Your Guide To The Potential Hazards Surrounding Dryer Sheets
July 17, 2019
source: Dr. Axe
For most people, the items in their laundry routines generally include laundry detergent, fabric softener, and dryer sheets. You may think nothing of using any of these things, but when it comes to dryer sheets, you might want to think twice about using them period. Dryer sheets are actually very toxic, and they can be affecting your health in multiple ways.
When you pick up a box of dryer sheets, you probably see idyllic pictures and descriptions like “summer breeze,” “spring flowers,” and “fresh meadow.” What you aren’t seeing, however, is what’s actually inside these dryer sheets. Dr. Axe revealed some startling findings in regards to the chemicals in dryer sheets and what they can do to your health.
Firstly, 41% of scented laundry products tested released at least one carcinogenic hazardous air pollutant, including acetaldehyde, 1,4-dioxane, and formaldehyde. Yikes! Some immediate effects of synthetic-scented laundry products include migraines, asthma attacks, eye and throat irritation, and contact dermatitis.
Obviously, none of these health effects are things you want to experience, especially as a result of using dryer sheets. You can replace dryer sheets by using plant-based, unscented laundry detergents, adding a few drops of essential oils to wool balls to speed up drying time, or simply hanging your clothes outside to dry. Dryer sheets really aren’t necessary, are there are lots of alternatives we can take to better protect our health.
