Natural Alternatives to Dryer Sheets

All of us want fresh, fluffy and fragrant garments to wear but this is not always the case. There are times when clothes are stiff and are not comfortable to wear. This is because of the effect of the automated dry cycle and wet washing. Due to static electricity clothes can become stuck together. For this reason dryer sheets were created.

Dryer sheet is a small piece of cloth that has fabric softener. The moment the sheet is placed inside the dryer, the heat and wetness warms up the softener and scatters it across the clothing.

Concerns About Dryer Sheets

The main concern about dryer sheet is that it contains a lot of chemicals. When it expels static from a load of laundry it also releases all sorts of chemicals which are harmful. These chemicals can be exposed to our pets or absorbed through our skin.

Effects of Chemicals

Chemicals found in dryer sheets like limonene, ethyl acetate, chloroform and benzyl acetate are said to cause conditions in human like central nervous system disorder, pancreatic cancer and upper respiratory tract infection.

By using natural dryer sheet alternatives you can avoid the said illnesses and at the same time help in protecting the environment.

Natural alternatives for dryer sheets…

Vinegar

Vinegar is used as a natural alternative for dryer sheets because the acid it contains can counteract the alkaline ingredients in laundry soaps. As a result more residue will be washed out with the spin cycle of the machine.  The clothes will come out softer and odor free because vinegar is also an effective deodorizer. To use, just add a cup of vinegar in the fabric softener compartment and wash as you normally would.

Damp Wash Cloth

10-15 minutes before your clothes finishes drying add a damp wash cloth then reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting to retain the dampness of the cloth. The damp cloth will add moisture inside the dryer thus preventing static electricity.

Separating Laundry

If you properly separate your laundry you can significantly reduce static cling. Before you do your laundry check the care labels of clothes and separate the synthetic ones. The synthetic fabrics should be dried using the permanent press cycle because it dries faster. To get the best result, shake each clothing before loading them into the dryer to prevent clumping.

The moment you try natural alternatives for dyer sheets you will realize that they are as effective minus the health risk. Let us do our part in preserving the environment. This may not have a big impact now but it still counts.