DIY Dryer Sheets - toss the toxic softeners

image courtesy of raisingarizonakids.com

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​I love me a soft, warm towel. Smells good, feels good. I just want to wrap up in them and do a little happy dance. I feel that way with any warm, soft fabric thing I pull out of the dryer really. I'm not biased towards towels. 

I am biased against chemicals. 

On my green cleaning journey I'm learning...a lot. And today I learned all about dryer sheets and fabric softeners. They make our towels, sheets, and other clothing feel so nice and smell so yummy, but really, they aren't very good for us. And, there are better options!

According to branchbasics.com, "of the 3-10 gallons of toxic household cleaning products in a home, the chemicals in dryer sheets and fabric softeners are considered to be among the most toxic. Fabric softeners and dryer sheets are made up of harmful chemicals combined with a hefty dose of fragrance". As you might have read in my previous post about using the Skin Deep app, fragrance is a big concern in cosmetic products. Dryer sheets and fabric softeners are no exception. 

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image courtesy of branchbasics.com

​Those fragrance chemicals are difficult to remove because they cling to fabric so the signature scent stays in the clothing. "Those lingering chemical residues in the clothes enter the body through the skin, which is tantamount to eating them! Many of these are solvents that directly affect the nervous system and endocrine system and can contribute to the development of chronic illness. Since the term “fragrance” on a label is so very vague, the body is provided a cocktail of poison 24 hours a day, 7 days a week". Unfortunately, most people are unaware of this issue and don't realize the impact it makes on their health. So many scents, not just in dryer sheets and fabric softeners, but cosmetics, too, have dulled our sense of smell as a warning mechanism. Sometimes, even our ability to perceive a specific fragrance can be lost.  Sometimes we actually get a high and crave the smell of the clothing. Weird, huh? 

So what can make clothes or towels soft without chemicals? Friction. If you've ever hung things out on the line to dry, especially cloth diapers, then you know sometimes they can become stiff. I found that taking two cloth diapers and rubbing them together completely solved that problem. Why? It disturbs the fibers in the fabric and loosens them up, making them feel soft. You can do that two ways without dryer sheets, fabric softeners, or feeling up all your clothes!

For those of you like-minded individuals who like to DIY a whole big bunch, let me introduce you to two marvelous ideas.

First up, felted dryer balls. 

image courtesy of doterrablog.com

These are super easy to make, and to scent with something that is NOT harmful to you in anyway. Since they bounce around your dryer, they beat up your fabrics gently, loosening the fibers and helping them feel soft.  

What you need: 

100% wool yarn
Pantyhose
Your favorite essential oils or blends

What you do: 

1. Take your yarn and wrap it around your middle and indezxfinger a few times. Then take it off and wrap around the middle a few times. Keep wrapping, making a ball, until you've got close to a tennis ball size. Then cut your yarn and tuck the end inside. You should probably be able to make a few balls from one skein of yarn. 
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2. Cut the leg off of your panty hose and tuck the first ball into the bottom, then tie a knot above it. Repeat this with the other balls so they are all secured. Then throw them in your washer with a load on the hottest setting. This will felt your wool yarn and keep your new dryer balls intact. 

3. Add 2-3 drops of essential oils to your dryer balls and toss them in. The scent should last a few loads before you need to recharge.

Option number 2, homemade dryer sheets. 

Also super easy to make, and again to scent with something that is NOT harmful to you in anyway. Since these contain vinegar, the small amount of acetic acid helps to get that soft feeling in your fabrics, and vinegar is a natural static reducer to boot! 

What you need: 

Vinegar
Sealable glass container
Fabric scraps (receiving blankets (look familiar Nealey ladies?), old t-shirts, any cotton fabric)
​Your favorite essential oils or blends

What you do: 

1. Cut some small squares of fabric. Use pinking shears to prevent fraying if you don't want to sew. If you do want to sew, zig zag the edges to prevent fraying. If you're not bothered because hey, they are just dryer sheets, then just cut them with any old scissors!

2. Mix up your fabric softening solution: white vinegar and essential oils. I would use 8-10 drops per 1/2 cup to mask the pickle smell, but you can add more or less to your liking. I am loving a cleansing blend in my laundry at the moment!

3. Place your squares in your container and pour the vinegar/essential mix on top. Seal and then shake to ensure the squares are nicely soaked. 

4. When you're ready to dry a load of laundry, grab 4-5 squares for a large load, ring out the excess liquid and toss them in. Best part? When your clothes are dry, just place the dryer sheets back into your container to reuse! Refill with vinegar/essential oil solution as needed. 

Interested in some of the science behind why NOT to use dryer sheets and fabric softeners? Check out:

The Brain Wash by Michelle Schoffro Cook. This looks to be an amazing book about preventing all kinds of diseases. Here's an excerpt 

Also check out Branchbasics.com for the their full article and more great links!

Tried out one of these options? Let us know how it worked and what oils you liked best!