Oh, sheet! Your dryer sheets could be killing you.

If names like “Spring Breeze” and “Island Fresh” have visions of tropical escapes and faceplants into piles of fresh laundry dancing in your head — think again. Your dryer sheets could be killing you.

I love wrinkle-free, gently-fragranced, static-free, fluffy loads of laundry as much as the next girl, but after a friend mentioned that dryer sheets are TOXIC, I thought I better do a little research. What I discovered was more than a little horrifying. One of our clients at work advocates against teen tobacco use. Seeing the list of ingredients in dryer sheets list was frighteningly similar to the list of chemicals in cigarettes. The chemicals may vary, but much like cigarettes, dryer sheets pack a noxious cocktail of ingredients linked to dangerous and fatal diseases and conditions.

According to Healing Naturally by Bee, the list of ingredients in dryer sheets includes:

• Benzyl acetate: Linked to pancreatic cancer
• Benzyl Alcohol: Upper respiratory tract irritant
• Ethanol: On the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Hazardous Waste list and can cause central nervous system disorders
• Limonene: Known carcinogen
• A-Terpineol: Can cause respiratory problems, including fatal edema, and central nervous system damage
• Ethyl Acetate: A narcotic on the EPA’s Hazardous Waste list
• Camphor: Causes central nervous system disorders
• Chloroform: Neurotoxic, anesthetic and carcinogenic
• Linalool: A narcotic that causes central nervous system disorders
• Pentane: A chemical known to be harmful if inhaled

If that’s not bad enough, dryer sheets are made of FIBERGLASS. I don’t know about you, that will give me pause to reconsider before I toss another dryer sheet in with a load of panties in the future.

So what’s a girl to do? Bid farewell to fluffy towels? No way. There are plenty of wonderful, natural alternatives to chemical-laden dryer sheets. They are easy to make, use ingredients you probably already have in your cupboard and cost next to nothing.

THE REMEDY

FOR SOFTNESS (IN THE WASH)
Vinegar (among all the other amazing things it can do) is a natural fabric softener. It also removes soap residue, neutralizes tough odors and reduces dryer static. You can add vinegar directly to laundry during the rinse cycle or pour vinegar into the fabric softener dispenser (or fabric softener ball if your machine is dispenserless) of your washing machine.

FOR SOFTNESS AND SCENT (IN THE DRYER)
Grab and old, cotton washcloth that is ready for retirement. Add 3-5 drops of essential oil of your choice (Whole Food’s 365 eucalyptus oil is my favorite – and very affordable!) to your cloth and throw it in the dryer with a load. Replenish cloth with 3-5 drops between each dryer load.

If you’re seeking something with even more wrinkle-release power, check out Mister Steamy, a non-chemical fabric softener/wrinkle release ball that depends on the power of steam to whip your laundry into shape.

CHIME IN: What are your favorite alternative, green or natural laundry tips? 

 

Cleaning Naked: Confessions of an occasional nudist

I’m interested to see what combination of search terms will bring people to this post. And how many will end up here hoping for something much more scandalous that they are going to find. In any case, welcome to those of you who found this post by searching “naked” or “nude.” Alas, it’s not really going to be that kind of blog post.

It seems spring has sprung here in lovely South Carolina. The daffodils have come and gone, the bees are a abuzz and my neighbors have returned to their porches to sip sweet tea (or spiked lemonade, depending on the time of day…) If you’re a nerd like me, this can only mean one thing: spring cleaning season has arrived! Here is your excuse to run to the store and stock up on buckets and gloves, sponges and spray bottles.

Before I get to the list of a few of my favorite (cleaning) things, I need to make a confession. I fully subscribe to the theory that you cannot get a tub/shower clean if you don’t get in it…nude. Yep. That’s right. I clean my bathroom naked. Oh the (in)humanity! I used to clean the bathroom fully clothed, but in my junkiest clothes, I found myself hesitating to really get in there to spray and scrub like a tub needs to be cleaned. I avoided product (bleach stains, hello!) and didn’t want to walk around in wet clothing. So that left me with one option. Strip down and get to work.

It’s actually a fairly genius system. I can scrub and spray to my heart’s content. When I’m done, I just rinse off. No bleach stains. No drippy clothing. Just a sparkling clean tub – and body.

I have a standard cleaning kit I use for the bathroom. Below you shall find a few of my favorite products…

Method Flushable Tub-n-Tile Wipes

Ever feel like certain people using your toilet could use a little…coaching? Practice? Aim? Set this hardworking package of our flushable wipes nearby, and you (or, ahem, he) can wipe and flush at any moment for an instant clean. Great for clean-ups all over the bathroom — sinks, countertops, faucets and tile — and they’re always septic tank friendly. Plus they smell like eucalyptus mmmmint. 

Boston Warehouse Glamour Glove Set in Pink

I have a unique set of gloves for dishes, kitchen cleaning and bathroom cleaning. Call it OCD if you must, but quirky pairs like these ensure that the gloves for the toilet bowl are never confused with the gloves for the salad bowl. And that means we’ll all live to see another day. 

Alessi’s Merdolino Toilet Brush

With a name like “Merdolino” (which I am pretty sure roughly translates to something along the lines of “lil turd”) how could you NOT love this unforgettable toilet brush work of art. Alessi’s take on toilet cleaning is an interjection of style fit for any throne, and far surpasses the crappy (pardon the pun) toilet brushes of yore. Style, however, does not come cheap. This brush will set you back $55. 

Barkeeper’s Friend

You are probably looking at this packaging and thinking, “Egads! Their branding doesn’t look like it has changed a bit since the 1970s.” I wasn’t alive in the 70s, but I suspect you are right. And that is probably because it was just as awesome in 1978 as it is in 2012. Actually I just did a google search, and it turns out Barkeeper’s Friend has been around since 1882. I guess that means they’re doing something right. Hit up your local dollar store and stock up. 

Poo-Pouri

What more can be said?

 

Squirt & Mop Hard Floor Cleaner

Another gem from Method. I love this product because my dog has yet to learn how to put on a pair of shoes. I feel better knowing his paw pads aren’t being exposed to harsh, toxic chemicals. Now if only I could figure out a way to talk him into doing the mopping….

So what’s in your cleaning arsenal? Has your cleaning routine gone green? Do you have a cleaning recipe for success? Share your tips in the comment section below, or send me a photo of your recent before and after cleaning job. Spring cleaning geeks unite!