Are dryer sheets bad to use with baby's laundry?

[L'sMommy]

Someone told me I should not use dryer sheets when drying DS's clothes. Is this true? If so, what can I do to get rid of all of the static created from the receiving blankets I put in the dryer? I use Dreft to wash his clothes.

[Momof3Labs]

As long as his skin isn't sensitive to the dryer sheets, I wouldn't worry about using them. We didn't use them with DS1 (sensitive skin) but did use them with DS2 (no reaction to them). You're already using Dreft, which is loaded with perfumes, so if he's fine with that, he's probably fine with dryer sheets.

[jhrabosk]

I guess it depends on your personal position on these things...

For me, I stopped using dryer sheets because of the waste. I bought reuseable dryer balls instead (you can find them on drugstore.com or at Bed Bath & Beyond). I have some minor static issues with fleece, but that's really it.

Regular dryer sheets also have all the fragrances and chemicals that you may or may not want to avoid. If your DS doesn't have sensitive skin and you're partial to the smell, then I don't think there's a reason not to use them.

FWIW, Dreft is just Tide with a different scent. If you want to use a more sensitive detergent, you might consider a free & clear.

[Melaine]

I heard not to, but I'm not sure why. I quit using them and I don't seem miss them. My mother loves the dryer balls that do the same thing though.

[elektra]

Someone with more knowledge may chime in but I just wanted to add that I use them. I use the Bounce ones in the white box that say they are free of perfumes and dyes.
I also use Tide Free and Clear (or whatever the one in the white bottle is technically called.)

[jjordan]

I'm pretty sure that fabric softener (eg dryer sheets) makes the flame-resistant stuff on pajamas ineffective. So that is one reason to avoid it.

I also use dryer balls, but I don't find them to be at all effective against static (although they do a good job with the "softening" part, and they make the clothes dry more quickly). I heard that drying clothing by fabric content (eg all 100% cotton together, all fleece together, etc) will reduce static but it's not worth it to me to try that.

Jill

[jerigirl]

I'm pretty sure that fabric softener (eg dryer sheets) makes the flame-resistant stuff on pajamas ineffective. So that is one reason to avoid it.

This is the reasoning that I had heard as well. Although, I usually buy the snugfit 100% cotton pjs so they aren't usually flame-resistant anyway.

[elaineandmichaelsmommy]

Ok, so here's what dd's dermatologist told us. Dryer sheets make your clothes soft because they coat the fibers in a kind of wax, they're also scented. So you've got the waxy coating on the fibers and the scent on the clothes.

It also keeps towels,washcloths, and cloth diapers from being as absorbent as they could be. Once we stopped using the sheets I found a big difference in how well my kitchen towels dried. We don't use cloth diapers but I've heard from mom's who do that one of the cardinal rules is no dryer sheets or fabric softener.

If you still want to use a fabric softener in your wash you can use this recipe.
2 Cups white vinegar, 2 cups baking soda, and 4 cups water. Mix it together and you've got a fabric softener that will counteract the chlorine in you're water. You can add an essential oil if you want a scent. We don't add the scent but I just fill up the downy ball and throw it in the wash. Works great! :D

You'll need to put this mix in a bottle and shake the crap out of it every time you want to use it because the soda will sink to the bottom. But other than that it's foolproof really-oh, and add the vinegar to the soda VERY slowly or you'll have a huge mess in your kitchen.

Good luck.

[C99]

Ok, so here's what dd's dermatologist told us. Dryer sheets make your clothes soft because they coat the fibers in a kind of wax, they're also scented. So you've got the waxy coating on the fibers and the scent on the clothes.

It also keeps towels,washcloths, and cloth diapers from being as absorbent as they could be. Once we stopped using the sheets I found a big difference in how well my kitchen towels dried. We don't use cloth diapers but I've heard from mom's who do that one of the cardinal rules is no dryer sheets or fabric softener.


This is why I don't use dryer sheets. I can deal with a little static.

[LarsMal]

I use Tide Free to wash out clothes. I used to use the perfume/dye free dryer sheets, but stopped using those about a year ago. I use these now:

http://www.natlallergy.com/prod/1588/static-eliminator-chemical-free-dryer-sheet-system.html

I really like them. I will admit that right now, in the dead of winter, the fleecy stuff has some static, but for the most part they work great- and are chemical free!

[Twins2000]

I don't use them anymore. My mother recently warned me about them containing carcinogens after reading an article. Google it!

[mommysammi]

dryer shts caused my dc to have rashes so I came to the board for help. turns out dryer shts are horrible irritants for sensitive skin, horrible for the envt and horrible for your dryer. if u google it, u will understand why.

to rid of static cling and maintain softness, per this board advice, I now use white vinegar in a downy ball. works great. as for fleece static, air dry it. fleece dries really quickly. hth.

[Momof3Labs]

I'm pretty sure that fabric softener (eg dryer sheets) makes the flame-resistant stuff on pajamas ineffective. So that is one reason to avoid it.


But infant clothing (up to 12 months, I think??) isn't required to be flame-resistant, which is why you can find so many nice cotton PJs in smaller sizes but most of the bigger sizes are that yucky treated cotton or polyester. So that argument doesn't hold for using dryer sheets with newborns and infants.

I haven't had luck with the dryer balls reducing static at all though they do speed up drying time a lot. If I don't put our fleece in the dryer, the dog hair will never come out. I wish that we could get away from fleece completely, but it's really the warmest PJs I've found for my kids in the winter. Vinegar didn't cut it for us (perhaps due to the hardness of our water) but I may try the recipe above to see if that does it. I would love to cut out the expense of dryer sheets!

[KarenLud]

DH and I were just having this conversation as we didn't know what to do once baby comes. Glad to hear we don't need to switch to Dreft..I had no idea about all the chemicals. DH will be happy we can stick with Tide free & clear!

How much of the vinegar mixture do you use in the downy ball? Fill to the line as you would with regular softener?

[kijip]

I don't use them for anything but I have never noticed much static in my laundry. And I can't stand the smell at all.

[TahliasMom]

dryer shts caused my dc to have rashes so I came to the board for help. turns out dryer shts are horrible irritants for sensitive skin, horrible for the envt and horrible for your dryer. if u google it, u will understand why.

to rid of static cling and maintain softness, per this board advice, I now use white vinegar in a downy ball. works great. as for fleece static, air dry it. fleece dries really quickly. hth.

i use charlie's soap for washing clothes, sometimes a little oxy. i also use 1/2 of white vinegar in a downy ball. softens clothes nicely and doesn't irritate dd's eczema.

[elaineandmichaelsmommy]

Just fill it up to the large load line and you'll be fine.

[alirebco]

We don't use dryer sheets and haven't in a year since DS was born. We use Ecover fabric softener in the wash for our clothes only (not on towels or cloth diapers) and it is a natural plant based product. We also use wool dryer balls to help with drying time and static although we still do have some static but that is only on the few items that contain polyester.

[niccig]

We also use wool dryer balls to help with drying time and static although we still do have some static but that is only on the few items that contain polyester.

Where did you get the wool dryer balls from? I have the plastic ones from BBB and I think I can smell plastic when I get things out of the dryer, so I stopped using them. I would like to dry another kind of dryer balls.

[alirebco]

I think I got them from Etsy. Most of the plastic ones contain PVC. I have 4 that I use although one is behind the dryer so I only use 3 at the moment. You can also make your own but I don't knit so I figured it would be easier to buy them.