Wake Up and Smell the Lavender!

I can always tell when my neighbor is doing laundry by the heavy perfume smell that wafts in my window.  This offensive smell is on the dryer sheets that are tossed in with the wet clothes and then heated to permeate the load of laundry.  Why?

We have been duped into thinking that this is a good way to keep our laundry smelling fresh.  As you will read below, all it does is contaminate the fabric with toxic chemicals. If someone chooses to have a perfume smell on their clothes and can contain it to their environment I cannot find fault.  We do have freedom of choice, but it is polluting my environment. If I have to close my doors and windows to create a smell barrier, you know those molecules are airborne.

If you want your clothes to smell fresh and you want your family to stay healthy, get some dried herbs and/or essential oil. Put this  in a little square of fabric (if you use just oil, you can put it on some cotton) tie it up  tightly with a ribbon or sew it closed and toss it in the dryer.  Instead of using a sheet of harmful chemicals you are adding fragrance and getting health benefits from the gift of the herbs. Some great scents to consider are lavender or rosemary, or sage since they all have amazing healing properties.

You can go to any health food store and find essential oils and dried herbs  or you can pick your own herbs. Take a nature walk and find something your like and bring it home and air dry it or put it in the oven at the lowest tremperature for a few hours. You can create your own combination of pleasing scents for much less money than you pay for the offensive dryer sheets. You can have the satisfaction of knowing that you are contributing to the health of the population around you and honoring mother earth.

This is what Dr. Mercola has to say about dryer sheets:

Even though they may make your clothes feel soft and smell fresh, fabric softeners and dryer sheets are some of the most toxic products used in the laundering process.

Here’s a list of some of the contaminants found in fabric softener and dryer sheets, and the potential health impacts…

• Benzyl acetate – Linked to pancreatic cancer

• Limonene – Known carcinogen

• A-Terpineol – Can cause respiratory and nervous system problems.

• Ethyl Acetate – A narcotic on the EPA’s Hazardous Waste list.

• Camphor – May causes potential central nervous system disorders.

• Chloroform — Neurotoxin, anesthetic and carcinogenic

• Pentane – A chemical known to be harmful if inhaled

Plus, some fabric softeners and dryer sheets even contain ethanol, an alternative fuel derived from corn, grain, or even agricultural waste. Any wonder it’s on the EPA’s Hazardous Waste list?