Toxic Fabric Softeners

Using fabric softeners sounds like a no-brainer.  These popular laundry products promise soft, fresh-smelling clothes, free of static and wrinkles, with less stretching, fading, and pilling.  But in-wash fabric softeners and heat-activated dryer sheets can pack a powerful combination of chemicals that can harm your health, damage the environment, and pollute the air, inside and outside your home.

Toxic Fabric Softeners
By Pierre Mouchette | Bits-n-Pieces

​Do you know the worst chemicals in your laundry basket and what to use instead?
 
Quaternary ammonium compounds (quats) - Make clothes feel soft and wearable right out of the wash, but some are known to trigger asthma and may be toxic to the reproductive system.  Check labels and the product websites for these ingredients, and avoid them: distearyldimonium chloride and others ending in “monium chloride,” as well as vague terms like “biodegradable fabric softening agent” and “cationic surfactant.”
Fragrance - There are nearly 4,000 fragrance ingredients in household products, and there is no way to determine what they are.  Your fabric softener may contain phthalates, which disperse scent; synthetic musks such as galactoside, which accumulate in the body; and more.  Fragrance mixes can cause allergies, skin irritations such as dermatitis, difficulty breathing, and potential reproductive harm.  Research shows that scents may also cause health problems when vented outdoors, especially for asthmatics and those sensitive to chemicals.
Preservatives and colors – Like “fragrance,” the terms “preservatives,” “colors,” or “colorants” on an ingredient label may refer to any number of chemicals.  The most worrisome preservatives in fabric softeners include the potent skin allergen methylisothiazolinone and glutaral, known to trigger asthma and skin allergies.  Glutaral, or glutaraldehyde, is also toxic to marine life.  Among the artificial colors, D&C violet 2 has been linked to cancer.  Others may contain impurities that can cause cancer. 
So avoid mystery cocktails and chemicals of concern in fabric softeners and conditioners, whether in pellets, crystals, bars, or single-dose packs.  Or skip it altogether and try the following:

• Add a half-cup of distilled white vinegar to your washing machine during the rinse cycle. Do not worry.  The smell does not linger on the clothes.
  
  
• If you are not line-drying, run the dryer with your clothes inside.  (To reduce static, do not over-dry.)  Not only do dryer sheets contain various chemicals, but neither the plant-based nor polyester types are reusable, creating extra waste.
  
  
• Try 100 percent wool dryer balls.  Makers of these solid balls of felted wool, or wool wrapped around a fiber core, say that wool or its natural lanolin softens laundry and reduces static.  Generally safe for sensitive skin and babies, the balls lift and separate clothes in the dryer, shortening drying time and saving energy.

You can buy ready-made balls or make your own with wool batting or yarn.  Look for unscented versions, and always be cautious if applying essential oils, which can cause allergic reactions after just a few contacts.