Who the heck has time to know about this stuff? Right. Well, there are a few of us out there. If you are reading this, you’re probably someone who reads labels. However, If you’re like most, you’re cramming as much as you can into your day, don’t like shopping and do it as quickly as possible

Think about it for a minute. If 7.4 billion people, give or take a billion here or there, are using Dryer Sheets, what are those sweet smelling toxic chemicals doing to those we hold dear…and life as we know it?

This thought about dryer sheets came to mind after reading about Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Climate Change agreement. His decision angered me. Then, while I was separating clothes into what I could dry quickly outside and what I would throw in the dryer, I reached for a half a dryer sheet, which I seldom use. Bounce was on the shelf. Concerned sustainability advocate that I am, I wondered why I had Bounce, and what the heck is in it? I’m sure this would be the last thing Trump would ever think about!

Bounce label reads,

“Safe for all washables, but is not safe for use on children’s sleepwear or other garments labeled as flame resistant as it may reduce flame resistance. Keep out of the reach of toddlers and pets to avoid accidental ingestion.Bounce contains Cationic softeners and perfume.

A variety of toxic chemicals found in fabric softeners, including chloroform, benzyl acetate, and ethanol (currently on the EPA’s hazardous waste list). In a study performed by Anderson Laboratories, and published in PubMed, mice were exposed to air containing the fumes released by several types of fabric softener pads. The mice exposed to these fumes showed irritation of eyes, nose, throat, and lungs, and some developed severe asthma-like attacks. The results provide a toxicological basis to explain some of the human complaints of adverse reactions to fabric softener emissions.

How about this ‘science’ President Trump? Does it matter? What do you think? Is it okay? Do you need to have your own ‘study’? I’m still pissed off with you about your denial about the human race having anything to do with climate change. Do you even know what our climate is made up of?

As an asthmatic from childhood (I ran behind trucks spraying DDT through alleyways), this doesn’t sound good. Researching further, I found my way to Alex Scranton’s ‘Women’s Voices for the Earth’. Nice website. Alex is looking into lots of cleaning products and gives detailed reasons why using some dryer sheets is not a good idea. Thank you, Alex, for doing the research and putting such a great post and website together. Alex says,

“Ditch the Dryer Sheet. Some contain harmful chemicals – including hidden fragrance chemicals that lots of people are sensitive to – that vent off into the air we breath and rub off on our clothes and then onto our skin. Yikes! And the kicker is that dryer sheets aren’t even necessary to our laundry – so they’re just an extra source of exposure to toxic chemicals”

So, if you take the time to read the label you’ll find out most of those dryer sheets going into 7.4 billion peoples, give or take a billion here or there, dryers is poisoning all the air you suck in, the water quenching your thirst, and the land growing your food. Despite what Trump says, the planet is gasping! Isn’t this behavior like ‘cutting off your nose to spite your face’?

Serious choices require slowing down long enough to read a label. Doing so is essential to changing the fate of life as we know it. It’s serious business. Despite what Trump says, the planet is gasping! Isn’t this behavior like ‘cutting off your nose to spite your face’?

I’m fairly sure that slowing down is not what the government, industry and corporate power have in mind for us. But, slow down we must. I know, I know, many of you want the glitz and glimmer that all the magazines, radio and television ads say you need more and more of while going as fast as you can and that you like how soft those dryer sheets make your clothes.

Okay, I’m ranting. The problem being is that tiny dryer sheet used by 7.4 billion people, give or take a billion here or there, is choking me, you, your kids, your furry friends, and our home. We can no longer rely on government or industry to get rid of all the poisons in our food, water, air, and land? We have to do the work.

Vote with your dollar! If you must have a ‘dryer sheet’ buy an alternative one. They’re out there. They don’t contain noxious chemicals! They don’t poison you, me, kids, furry friends and they do not choke our planet! And let’s face it…industry only listens to the microchip in your debit or credit card and the cash in your wallet!

Happy ‘Ditch the Dryer Sheet’ trails!