I have always loved the scent of laundry detergent and dryer sheets. I enjoy walking down the laundry isle at the grocery store because of all the yummy and fresh scents. I grew up in a family with some sensitive skin issues where we generally used very lightly scented or unscented detergents. When I moved out and got married I was relieved to see that I did not react badly to the detergent/dryer sheets that smelled so good!
A few months ago I was reading something about dryer sheets and realized that they have many toxic ingredients in them, which seriously was a shock to me. I had never even thought about what was in them, and just used them out of habit. When I looked up the kind I was using on EWG I realized they had a D rating with a moderate concern for respiratory/asthma concerns, some allergy concerns, and some environmental concerns. Well as I researched this topic, the suggestions I saw from many different sources was to try wool dryer balls instead and to stop using dryer sheets altogether. This was the first time I started to think about what ingredients were in the products I use every day in my home and on my body. Since I was about to finish off my box of dryer sheets anyway, I decided it was time to take the plunge. I am happy to say I have not looked back. This was the first thing I replaced in my home and I would say it was a good purchase.
We got a pack of 6 dryer balls off of Amazon for $7 and I have loved them. I generally use between 3 and 6 for each load, usually depending on how many I can find as my toddler likes to toss them around the house. We have been using them pretty much daily for the last four months and they work great for us. The major difference I have noticed is that there is not a film left over on our clothes that I sometimes felt was left by dryer sheets, almost like a texture of unwashed soap. We also do deal with a bit more static if I leave the clothes in the dryer (let’s be real this happens most days), but if I turn it back on for a quick fluff before taking them out to fold everything looks great again.
This was a great place for me to start replacing products because $7 seemed like a worthwhile investment to remove chemicals from my home. After reading many reviews I am hopeful that these little dryer balls will last a few years and be well worth the money we would have spent on dryer sheets in our home.
Sources:
https://www.ewg.org/enviroblog/2011/11/dont-get-slimed-skip-fabric-softener
WELL BALANCED 