pinklady
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,974 
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Post by pinklady on Jan 23, 2023 21:45:51 GMT
Dryer sheets are toxic??? Everything is toxic if you ask the right person.  |
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milocat
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Posts: 5,586
Location: 55 degrees north in Alberta, Canada
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Post by milocat on Jan 23, 2023 21:50:34 GMT
myshelly , I assume the answer is no, but do you use the crystals? Or are they bad too? I’m not sure what you mean by crystals. The wax melts? Like Downy Unstoppables? IMO, those are the worst of all. Why would you coat your clothes and towels with melted wax? It literally builds up making a layer on your fabrics. Towels become less absorbent (wax doesn’t absorb water) and your clothes get a weird sheen that actually attracts dirt. Also, what happens to wax when it gets cold? It gets hard again. So what do you think that is doing to your machine and pipes? The wax contains not only fragrance, but dye, which also gradually changes the color of your clothes over time. The dye can also ruin clothes. For example, there are many reports of the beads not melting in the washer, then getting put into the dryer and melting into clothes, then never coming out. I just don’t see the appeal of adding stuff like this to your laundry. I know people who say they do it for the smell, but then don’t think about the fact that their detergent also smells, and they also wear perfume and other products and by the time you leave the house, you are the olfactory equivalent of an ugly pile of melted crayons that just look poop when they combine. People are nose blind to what they really smell like. They think smell equals clean or works well. Fragrance, parfum equals chemical shitstorm. Over 3000 chemicals can be hidden under the word fragrance and don't have to appear on the ingredient label. |
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Post by Lexica on Jan 23, 2023 21:55:16 GMT
I use vinegar as a fabric softener . Dryer sheets gum up your dryer over time. When I was renting the room to my old neighbor, I told him he was welcome to use my washer/dryer, but he could NEVER use a dryer sheet or he would be told to move out. I felt that strongly about it. I would like to use liquid fabric softener because it makes the clothes smell so nice, but it also leaves a film on them that I don't want. Especially on towels. They stop drying properly after they become all gummed up with fabric softener. |
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Deleted
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Nov 1, 2024 16:29:32 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jan 23, 2023 22:06:27 GMT
I'm a "neither" person now, too, but I'm running out of static alternatives. I tried the wool balls years ago and found them lacking. With my new dryer, I tried the aluminum foil balls, which worked for the most part, but they're LOUD. Next, I'm going to try a damp washcloth tossed in for a few minutes at the end of the cycle. Do you have any recommendations for controlling static? Or any other laundry tips involving products would be greatly appreciated! Currently I use free & clear pods, but saw that Costco now carries Ecos Plant Power Detergent Sheets -- anything you know about those? I don’t really have any static issues. How dry your environment is can cause static, so it may just be a climate issue. I don’t put my clothes or my kids clothes in the dryer. I hang everything to dry except socks and my husband’s dress clothes. I have read that one thing that causes static is drying for too long. The longer the dry clothes rub against each other the more static it creates, so drying everything for the shortest time possible is a good start. Thank you! I do hang a lot of our clothing, and now that I'm back in a house with my own machines, I can work on drying times, too. We don't have a big problem with static while wearing clothes, so it's definitely a drying/climate thing. |
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Post by Merge on Jan 23, 2023 22:13:40 GMT
We stopped using dryer sheets and only use wool dryer balls. Sometimes I put a few drops of lavender oil on them to make the clothes or towels smell nice. We don’t miss dryer sheets at all.
I’ve never used liquid fabric softener in my life.
Oh, and we also switched to laundry detergent sheets that dissolve in the washing machine. No big plastic tub to recycle, and they work great. The brand is Earth Breeze and you can get them on Amazon.
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AllieC
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,087
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Post by AllieC on Jan 23, 2023 22:14:09 GMT
I don't use fabric softener at all. I stopped using it years ago when my duaghter was reacting to so many of them. I thought it would make a big difference and honestly it didn't. Now I think it's unnecessary and a huge marketing con - you can't have soft clothes without it etc.
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Post by Scrapper100 on Jan 23, 2023 23:04:27 GMT
Usually the sheets. The liquid seems to get thick if you don’t use it fast enough snd then gums up the dispenser. I do want to try dryer balls at some point. I used to use vinegar occasionally when we had a top loader but after an unfortunate experience with it I won’t use in appliances. It can really eat through things.
