Healthy Living How To

Vanessa Rae Romero

7 Toxic Reasons to Ditch Dryer Sheets

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We are exposed to a plethora of toxins every day, and while we can't remove every toxin from our life, we can take measures to lessen our exposure, as well as enhance our bodies' ability to detoxify. In today's blog post I'm going give you 7 Toxic Reasons to Ditch Dryer Sheets.

Why I Decided To Ditch Dryer Sheets

My mother has a form of dementia called Lewy Body Disease (LBD). It is neurological in nature, with no known cure.

Most research suggests those who are inflicted with the disease live 8-12 years post-diagnosis.

This is not a new disease, but a disease, not commonly diagnosed until post-mortem.

Due to the worsening of her symptoms and test results that continued to come back “negative,” my mother had a frontal lobe biopsy, wherein, she was diagnosed with LBD.

Update. My mother passed away on December 8, 2015.

I have routinely challenged her neurologist for insight into the cause of the disease and have never been given much to hang my hat on, except for one thing.

With certainty, he has repeatedly said, “the only thing we know for sure, is, environmental toxins contribute to dementia.” Do you mean like pesticides, herbicides, pollutants, chemicals, heavy metals, and stuff like that? “Yep.”

That is all the motivation I need, to do my very best to lessen the toxic load, not only for myself but for my husband and children as well.

As a family, we made a commitment to remove toxins from our food, by going organic. It was the first step in our journey.

We started with food and then I found the best in natural cleaning products and gave my make-up a make-over.

As I delved further into how toxins contribute to dementia, I came across the book The Brain Wash.

This remarkable book explores how exposure to toxins are linked to not only neurological disease but how they impact our overall health and what we can do to reduce our everyday exposure.

7 Toxic Reasons To Ditch Dryer Sheets

Unless you live in a nudist colony, wearing and washing clothes is a part of life. Of course, some of us may hang our clothes to dry on a line, but I would guess, most of us choose the modern-day dryer.

1 – Dryer Sheets are full of toxic chemicals

If this is true, one of the most toxic things we do, on a regular basis, is use fabric softener or dryer sheets (we'll pick on laundry detergent another day). Those perfume-laden (even fragrance-free) sheets and liquid are full of toxic chemicals.

According to the author of The Brain Wash, there are seven potentially toxic common chemicals found in dryer sheets that contribute to central nervous system disorders and depression and may cause headaches, dizziness, and vomiting.

2 – Chemicals found in dryer sheets infiltrate the clothes we wear and get absorbed into our body

Chemicals found in dryer sheets infiltrate the clothes we wear, which in turn get on our skin and absorbed into our body. And according to my mother's neurologist and other experts in this arena, contribute to dysfunction and disease of the nervous system.

Headlines around the world are reporting two disturbing trends: the incidence of brain disease is growing at an alarming rate, and increasing levels of toxic chemicals are being found in human bodies.

3 – There are no labeling laws in place

So here's the deal. Don't pick up a box of dryer sheets or fabric softener and expect to see a list of ingredients like you would a box of cereal. That is because there are no laws in place which require the manufacturers of these products to list all the chemicals used.

4 – The brain is vulnerable to bioaccumulation

These so-called softeners that make our clothes fluffy and static-free are toxic chemicals which build up in our body's (bioaccumulation) tissues, particularly in fat stores. Because of the high percentage of fat in the brain, it is particularly vulnerable.

5 – Chemicals found in dryer sheets pollute the air

Studies have looked at what chemicals are “released” by laundry products, like dryer sheets, since manufacturers don't have to disclose the ingredients used in them. One study found more than 25 air pollutants — including carcinogens, acetaldehyde, and benzene. Another, found the fumes to cause irritation of eyes, nose, throat, and lungs.

6 – Synthetic fragrances found in dryer sheets are known carcinogens

When people use dryer sheets, they are coating their clothes with a thin film of synthetic fragrance. Just like perfume, a person’s sensitivity to synthetic fragrance decreases over time, to the point where they need to use more to smell it.

None of this would be interesting if it weren’t for the fact that these synthetic fragrances are extremely toxic.

“Synthetic fragrances are known carcinogens. They cause liver damage and cancer in mammals.” – Mike Adams, Natural News

7 – Dryer sheets are totally unnecessary and easy to eliminate

Dryer sheets are totally unnecessary; they don't make our clothes cleaner and are an easily prevented source of exposure to toxic chemicals.

Wool Dryer Balls are a simple-to-make, non-toxic, alternative for dryer sheets and fabric softeners. Throw 4 of these in the dryer, with a few drops of your favorite essential oil, and you will never go back to dryer sheets again.

And if you're not into making your own wool dryer balls, that's okay. You can buy them.