The clothes softener products in stores contain some suspicious chemicals. Have you ever read the back of the box or bottle? Words like dimethyl sulphate, pentane, limonene and benzyl acetate are listed. These chemicals have been linked to cancer, kidney disease and liver damage. Both the liquid fabric softeners and the dryer sheets have these chemicals in them. Some fabric softeners are scented and these scents can trigger chemical allergies and asthma.
So, what can you do to get rid of the static cling? You don't have to have static cling in your clothes and you don't have to use liquid fabric softeners or dryer sheets to accomplish that. Here are some substitutes for the regular fabric softeners.
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Many stores now carry green fabric softeners. What is a green fabric softener? These fabric conditioners are all natural and they are dye and fragrance free. They also do not contain the same toxic chemicals that regular fabric softeners do. When you go shopping, pick up the unscented, biodegradable dryer sheets or unscented liquid fabric softener that contains natural and biodegradable ingredients. In place of fabric conditioners, you can use tennis balls or purchase some dryer balls to put in the dryer with your clothes. I use these myself and they do work. You might have a little bit of static cling but not much. Using these dryer balls will soften your clothes. You can add ¼ to ½ cup of baking soda with your detergent to the wash cycle and that will soften your clothes and reduce static. Another great idea is to add white vinegar and baking soda in equal parts to the beginning of the rinse cycle. These two products, used together, combine to form an unscented liquid that will soften fabrics. When you combine the white vinegar and the baking soda, the mixture does not smell like vinegar. You can eliminate the fabric softeners all together and hang your clothes out on the clothes line to dry. The sun and the fresh air will naturally soften your clothes. To reduce static in your dryer, toss in a crumpled piece of aluminum foil. For whatever reason, maybe the conductivity of aluminum, this does help reduce static. Here is something a little out of the ordinary, but it does work. Use soap nuts. What are soap nuts? They are a natural substitute for liquid fabric softener. The soap nut is a fruit found on the Chinese Soapberry tree. You place the fruit in a drawstring pouch and put them into the wash cycle. They can be dried and used again. The soap nuts contain a natural soap-like substance called saponins and this substance comes out of the nuts during the wash cycle. The saponins in the soap nuts soften and clean your clothes totally naturally.
I hope you found these ideas worth trying. Just remember the next time you are in the grocery store, read the labels of the liquid fabric softeners and the dryer sheets. The chemicals contained in these products are dangerous. Be environmentally friendly caring for your laundry. You will not only save money but you will be a lot healthier too.
Environmentally Friendly Alternative Clothes Softeners SOFTENER
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