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natural alternative to dryer sheets?

The static on my laundry is driving me mad, but I tossed the dryer sheets after reading about how awful they are. What can I use instead? Or am I destined to have static cling and socks stuck to the inside of my sweater forever???

Comments

  • they sell these these plastic balls you can put in the dryer at bed bath and beyond..

  • stylistchickstylistchick Raw Newbie

    someone told me they were using a rubber ball and it worked great. i don’t know how “natural” a rubber ball is, but hey, at least you elimate the need for dryer sheets.

  • heathermarsbombheathermarsbomb Raw Newbie

    thats a good idea. maybe a tennis ball would work. cheers everyone!

  • omshantiomshanti Raw Newbie

    apple cider vinegar in your rinse water, takes away static and makes my towels extra soft! i use 1/2 cup for big loads 1/4 for small….

  • I love vinegar too! You can even add a couple of drops of your favorite essential oil if you want your laundry to have fragrance.

  • germin8germin8 Raw Master

    Thanks… we haven’t used dryer sheets for quite a while… and since we really don’t dry our clothes in the dryer (only certain things)... the apple cider vinegar in the rinse cycle will be great! I need to get that “softener ball” that will open in the rinse cycle… otherwise, I’m going to forget to add the vinegar in the rinse cycle.

  • I have a hard time breathing when walking by people’s homes who use dryer sheets. It’s overpowering and they don’t even realize it! Plus, all the toxins that fall into the air, I could go on and on! I’m so glad you posted this topic! I use the dryer balls, and sometimes nothing. I can’t stand the smell of those dang dryer sheets!

  • RCBAliveRCBAlive Raw Newbie

    My son got me the dryer balls as a gift as he was tired of having dryer sheets banned from my house. I am concerned, however, that when the dryer balls are heated, the materials will give off toxic fumes. Does anyone have any insight?

  • heathermarsbombheathermarsbomb Raw Newbie

    where would I get dryer balls? BB&B? how much (curious)?

  • LucyLucy Raw Newbie

    http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?ord…
    I have them and they are very good.
    Sorry,the site doesn’t go straight to the item,just search :dryer balls,and/or anti-static balls.

  • I just got rid of the dryer sheets and use soap balls. My problem is that with two kids in the house, and all our sweaty, dirty clothes, nothing smells very ‘fresh’ when it comes out of the dryer. I’d love to add some essential oils to the wash, but won’t the oil stain my clothes, or make them oily? I’d love any advice you have about getting some fresh, natural smells into my laundry.

  • ive seen reusable dryer sheets.. i had some that i got in a sample thing from work but of course i cant find them to tell you the brand name on them.. but when i find them, i’ll let ya know.. havent tried them yet (if i had i might now where they are!!)

  • kevin7197kevin7197 Raw Newbie

    Pure essential oils are a misnomer as they aren’t really “oils”. Completely safe and will not stain your clothes. However, do not confuse essential oil products sold as fragance oils. These DO have oils added!

  • greeniegreenie Raw Newbie

    I was just thinking today how I would like a natural dryer sheet.

    Unfortunately it looks like those dryer balls aren’t the answer either: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/09/nellie_…

    You inspired me to Google this, and here’s what I came up with:

    Here are some products that claim to be really natural dryer sheets: http://tinyurl.com/4txuxh

    http://tinyurl.com/4dgfez

    http://tinyurl.com/4p3e7r

    Interesting article on commercial dryer sheets, and some alternatives to using them: http://tinyurl.com/4×3o7 It suggests adding 1/2 cup of vinegar to the final rinse to get rid of cling, but ONLY if you haven’t added bleach. Mixing vinegar with bleach causes very toxic fumes.

  • I’m very sensitive to laundry detergent which I found out years ago when I accidently spilled some on my hands and then the next day I got weeping blisters on my hands and arms. I had to be on steroids to control it (this was before my raw/natural hygiene journey). I started using sensitive skin detergent and was careful not to get it on my skin. I stopped using dryer sheets last year trying to reduce the chemicals and being environmentally conscious and started using the dryer balls. They worked good but still had some static cling. I didn’t know about the toxin problem with them until recently. I researched for solutions in the internet and I found one that works better than the dryer balls which is a balled up piece of aluminum foil which is used multiple times. I don’t know if there is any toxic problems because of the aluminum though. I can’t use the ACV because I forget to put it in the rinse cycle. I’m planning to make my own detergent soon to continue the quest to minimize chemicals in my home and environment.

  • queenfluffqueenfluff Raw Newbie

    check out www.gaiam.com

    they have lots of natural laundry stuff. I often don’t even use detergent. I use those laundry balls. I never get static in my laundry any more but i have these:

    http://www.gaiam.com/product/eco-home-outdoor/h…

    They are reuseable fabric sheets. They did work when I first started using them. I stopped using them for a while just because I kept forgeting to throw them in the dryer and noticed for some reason I wasn’t having a static problem any more so I just didn’t use them. They do work though.

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