Innocent looking fabric softener being poured into the washer
Looking for that fresh “April” scent found in fabric softeners when washing your clothes and your pets blankets, beds, and toys? Hang them outside to get the real spring scent, but steer clear of most commercial fabric softeners and dryer sheets. Why?
Here is a list of some of the ingredients used in dryer sheets and fabric softeners; do ANY of them sound aromatic?
• 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
• 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
Cleaning products are pretty much unregulated because there is an assumption by the manufacturers that these chemicals do not get absorbed into the body. In reality, everything that touches the skin finds its way into the body and into the bloodstream. This is true for both humans and animals.
Many years ago my cat Katie, healthy until the installation of new carpet, died directly as a result of breathing in and walking on the new carpet, and inhaling and absorbing the gasses put off by the carpet fiber, chemical treatment on the carpet, and the carpet glue.
And did you know that dryer sheets create toxic fumes when released with heat? Isn’t it hot in your dryer? Or that their inert ingredients can cause cancer, liver disease, Alzheimer’s, and lots of other chronic disorders? Probably not what you had in mind when you poured in the liquid softener or tossed that sheet into the dryer, is it?
So if you or your pet is scratching, has a rash, is acting unusual, or there is a health issue that appears to have no cause, look into eliminating mainstream dryer sheets and fabric softeners from your laundry practice. Or simply eliminate them as a preventative measure.
Keep you and your pets safe – check out these sites, and others like them, to find safe alternatives to safe, fresh smelling, and static-free laundry.
For a list of animal poison control hotlines, go to the PACC911 site at http://www.pacc911.org/Poison_Control.html
