Safe, inexpensive, and effective alternatives to commercial fabric softeners and dryer sheets that harm health, toxify indoor air, and mess up hormones with synthetic fragrances.
Without a doubt, fabric softeners are some of the most toxic personal care products sold to unwitting consumers today. This includes products marketed as dryer sheets and laundry detergents that contain fabric softening or anti-static properties.
While fabric softeners work extremely well to soften clothing and reduce static, they can contain hundreds of unlabeled, untested chemicals that come into direct contact with the body on a 24/7 basis.
These products do their job by leaving a residue on fabric that is very hard to remove. The fumes can easily be smelled for days or even weeks (years?) afterward.
Have you ever noticed that you have to wash an article of clothing two, three, or even four times to get the synthetic smell out?
I first noticed this when purchasing clothing from baby consignment stores when my oldest was very young. The sickly sweet floral scent of fabric softener used by the previous owners was so strong that I had to rewash the clothing multiple times before I felt safe using it to dress my son!
There are two groups of chemicals in fabric softener and related products that are most worrisome to our health:
Fabric Softener “Quats”
Quaternary Ammonium Compounds or “quats” are a group of toxic chemicals used in fabric softener liquids, crystals, and dryer sheets. Incidentally, these dangerous chemicals are also in most antibacterial wipes (make natural wipes instead!).
While quats very effectively soften fabric and eliminate static, they are toxic to human health. Here are some of the specific quat chemicals:
- diethyl ester dimethyl ammonium chloride
- dialkyl dimethyl ammonium methyl sulfate
- dihydrogenated palmoylethyl hydroxyethylmonium methosulfate
- di-(palm carboxyethyl) hydroxyethyl methyl ammonium methyl sulfate
Quats Cause Asthma
The biggest problem with quats is that they are well-recognized “asthmagens” and labeled as such by the Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics, a leading global authority on asthma.
This means that quats not only can trigger an asthma attack in someone who already has asthma, but they can also cause asthma to develop in otherwise healthy people!
Another problem with quats is due to their antimicrobial properties. While this may seem desirable at first, clothes that have been washed are already clean and don’t require the addition of chemicals to keep them germ-free.
In fact, according to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), quats may contribute to the development of superbugs like MRSA, so ditching the fabric softeners along with other antimicrobial personal care products in your home is a smart move (1).
Hormone Disrupting Fragrances
Certainly, the problem with quats is bad enough, in my opinion. Who wants to use anything in the home that can give a child or an adult asthma?
The story gets worse for fabric softeners, unfortunately. The most concerning chemicals in these products are actually synthetic fragrances.
Fabric softeners are known for the powerful fragrance they impart to laundry. However, this fragrance that some enjoy comes with a heavy price.
Studies on Fabric Softener Dangers
A University of Washington study of the best-selling fabric softener brands found an untested cocktail of hundreds of chemicals. The research was published in the journal Environmental Impact Assessment Review.
Lead researcher Anne Steinemann, professor of civil and environmental engineering and public affairs, said that she first became interested to study these products because people she knew were telling her that these products were making them sick. What she found was shocking!
All of the products tested gave off at least one chemical regulated as toxic or hazardous under federal law, but none of those chemicals was listed on the product labels!
Steinemann said further:
I was surprised by both the number and the potential toxicity of the chemicals that were found. Chemicals included acetone, the active ingredient in paint thinner and nail-polish remover; limonene, a molecule with a citrus scent; as well as acetaldehyde, chloromethane and 1,4-dioxane. Nearly 100 volatile organic compounds [VOCs] were emitted from these six products, and none were listed on any product label. Plus, five of the six products emitted one or more carcinogenic ‘hazardous air pollutants,’ which are considered by the Environmental Protection Agency to have no safe exposure level (2).
Follow-up research published in the journal Air Quality Atmosphere and Health found that emissions from dryer vents are toxic when fabric softeners or dryer sheets were used.
Analysis of the captured gases found more than 25 volatile organic compounds, including seven hazardous air pollutants, coming out of the dryer vents. Of those, two chemicals – acetaldehyde and benzene – are classified by the Environmental Protection Agency as carcinogens, for which the agency has established no safe exposure level.
“These products can affect not only personal health, but also public and environmental health. The chemicals can go into the air, down the drain and into water bodies,” head researcher Steinemann said (3).
Those of you who know exactly when your neighbors are doing their laundry due to the odor of fabric softener wafting down the street now know to close your windows and screens during that time to keep these toxic emissions from entering your home!
Beware of Fragrance-Free Fabric Softeners
As awareness of the toxic nature of personal care products increases, some companies have come out with fragrance-free fabric softeners specifically designed for babies or those with sensitive skin.
Beware!
While these products may not have any hormone-disrupting fragrances, they still contain quats that are odorless and colorless!
Remember that quats can cause asthma, so don’t be fooled! Unscented fabric softeners are still best avoided.
What About Green Brands?
Being green has become trendy in recent years, and companies are capitalizing on its popularity by using the term to market their products.
As of this writing, of all the “green” fabric softeners and dryer sheets on the market that were tested by the Environmental Working Group, only one brand received an “A” rating. All the other brands that claimed to be green and natural received B, C, or even D ratings (4).
