Whether you are trying to cut down on the chemicals you use in your home, someone in your household has skin sensitivities, or you want to take better care of your fabrics, there are some things you can do to replace dryer sheets and fabric softener. Stearic acid, a common ingredient in dryer sheets and fabric softener, also ruins the wicking abilities of your workout clothes. It blocks the holes in the lint trap and makes it more difficult for air to exit the dryer. The same thing goes with the lent filter. This could easily be fixed (if there was an issue) with soap, water, sponge. Causing the dryer to work harder, thereby shortening the life of your dryer. That coating on the dryer sheets also coats the inside of your dryer. The dryer sheets shed tiny bits of its fabric. If you’re buying fire-resistant sleepwear for your children and using dryer sheets or liquid fabric softener, the compounds damage the fire-retarding coating on the sleepwear.
(If you’re nodding your head along to that last bit, check out our article on keeping your towels fresh to get rid of the smell.)ĭryer sheets and their chemical coating sticks to pajama fabric too. Worse yet, the water that they do soak up evaporates slower, and you may end up with a mildew smell in your towels that is hard to get rid of. This residue can damage the fibers and make it so that your towels no longer absorb water as well. The compounds in both fabric softener and dryer sheets might make your towels feel soft, but they do so by coating them.
