Monday, March 30, 2009

#44 Ditch the Dryer sheets

Okay, so I get the occasional sock stuck inside a pair of pants.  A little static cling is not more trouble than I used to get from using dryer sheets.   There are a plethora of reasons NOT to use dryer sheets.  I will not go into detail, because I'm lazy and other people have already done that.  One of those places is at healthy and green living.  The reasons not to use them include some very nasty chemicals and some not-so-good long term effects on your clothing.   Other reasons for me include sensitivity to them (they make me itch!) and of course, no need to waste all those materials.   Also, most of static cling comes when you over-dry your clothes.  Be sure to set the dryer so that it stops before they get static cling!
There are some alternatives out there.  One is to use vinegar in your rinse cycle (too much trouble for me,) and another is to use a dryer ball (controversial, since most are made from PVC-- anyone know any that aren't?)   I go for the simplest of all methods.  Use nothing.  There. 

Pros: Less chemical-infused clothing and air, less skin irritation,  less packaging waste.  Oh, and I haven't mentioned yet that using dryer sheets causes unecessary wear-and-tear on your dryer if you don't wash your lint trap (and possibly a fire hazard?)

Cons:  Static cling.  (Did you know though, that most static cling occurs in synthetic fibers?  Use natural fiber clothing, and it won't be such a problem!)  My laundry doesn't smell nice.  But as long as it doesn't smell at all, I'm okay with that.

2 comments:

NW Varneys said...

We don't use dryer sheets or dryer balls here, and almost never have static anyway. But in answer to your question about non-PVC dryer balls: I have seen some made of felted wool. I am guessing they are knit or crocheted wool, stuffed with wool scraps or seomthing and then heated to felt. Don't know exactly, though. Seems like a pretty good idea, though. I have been thinking about trying them not for static but to lessen dryer time. Maybe you could just throw a pair of kids shoes in there... hmmm...

PerkinsClan said...

I didn't know about the overdrying, so I set my dryer to a shorter drying time, and my static cling is so much less! Thank you, thank you, Sam I Am!