Friday, December 6, 2013

Good morning,

There are big things we can do for the environment, like recycling, car-pooling, installing solar power systems in our homes, and then there are the little things which may not seem like much in the short term, but if thousands or hundreds of thousands of people cooperate in the long term it can make a big difference. One of those little things is dryer sheets.

Most commercial dryer sheets are impregnated with all sorts of toxic chemicals including Benzyl Acetate, Benzyl Alcohol, Chloroform and Linalool; none of which are good for the environment - or you. Some of these compounds are known carcinogens.

If you still want to get the benefits of dryer sheets without bothering with the sheets, there are alternatives. And they can be just as easy as throwing a dryer sheet in with your laundry.

Scroll down for some simple and inexpensive ideas.

Thanks for reading,

Your Living Green editor

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* If you're feeling like a bit of a flower child you can always fill a small cloth drawstring bag with dried aromatic herbs or flowers and throw in the dryer with your clothes. Make sure the bag is tied securely, of course. This might be a little too floral for some peoples' taste.

* A few drops of fragrant essential oil on a small cloth added to the dryer load do the trick. Essential oils are highly concentrated, so don't overload, the heat will release more fragrance than what you can detect when initially applying a few drops to the cloth. