I want to use dryer sheets to embroidery, are they toxic?
By Helen
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Yes, Helen, they ARE toxic. Please just throw them away. I keep re-posting the following info I posted a couple of years ago, because so many people want to use these things in dangerous ways. Please read:
Dryer Sheets Contain Toxic Chemicals
While it is great to be thrifty, there are certain things that should never be re-used. It amazes me how many tips are submitted for using or re-using dryer sheets (fabric softener sheets)! Unfortunately, dryer sheets are highly toxic, and trying to wring more uses out of them is dangerous, as well as going too far to be thrifty.
Please just throw the dryer sheets away! Dryer sheets contain loads of toxic, even carcinogenic, chemicals, such as benzyl acetate, benzyl alcohol, and chloroform, among others, some of which the manufacturers don't even have to reveal to the public! Some of these chemicals cause the softening, and others are used to perfume the sheets to give them their "lovely" aromas (which in my opinion, stink).
These chemicals cause liver damage, hormone disruption, respiratory and nervous system problems, allergies, cancer and other serious or chronic health problems. Adults should not expose themselves to these toxins, let alone their children or pets, who are prone to licking everything or putting things in their mouths - an even more direct and more toxic method of exposure than through the skin.
Any time you handle these sheets, whether doing laundry, putting them in lingerie drawers, using them for crafts, hanging them from a ceiling fan, or using them to wipe TVs, etc., you have these chemicals on your hands. You should never touch your face, mouth, nose, or eyes after touching dryer sheets, and should wash your hands thoroughly after touching these things.
Please do not use fabric softener sheets in A/C systems, behind fans, or in any similar way. The chemicals in those things are no joke; they're poisons. You do NOT want to breathe them. Better not to use them at all.
Many of these chemicals are also present in other consumer products like dish and laundry detergents, soaps, air fresheners (especially deadly), shampoos, deodorants, creams, etc. There is a false assumption by the FDA and other regulatory agencies that these chemicals are safe and are not absorbed through the skin. However, this is wrong, as these chemicals can be found in the blood of nearly every citizen. This is how nicotine patches work, by absorption through the skin. If nicotine is absorbed through the skin, you can bet these other chemicals are too.
You are exposed to them because your clothes are covered with these chemicals from the laundry detergent and fabric softeners (liquid or sheets), and you are absorbing them all through your skin. Add to this the chemicals from all the other products mentioned above. We have been exposing ourselves to a lot of dangerous stuff over the years, folks.
There are safer, more natural alternatives to these products. Many TF members have contributed tips for alternatives to dryer sheets or fabric softeners, such as white vinegar or Epsom salts in the rinse water, or dryer balls in the dryer. Please, please do not wipe your pets, their bedding, or anything else, with dryer sheets. Don't let your children suck on their chemically fabric softened "blankies".
Here are links to just two articles about dryer sheet chemicals; there are many more - just Google the words "dryer sheet toxic" in any order.
Also check out articles on the chemicals in air fresheners - they're pretty scary.
www.naturalnews.com/
www.care2.com/
Source: Natural News, Care2, and many other sites.
By Pixiedust7 from Wantagh, Long Island, NY
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