Is Fabric Softener Toxic Hell Yes It IsMany moons ago, we were all convinced by the consumer gods that in addition to washing and drying our clothes, we needed to soften them too with a newfangled product fabric softener. Not only would they keep our clothes from being hard and crunchy, but they would also save us from the mortifying circumstance of static cling. Today, almost everyone in America adds a chemical fabric softener to their laundry routine, pouring a capful into the washer or tossing a sheet in the dryer. Except for me. Several years ago I developed a rash over nearly my entire body and was having such severe breathing trouble that I had to go to the emergency room. How-To-Get-Rid-of-Static-Cling-660x424.jpg' alt='Fabric Softener Sheets Static Electricity' title='Fabric Softener Sheets Static Electricity' />After a thousand tests and consultations, the doctor finally got to the bottom of my dilemma fabric softener. I switched to a natural fabric softener plastic dryer balls  and my rash and breathing problems went away. They only returned a year later when I moved in with a roommate who did not understand the severity of my condition and thoughtlessly used fabric softener in our shared dryer. After another scary trip to the ER for troubled breathing, she finally understood, as I hope you will, that fabric softener is not only an unnecessary expense in your life, but its chemical content may be hurting your body What is fabric softener It is a combination of chemicals that coat the surface of textiles with a thin layer of lubrication. This makes the clothes feel smoother and helps them to resist the buildup of static electricity. Early fabric softeners were made from a combination of soap and olive oil or other natural oils. However, todays fabric softeners are made of noxious chemicals combined with a massive amount of fragrance that masks their nose curling odors. Fabric softener actually makes material less absorbent, which is not a good thing for your bath towels anyway. Here is a list of just SOME of the toxic chemicals found in commercial fabric softeners Alpha Terpineol can cause central nervous damage and respiratory problems. Camphor causes central nervous disorders, is easily absorbed through skin. Chloroform a carcinogenic neurotoxin preferred by Ted Bundy. Benzyl Acetate linked to pancreatic cancer. Benyl Alcohol respiratory tract irritant. Ethanol on the EPAs hazardous waste list, can cause central nervous system disorders. Ethyl Acetate a narcotic on the EPAs hazardous waste list. Limonene a known carcinogen that irritates eyes and skin. Linalool causes central nervous system disorders and depresses heart activity. Using a liquid fabric softener You are pouring these toxic chemicals into the ocean every time you use it. Even worse than liquid fabric softeners are dryer sheets, whose chemicals are heated and then shot into the air for you to breathe into your lungs. That fresh from the dryer smell that fabric softeners impart to your clean load of laundryDont breathe it in, if you like your lungs to function. That super floral smell is masking a seriously unhealthy chemical stench. Greener Laundry by the Load Fabric Softener versus Dryer Sheets. Is one method better than the other or do both fabric softener and dryer sheets damage the. The bottom line You dont need fabric softener. Why use a product that has been linked to various forms of cancer, brain damage and respiratory distress Buy a 5 set of dryer balls, switch to a soy based softener, or add a quarter cup of baking soda or vinegar to your wash cycle and you will never have to use chemical fabric softener again. Interested in other ways to keep a green laundry room The Laundry Rooms got some tips. SOURCESFOR MORE INFORMATION http en. Fabricsoftenerhttp www. Page. 83. 9. htmhttp www. Mikko Luntiala. Tags chemicals, cleaning chemicals, dry balls, dryer ball, dryer balls, dryer sheets, dryerballs, fabric softener, fabric softeners, laundry, laundry balls, natural fabric softener, natural laundry, the dryer, toxic, toxins. Shilo first became interested in conscious living when she found herself working simultaneously at a mom and pop natural food store and a farm for endangered livestock breeds on the coast of Maine. After residing in Austin, New Zealand, Paris, Seattle, and Los Angeles, she now lives in Fort Worth, Texas where she works as a freelance writer. Her passions include international travel and wiener dogs. Cube World A Download App. Fabric Softener Sheets Static Electricity' title='Fabric Softener Sheets Static Electricity' />Hundreds of Easy Home made Household Products Recipes for Frugal Living. The below Homemade Laundry Detergent and Homemade Fabric Softener recipes can save you a lot of money and your health too. They are also more eco friendly laundry alternatives. Many expensive store bought laundry detergents and fabric softeners are some of the most toxic household products in the average home. Tacoma Guitar Serial Number Date'>Tacoma Guitar Serial Number Date. Expensive heavy duty chemical laundry cleaners and fabric softener have been implicated as being possible causes of breast cancer. So the below safe, simple, and cheaper homemade alternatives will possibly extend your lifespan as well as your dollars. These simple, cheap, and easy batch recipes are also great family fun to make together. The kids will love helping with these diy kitchen sink experiments. Its like applied chemistry and ecology meets home economics. Are you trying to green your laundry routine, but cant find a good way to reduce static cling without using dryer sheets This is a common issue among our. Static electricity is an imbalance of electric charges within or on the surface of a material. The charge remains until it is able to move away by means of an. When using a standard automatic washer and dryer, a fabric softener is typically required for soft, static free clothes. Fabric softeners come in liquid or dryer. Best of all, the below easy frugal home made laundry recipes will cut your laundry bill to just pennies per load. You can make 5 gallons of the below liquid laundry detergent for about 3. And it works great in both top load washers and high efficiency washers, though you may have to experiment a bit to see how much works best for you and your machine. Tip for those with sensitive skin In place of the Fels Naphtha or Castille soap bars below, you may want to give Dove Sensitive Skin bar soap a try instead. How to Make Homemade Laundry Detergent. How to Make Homemade Laundry Detergent Option 1. This homemade liquid laundry detergent is simple to make, much safer, and much cheaper than name brand detergents. T1940251-Hair-raising_experience_from_Van_der_Graaff-SPL.jpg' alt='Fabric Softener Sheets Static Electricity' title='Fabric Softener Sheets Static Electricity' />To make a 5 gallon bucket of this cheap detergent first get a large pot and heat on medium about one half gallon of water in it. While your water is heating up, grate a whole bar of Ivory soap, or Castille soap, or Fels Naptha soap. Add the grated soap to the hot water and heat on medium heat. Stir continuously until all the soap melts into the water. Remove the pot from heat after soap has totally dissolved into the water. Into a 5 gallon bucket add about 3 gallons of hot tap water and then add the dissolved soap mixture, plus three quarters of a cup of Borax, and 1. Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda. Stir this mixture well until all solids dissolve. Then top off the bucket with more hot tap water and stir well again. Let set up over night. It should coagulate into a gel or just thicken somewhat, but that depends on what type of soap you used. Regardless of whether it is watery or gel like the next day, it should still work well. Fabric Softener Sheets Static Electricity' title='Fabric Softener Sheets Static Electricity' />Get a clean container and dilute the laundry detergent by filling half with water and half with the detergent. If you want to make it more aromatic you may wish to add several drops each of one or several of your favorite therapeutic grade essential oils such as lavender essential oil, rosemary oil, vanilla essential oil, or jasmine essential oil. Add 5 to 1. 0 drops of Teatree Oil Meleluca for extra antiseptic power. Check out my list of 8 natural alternatives to toxic fabric softeners and dryer sheets, in order from least favorite to favorite. Shake this detergent mixture very well in the container and use about 1 cup per load. Experiment to see whether more or less will work better for your washing machine type, load size, or degree of dirtiness. This will last a very long time and costs only pennies per load. How to Make Home made Laundry Detergent Option 2. Heat 1 grated bar of Dove, Fels. Naphtha, Castille, or even homemade soap in a large pot to which has been added about a half gallon of water. Heat and mix until soap melts into water. Then remove from heat and add 1 cup baking soda, 1 cup borax, and mix well untill solids dissolve. Combine mixture with water in a large bucket until the total volume is at approximately 2 gallons. Use around a half cup for a full load. For extra fresh scents try adding a few drops of your favorite Therapuetic grade essentials oils see master ingredients list below. How to Make Homemade Laundry Soap Powder. Tip to avoid solid soap on clothes In the below washing powder recipes one of the most important steps is making sure your bar soap is ground up finely enough so it dissolves in the wash. This will help assure it does not leave soap nodules on your clothes after washing is done. You can use your food processor to make sure it is ground fine, but then process it some more with the other ingredients added to the food processor to get it as fine as possible. The more surface area, the better and I would say that goes for a lot of things related to making a frugal living. Homemade Laundry Soap Powder Option 1. Mix together very well 4 cups of Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda, 4 cups of Baking Soda, 4 cups of Borax 2. Mule Team Borax is what I happen to have right now, and 2 bars of Castille Soap, or Ivory Soap, or Fel. Naptha Soap grated up. Use a few tablespoons to one forth of a cup per load of laundry. Experiment with amounts to suit your laundry load size. Homemade Laundry Soap Washing Powder Option 2. Grate 1 bar of Felz Naptha Soap or 2 bars of Ivory Soap, or 1 bar of Zote. Mix grated soap with 4 cups of Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda, and 4 cups of Borax. Mix all ingredients very well. Use a couple of tablespoons to one forth of a cup per load of laundry. Experiment to see what amount works best for your size of laundry load. Tip Zote Bar Soap is more fragrant than Fels Naptha Soap and can often be found in Mexican grocery stores. Or you can check the below master recipe ingredient list where I will be adding links to online deals for each. Home made Laundry Soap Powder Washing Detergent Option 3. Mix clay powder and essential oil. Add remaining ingredients and mix well in a 2 3 gallon pail. Use 1 cup of laundry powder per load. Home made Laundry Soap Powder Option 4. Grate up 1 bar of Castille or Ivory Soap or one half bar of Fels Naptha Soap. Add the grated soap to a food processor and mix very well with 1 cup of Washing Soda such as Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda, plus 1 cup of Borax. Use a couple of tablespoons or more depending on load size and how dirty your clothes are. Home made Laundry Detergent Soap Powder Option 4. If you do not have Borax, try the above recipe with 1 cup of Baking Soda in place of the Borax. How to Make Homemade Fabric Softener. Home made Fabric Softener Recipe Option 1. Rather than using Fabric Softner, try adding half to a whole cup of white Vinegar to the washing machine rinse cycle. You can also add a few drops of your favorite smelling essential oil such as Jasmine, Lavender, Peppermint, or Vanilla. Vinegar is great for removing stubborn odors, dissolving stains, and it will make your clothes soft and fluffy. The Vinegar also helps reduce static cling and it will also clean the soap scum from your washing machine parts. Make sure Vinegar is rinsed out of clothes very well though to avoid Vinegar odor on washed clothes. Double rinse f you have to and experiment to see how much Vinegar works best for you. Homemade Fabric Softener Recipe Option 2. Dont waste your money on Snuggle fabric softener or Downy. Here is a wonderfully effective and inexpensive Fabric Softener Recipe. Combine a cup of your favorite hair conditioner with 3 cups of hot water in a gallon container. Mix well then add 1 cup of White Vinegar. Mix very well. This homemade fabric softener can be added to your fabric softener ball or used directly in your washing machine as you normally would. About 3 or 4 tablespoon fulls should do it. Find the amount that works best for you. Homemade Fabric Softener Recipe Option 3. Dissolve 1 cup of Baking Soda in 1 cup hot water in a bucket. Then add 4 cups of White Vinegar.