toxicity, respiratory problems.
- Oxacyclohexadecenone – potential for acute and aquatic toxicity.
- Amylcinnamaldehyde – potential for general systemic/organ problems, skin irritation/allergies, developmental/endocrine/reproductive problems.
- Benzyl Acetate – potential for respiratory problems, developmental/endocrine/reproductive problems.
- D-Limonene – linked to acute aquatic toxicity, skin irritation/allergies, respiratory problems.
- Dipropylene Glycol – linked to kidney and urinary problems, skin irritation/allergies.
- 4-Cyclohexyl-2-Methyl-2-Butanol – linked to chronic aquatic toxicity; potential to damage vision.
Best Dryer Sheets Alternatives
Vinegar
What it is: Once you get to the end of the wash cycle or the last rinse cycle, you add ½ cup of white vinegar. You can add it to the fabric softener dispenser if your wash has one. If not, you can just add it into the wash. This acts as a fabric softener alternative.
Why it works: This helps to get rid of static cling and make the clothes softer.
Review: I love the idea of using just white vinegar instead of a conventional fabric softener. However, it really takes some practice getting used to adding it in before the wash cycle is done. I found myself wanting to do it, but forgetting. It takes knowing exactly how long your wash cycle is and then setting a timer. Once you know, I found it’s not as big of a deal because you can just set the timer and add in the white vinegar.
My clothes felt softer and I noticed there was less static cling as well. No vinegar smell either which I loved. Also, white vinegar is naturally a deodorizer and cleaner so clothes are naturally fresher too.
Aluminum Foil Balls
What it is: You take sheets of aluminum foil and crumple them up into a ball until you have a ball that’s about 3-4 inches thick. It takes several sheets of aluminum foil. Then you toss them in the dryer when you start drying your clothes.
Why it works: Aluminum foil helps to discharge ions as they are going through the dryer. When clothes dry and produce static, it’s because the positive ions are attracted to the negative ions and vice versa. Aluminum foil helps to break up the attraction. Therefore you get less static cling.
Review: I used these in loads of laundry and while I wanted to notice a difference, I didn’t. I maybe had a little less cling, but not much. It wasn’t as good as the white vinegar.
Wool Dryer Balls
What it is: These are wool balls that you put in the dryer when you start to dry your clothes to help soften them and prevent static cling.
Why it works: The wool naturally softens the clothes and separates them, while also absorbing the static. You can add essential oils to your wool dryer balls for added scent to your wash.
Review: I have had these for years and while I use them, I can’t tell a huge difference with the static either. I have even made some and bought some and they both didn’t do a ton. I can’t attest to my clothes feeling softer either.
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DIY Dryer Sheets
What it is: These are scraps of fabric you take and combine with white vinegar and essential oils. You combine the scraps in a jar and pour white vinegar over them. Just enough to cover them. You don’t want them to be too wet – just damp. Then when you’re ready to use them, you take one out and put it in your dryer when you start a load.
Why it works: The dryer sheets help to prevent static cling and soften your clothes, while adding a nice scent to your laundry load with the essential oils.
Review: I noticed a nice scent to my laundry after using, but I didn’t notice less static cling. My clothes didn’t seem softer either.
Hang Dry
What it is: This is taking your clothes and hanging them up on a clothesline outside to dry or inside on a clothesline and avoiding the dryer altogether.
Why it works: When you don’t put your clothes in the dryer, you are eliminating the friction of the clothes rubbing together. So you don’t get the static like you normally would.
Review: This is a great option for not only saving energy, but also for actually working! I also love laying my clothes out to dry in the sunshine if I have a stain. The sun naturally helps to brighten the stain and dissolve it! This really works. Especially baby stains. Such a great, cost effective way of brightening your clothes, removing stains, avoiding static cling and keeping your clothes smelling fresh.
Separate Fabrics
What it is: When you separate fabrics you are lessening static cling because you can add the fabrics that are synthetic and produce static cling together, and keep natural fabrics separate.
Why it works: This works, because synthetic fabrics produce the most static cling and so by eliminating them from loads of laundry, you are lessening the overall static cling.
Review: I can attest to this working! My clothes have so much less static when I do this. I actually always try, and do this, since I like to avoid spreading microplastics onto non-microplastic clothes too. I can also use a microplastic catcher, such as a Cora Ball. This works to capture some of the microplastics and keep them from running into sewage.
Other Tips:
- Dry Your Clothes Less: Instead of running the full cycle for drying, just run the dryer for less time. This can help reduce static cling as well.
- Baking Soda – Adding ½ cup of baking soda to your washing machine along with the laundry detergent can help to keep clothes bright, soft and help with static cling.
Non Toxic Dryer Sheets
At this time there is not a dryer sheet that I would recommend. Maybe it’s out there and I’m not aware of it, but most “eco-friendly” brands still use polyester as the material base for their dryer sheets.
Can we move away from synthetic fibers already? Okay, getting off of my soapbox.
What Is The Best Alternative To Dryer Sheets?
The winner of the best alternative to dryer sheets is… separating out your synthetic fabrics. Keeping your cotton and natural fabrics away from polyester and the like, seems to be the best way to naturally eliminate static cling.
When the weather permits, I love to hang dry my clothes, but living in Washington this is not an option you can always count on.
Alternatives To Dryer Sheets FAQ’s
1. Hang dry clothes. Whether indoors or outdoors, this is a sure fire way of eliminating static cling. Plus, who doesn’t love the smell of line-dried clothes in the summer?
2. Another option is to use wool dryer balls. Add a little water to your dryer balls to increase moisture in the dryer and eliminate static cling. Dryer balls will also reduce drying time.
3. If you want to eliminate static cling through your laundry detergent, look no further than soap nuts. Soap nuts not only have anti-static properties, but they are natural, in fact they are the dried shell from the soapberry nut. You can use them to make a simple liquid laundry detergent.
4. Drying synthetic fibers like polyester and nylon separately will eliminate static electricity.
5. Add white vinegar to the rinse cycle.
If that fresh line-dried smell is a little too natural, you can always add a couple of drops of essential oils to your wool balls to permeate your favorite scent. Or make your own dryer sheets.
Add scraps of fabric to a jar and pour white vinegar over them and essential oils, just enough to cover them. You don’t want them to be too wet – just damp. When you’re ready to do your next load of laundry, just add one of the pieces of fabric to your dryer.
Judging on the criteria of how well they perform in softening clothes and eliminating static, dryer balls are an inferior option.
Even with that said, I would choose dryer balls over dryer sheets any day, because they are chemical-free, hypoallergenic, and they are reusable.
However, my preferred alternatives are hanging my clothes outside on a sunny day, or drying synthetic fibers separately.
What alternative to dryer sheets have you found to work best?! Share below.
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