Could Your Dryer Sheets be Making You Sick?

Dr. Josh Axe : Jun 19, 2018
Food is Medicine

Acetaldehyde is a common ingredient used in fake fragrance blends. It's "potentially carcinogenic to humans" and adversely impacts the kidneys, nervous and respiratory systems. While it's regulated in outdoor emissions, it's a total free-for-all when it comes to home use. And that's coming with some serious side effects.

Dryer sheets are part of the laundry routine for millions of people. Most of us don't think twice about tossing a sheet or two into the dryer—it's just part of the clean clothes process. And while pulling a warm, fresh load of scented laundry out of the dryer may make you feel warm and fuzzy, there's likely something not-so-good happening inside of your body. (Photo: via Life Hacks)

What if I told you those dryer sheets are caked with ingredients you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy. And those "blossoms and flowers" depicted on the dryer sheet box? Don't buy it. Dryer sheets are really a toxic ripoff. That means you're paying more for a product that could actually be making you sick.

I'm talking about things like known carcinogens, hazardous pollutants, endocrine disruptors and things that target specific organs in the most unpleasant ways. Let's examine what we know about dryer sheets and your health, then get into simple alternatives for a safer laundry routine.

Dryer Sheets: The Facts

Ever look at a box of dryer sheets? You'll probably see images of flowers or line-dried laundry and claims of freshness, fabric softening, static reduction and wrinkle fighting power. What you won't see? A comprehensive list of the chemical cocktail cooked into those sheets. As crazy as it seems, the current United States Consumer Product Safety Commission does not require dryer sheet manufacturers to list actual ingredients, including the chemicals used in fragrance blends.

To help us figure out what's actually in these products many people use day in and day out, scientists have been studying the sheets and dryer vent exhaust to get a better picture. The results aren't pretty. Here's a rundown of some of the compounds detected in dryer sheets and dryer vent exhaust.

In one of the most interesting studies to date, pioneering fragrance researchers Anne Steinemann, PhD, a professor of civil and environmental engineering, looked at the chemicals spewing out of dryer vents. Using new, pre-rinsed organic towels, Steinemann and her team sampled laundry emissions after using scented fabric softening and dryer sheets in clean washers and dryers.

What was coming out of those vents? (And into people's lungs?) Seven hazardous air pollutants and 25 volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Some of these, including acetaldehyde and benzene, are not safe at any level. (These are also pollutants that commonly spew out of vehicle tailpipes.) (1)

Acetaldehyde is a common ingredient used in fake fragrance blends. It's "potentially carcinogenic to humans" and adversely impacts the kidneys, nervous and respiratory systems. (2) While it's regulated in outdoor emissions, it's a total free-for-all when it comes to home use. And that's coming with some serious side effects.

In a 2016 study, Steinemann found 12.5 percent of people blamed scented laundry products spewing from dryer vents for health issues. These include ailments like respiratory issues, runny noses, asthma attacks, skin issues, migraines and even gastrointestinal symptoms. (3) Knowing this, doctors should be putting all of their patients in fragrance-free prescriptions!

The truth is, though, most people have no idea they're introducing such nasty pollutants into their neighborhoods...

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