The lesson here is not to be swayed by clever marketing, as the vast majority of “green” fabric softeners and dryer sheets are still going to contain questionable chemicals and fragrances.
Ready to Ditch the Dryer Sheets and Softener?
If all of this information has you concerned, don’t be.
Ditching the fabric softener is simple to do!
I haven’t used fabric softener once in 25 years of marriage and raising three children. Let me share with you that I’ve never missed it.
I guess you could say that I became aware of the problem with fabric softeners very young. My Mom loved the stuff when I was growing up and the smell of fabric softener seemed to permeate everything!
My siblings and I used to joke that Mom poured half a bottle of fabric softener into every load of laundry. While this was an exaggeration, it was definitely much more than the recommended amount on the bottle.
As a result, I switched to nontoxic methods of doing laundry before I was even married. If you are ready to make the switch too, below are three safe, easy, and very effective alternatives to try.
Three Safe Alternatives
- Make your own fabric softener or sheets! A very simple swap is to pour half a cup of white distilled vinegar into the rinse cycle. Note that nearly all the white distilled vinegar on the market is derived from GMO corn! If this bothers you, use organic white distilled vinegar instead. I would also recommend washing any new clothing using a half cup of distilled white vinegar before wearing to remove any chemical residue that is still on the clothing.
- If you are like me and can never make it to the washer at the right time to put vinegar into the rinse cycle, you may wish to opt for wool dryer balls. I’ve tried several brands, and my favorite is Eco-Nuts. You can also make wool dryer balls yourself. This tutorial tells you how.
- If you or someone in your family is allergic to wool, I’ve tried these hypoallergenic dryer balls, and they work as well as wool balls to reduce static cling and soften clothes. As a bonus, they fluff up the laundry nicely and seem to significantly reduce drying time.
One tip if you use either wool or hypoallergenic dryer balls. Keep a few extras on hand as one or two always seem to go missing at least at my house. Usually, they get stuck in the sleeve of a hoodie or in the corner of a fitted sheet. Even though they turn up again within a week or two, having extras on hand is helpful when this happens.
Have you ditched the fabric softeners in your home yet? Which fabric softener alternative do you like best?
If you haven’t made the switch yet, what are you waiting for?
I use NO fabric softeners, NO anti-static dryer sheets, NO fragrances, period. I use a “free and clear” (no color, no odor) laundry detergent, and I rinse twice. Then, I hang the clothing to dry.
I don’t recommend using aluminum balls, because aluminum can cause Alzheimer’s!
We’ve been using Shaklee products for nearly 40 years. As they say, safe for you, your pets and planet.
People keep mentioning them in these comments so I looked up their fabric sheets. The first ingredient is a quat just like the rest of them.
I use vinegar, baking soda, and some water with essential oils soaked in an old cloth in each dryer load. Hubby likes scent with his clean clothes and I feel safer with that recipe than store bought.
Just keep the soaked cloths in a sealed container on top of the dryer for when I can’t line dry.
Wouldn’t the vinegar and bkg soda neutralize each other, making them ineffective?
I add white vinegar to the fabric softener cup in my top loader and add lavender essential oil as well when laundering sheets and towels. Started doing this when I was a massage therapist and found it was the best way to clean, fresh linens. Always received comments from clients about how fresh smelling my linens were.
Thanks for this great article and helpful information on toxic chemicals in fabric softeners!
Quats and fragrances aren’t the only toxics in fabric softeners, though, as the EPA’s own testing showed. Here’s a great source (short, easy to read) for information on other fabric softener chemicals and their toxic effects on human bodies:
ourlittleplace.com/multiple-chemical-sensitivity/health-risks-of-fabric-softeners
I guarantee, if you read this list of fabric softener ingredients and their effects, you’ll NEVER want to use the stuff again.
For static cling I use aluminium foil balls. Just wad up used (clean) foil into a couple of balls and toss them in for 10 minutes or so.
I struggle to get the fabric softener odor out of secondhand clothing as well. The very best way I’ve found is to leave it hanging outside during a rain storm.
Thank you for the tip! I will have to try that. I get so frustrated washing over and over and the stench of synthetic fragrance still hangs on.
Any ideas to remove artificial scent from a leather office chair? Previous owner had it next to a room “freshener” wall plug. Saddle soap didn’t work and I’m not sure about leaving it out in the rain!
the link for the A rated fabric softener from ewg links to Greenshield laundry detergent. what is the correct link? thank you.
There are carcinogens and neurotoxic chemicals in these dryer sheets and fabric softeners that can adversely affect the central nervous system. Many people who have constant anxiety, panic and sleeplessness can be damaging the nervous system over time. Imagine your face down in your bedding at night breathing in all these chemicals. Mix that with formaldehyde and pesticides that are already in cotton/poly blends and you have a toxic soup of hazardous chemicals… Please everyone, switch to brands that do not have these chemicals. Think of your children’s health. Laundry products ruined my nervous system and has caused me to have severe health issues that a doctor or pharmaceutical cannot fix. 🙁
Or simply put a 5-6 drops of essential oil on a small hang towel. Sachets of dried lavender work great, as well.