Dryer sheets aren’t as innocent as you might think! Dryer sheets seem like the best thing since sliced bread. You only need one sheet and your laundry comes out of the tumble dryer smelling absolutely lovely. What more do you want? It’s not that difficult to understand why so many people use them. Unfortunately, those useful sheets aren’t as innocent as many people think. They can even be toxic!
Before you use them with your next load of laundry, you might want to read this.
Chemicals
One dryer sheet contains a lot more perfume and chemicals than you might think. And that’s exactly why these sheets can be so bad for your health. For example, did you know you can find all of these chemicals in those sheets?
- Terpineol: a chemical compound that causes headaches, respiratory problems and muscle atrophy.
- Benzyl acetate: the chemical link to cancer. Exposing yourself to this substance leads to dizziness, red eyes, dry skin and confusion.
- Benzyl alcohol: this substance can damage your nervous system and irritate your airways.
- Camphor: camphor is made out of the oil from pine trees. If you come into contact with it, your heart rate can increase, you can lose some of your appetite and your breath can be repressed.
- Chloroform: this substance is used a lot in dryer sheets and is absorbed by your body very easily through your airways, mouth and skin. It can lead to respiratory problems, irritation of the eyes and painful skin.
- Ethyl Acetate: This chemical substance can be found in most fabric softeners. What you might not know about this substance is that it’s on the list of EPA’s most toxic chemicals. Constant exposure to it causes irritation in the throat, nose and ears.
- Dichlorobenzene: this substance can also be found in pesticides. It irritates the throat, skin and eyes.
All of these chemical get into your clothes when you use dryer sheets while doing laundry. It might not be such a bad idea to stop using them from now on. You could try using a ball of aluminium foil instead.