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Post by dewryce on Jan 23, 2023 23:25:59 GMT
Another vinegar user. Softener/sheets are also bad for your dryer. It builds up on the filter making the dryer work harder, making it a fire hazard. If you use them it’s recommended that you wash the filter screen (I think with dish soap) to clean off the bull-up. I don’t use either. I hate the sensation of something coating things of washed. I do, however, use wool dryer balls with a few dabs of essential oils. Only for sheets, towels and comforters. I don’t use anything on my clothes. I tried that and ended up with dots of oil all over my clothes. How do you avoid that? |
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Post by cmpeter on Jan 23, 2023 23:30:25 GMT
We use the sheets if we are drying a load of dh's work out clothes, since those get very staticky. And the sheets are the only things that help combat it.
I've never used liquid. I hang dry most of my stuff...I'm tall and even a little shrinkage lengthwise bothers me.
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Post by scrappinmom3 on Jan 23, 2023 23:39:42 GMT
I love all the smells. I use Gain dryer sheets. Sometimes two.
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Post by christine58 on Jan 23, 2023 23:53:45 GMT
Vinegar can damage rubber parts of appliances like washing machine hoses and gaskets, dishwasher hoses, etc. You should never put vinegar on rubber. I’ve been doing it for at least 10 years and I have no damage. |
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Post by Bridget in MD on Jan 24, 2023 0:24:06 GMT
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Deleted
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Nov 1, 2024 16:29:32 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2023 0:35:02 GMT
Vinegar can damage rubber parts of appliances like washing machine hoses and gaskets, dishwasher hoses, etc. You should never put vinegar on rubber. I’ve been doing it for at least 10 years and I have no damage. Some does, some don't. If your manual says it's OK to use it with your machine, then you're golden. If not, you takes yer chances. |
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Post by myshelly on Jan 24, 2023 0:36:36 GMT
I’ve never seen those, but they’re a big no for me. First of all, right in the link you sent it says “Caution: irritant” That tells me it’s going to irritate the skin and lungs of everyone in my house. Second, see my above comment about combined smells and the result 🤢 Do your kids really want their sports stuff to smell like fake flowers? I don’t want anything I own to smell like that, my boys certainly don’t want to smell like that. There are other ways to get clothes to just not smell. Products like this mask the smell without getting the item clean, so your sports stuff smells like kid sweat sprayed with fake flowers. Covering a scent shouldn’t be the goal of doing laundry. Removing the scent should be the goal of doing laundry. Looking at the ingredients list, it contains many of the harmful chemicals discussed in the link I posted upthread from the environmental group. |
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Post by crazy4scraps on Jan 24, 2023 0:57:04 GMT
Vinegar can damage rubber parts of appliances like washing machine hoses and gaskets, dishwasher hoses, etc. You should never put vinegar on rubber. I’ve been doing it for at least 10 years and I have no damage. Same here. We have really hard water and I think the hard water does just as much if not more damage as putting a few tablespoons of vinegar in the softener compartment or an extra cup of it in the drum right before it fills up with water. |
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Post by Merge on Jan 24, 2023 0:57:46 GMT
Another vinegar user. Softener/sheets are also bad for your dryer. It builds up on the filter making the dryer work harder, making it a fire hazard. If you use them it’s recommended that you wash the filter screen (I think with dish soap) to clean off the bull-up. I don’t use either. I hate the sensation of something coating things of washed. I do, however, use wool dryer balls with a few dabs of essential oils. Only for sheets, towels and comforters. I don’t use anything on my clothes. I tried that and ended up with dots of oil all over my clothes. How do you avoid that? Hm, I also use essential oils sometimes and it’s never left anything on my clothes. I guess I assume it was absorbed into the wool ball enough that it doesn’t spread around. |
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Post by Merge on Jan 24, 2023 0:59:50 GMT
Oh, we just had to replace a rubber gasket in our machine that was likely damaged by the vinegar DH insisted on using on his funky workout clothes. Washer started leaking.
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mimima
Drama Llama
Stay Gold, Ponyboy
Posts: 5,086
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Post by mimima on Jan 24, 2023 1:21:10 GMT
When I was in High School, my then-boyfriend's sister caught her skirt in the wood stove and the fabric softener that she used was highly flammable. She suffered severe burns.
So, not only toxic but flammable.
I also either use vinegar or dryer balls.
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Post by Crack-a-lackin on Jan 24, 2023 1:21:33 GMT
I’ve never seen those, but they’re a big no for me. First of all, right in the link you sent it says “Caution: irritant” That tells me it’s going to irritate the skin and lungs of everyone in my house. Second, see my above comment about combined smells and the result 🤢 Do your kids really want their sports stuff to smell like fake flowers? I don’t want anything I own to smell like that, my boys certainly don’t want to smell like that. There are other ways to get clothes to just not smell. Products like this mask the smell without getting the item clean, so your sports stuff smells like kid sweat sprayed with fake flowers. Covering a scent shouldn’t be the goal of doing laundry. Removing the scent should be the goal of doing laundry. Looking at the ingredients list, it contains many of the harmful chemicals discussed in the link I posted upthread from the environmental group. What detergent do you use? |
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Post by lisae on Jan 24, 2023 1:25:57 GMT
Dryer sheets. I do not use liquid fabric softener.
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seaexplore
Prolific Pea
Posts: 8,838
Apr 25, 2015 23:57:30 GMT
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Post by seaexplore on Jan 24, 2023 1:27:56 GMT
I don't use fabric softener at all. Even the liquid is really bad for your clothing.
I was with vinegar in the softener spot of my washer and use wool dryer balls in the dryer.
My clothes never come out full of static. I get static from wearing them. For that, I use static guard spray.
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Post by myshelly on Jan 24, 2023 2:29:43 GMT
I’ve never seen those, but they’re a big no for me. First of all, right in the link you sent it says “Caution: irritant” That tells me it’s going to irritate the skin and lungs of everyone in my house. Second, see my above comment about combined smells and the result 🤢 Do your kids really want their sports stuff to smell like fake flowers? I don’t want anything I own to smell like that, my boys certainly don’t want to smell like that. There are other ways to get clothes to just not smell. Products like this mask the smell without getting the item clean, so your sports stuff smells like kid sweat sprayed with fake flowers. Covering a scent shouldn’t be the goal of doing laundry. Removing the scent should be the goal of doing laundry. Looking at the ingredients list, it contains many of the harmful chemicals discussed in the link I posted upthread from the environmental group. What detergent do you use? It depends on what I’m washing. I have separate detergents for clothes, dark clothes, workout clothes, and sheets/towels. I don’t use any laundry products with fragrance, ever. |
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milocat
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Location: 55 degrees north in Alberta, Canada
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Post by milocat on Jan 24, 2023 2:31:00 GMT
Overdrying your clothes causes static. If you are drying a light knit sweater with thick jeans or something the light item will be done well before the heavy one and it will just get fill of static. Also your climate, I use vinegar when in the winter. -20C, -40C causes static even without overdrying.
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scrappyesq
Pearl Clutcher
You have always been a part of the heist. You're only mad now because you don't like your cut.
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Post by scrappyesq on Jan 24, 2023 2:54:40 GMT
Another vinegar user. Softener/sheets are also bad for your dryer. It builds up on the filter making the dryer work harder, making it a fire hazard. If you use them it’s recommended that you wash the filter screen (I think with dish soap) to clean off the bull-up. I don’t use either. I hate the sensation of something coating things of washed. I do, however, use wool dryer balls with a few dabs of essential oils. Only for sheets, towels and comforters. I don’t use anything on my clothes. I tried that and ended up with dots of oil all over my clothes. How do you avoid that?
I put the oil sparingly in multiple spots, at least a day (if not more) before I'm going to use them. I have my sheets/blankets/towels on a tight schedule which makes figuring out when to prep my dryer balls easier. As a last step I roll them on either a rag or a paper towel. I know the heat can make the oil spread but I haven't had any spots yet.
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GiantsFan
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Jun 27, 2014 14:44:56 GMT
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Post by GiantsFan on Jan 24, 2023 2:57:45 GMT
I don’t use either. I hate the sensation of something coating things of washed. I do, however, use wool dryer balls with a few dabs of essential oils. Only for sheets, towels and comforters. I don’t use anything on my clothes. Same. |
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Post by crazy4scraps on Jan 24, 2023 3:04:52 GMT
Overdrying your clothes causes static. If you are drying a light knit sweater with thick jeans or something the light item will be done well before the heavy one and it will just get fill of static. Also your climate, I use vinegar when in the winter. -20C, -40C causes static even without overdrying. I think I notice more static when I have loads that have a mix of fiber content, like cotton stuff mixed with polyester fleece, etc. If the load is all cotton or all fleece it doesn’t seem nearly as staticky to me. |
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samantha25
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,103
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Post by samantha25 on Jan 24, 2023 4:23:39 GMT
I’ve been doing it for at least 10 years and I have no damage. Some does, some don't. If your manual says it's OK to use it with your machine, then you're golden. If not, you takes yer chances. Does your machine have a bleach dispenser? I would say that it's the extreme pH that may cause harm, whether an acid or base. Bleach, a base, is pH 11-13 and vinegar, an acid, pH 2-3. Not sure if new machines have bleach dispensers any more. I've also had no harm to my 20 year old top loader with either bleach or vinegar, on occasional use. |
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Post by Bridget in MD on Jan 24, 2023 12:52:33 GMT
I’ve never seen those, but they’re a big no for me. First of all, right in the link you sent it says “Caution: irritant” That tells me it’s going to irritate the skin and lungs of everyone in my house. Second, see my above comment about combined smells and the result 🤢 Do your kids really want their sports stuff to smell like fake flowers? I don’t want anything I own to smell like that, my boys certainly don’t want to smell like that. There are other ways to get clothes to just not smell. Products like this mask the smell without getting the item clean, so your sports stuff smells like kid sweat sprayed with fake flowers. Covering a scent shouldn’t be the goal of doing laundry. Removing the scent should be the goal of doing laundry.Looking at the ingredients list, it contains many of the harmful chemicals discussed in the link I posted upthread from the environmental group. I don't use the flower scent, I use the lavendar or a fresh breeze scent. That's just the first link I found bc you werent sure what the product was. And the answer is yes, both of my kids prefer the fresh smell to the stale smell that seems to permeate the school issued sports uniform.  I can't explain it, bc I know the item is clean, but there is always this underlying smell. I assume its bc they are locked in some bin 3/4 of the year, so when my kids get the uniform, its been washed, but I wash it immediately and I dont dry them, I hang them to dry. But I swear I smell something... I dont wash sports items separately, bc it never makes a big enough load. I separate in colors, blues/blacks, lights, whites. Since I am never sure which pile has the uniform, I just add the scent freshner to them all. |
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Post by tealpaperowl on Jan 24, 2023 13:32:46 GMT
Both! I use both in every load  I love lots of scent |
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Post by crazy4scraps on Jan 24, 2023 14:55:34 GMT
I don't use the flower scent, I use the lavendar or a fresh breeze scent. That's just the first link I found bc you werent sure what the product was. And the answer is yes, both of my kids prefer the fresh smell to the stale smell that seems to permeate the school issued sports uniform.  I can't explain it, bc I know the item is clean, but there is always this underlying smell. I assume its bc they are locked in some bin 3/4 of the year, so when my kids get the uniform, its been washed, but I wash it immediately and I dont dry them, I hang them to dry. But I swear I smell something... I dont wash sports items separately, bc it never makes a big enough load. I separate in colors, blues/blacks, lights, whites. Since I am never sure which pile has the uniform, I just add the scent freshner to them all. Um, lavender IS a floral scent. 😉 Just sayin’. Have you ever tried soaking the sports clothes in a solution of white vinegar mixed with water? That was literally the only thing that would actually get the pee smell out of the polyester polar fleece clothes my kid liked to wear when she was little vs. just covering it up. It also gets out the musty smell if I wash a fleece or minky blanket and forget it in the washer overnight. I soak the stuff for a while, wring it out and wash in the machine as usual. Once it’s dried that lingering funk smell is gone. It’s worth a try. When I visited my sister down south a few years ago, her clean towels all had that fabric softener/underlying musty smell. I think the fabric softener actually traps those musty smells in the fabric fibers. I told her she should try stripping her towels with vinegar and baking soda to get all those funk smells out and that it would help make them more absorbent again too. |
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I can't explain it, bc I know the item is clean, but there is always this underlying smell. I assume its bc they are locked in some bin 3/4 of the year, so when my kids get the uniform, its been washed, but I wash it immediately and I dont dry them, I hang them to dry. But I swear I smell something... 
I love lots of scent
I can't explain it, bc I know the item is clean, but there is always this underlying smell. I assume its bc they are locked in some bin 3/4 of the year, so when my kids get the uniform, its been washed, but I wash it immediately and I dont dry them, I hang them to dry. But I swear I smell something...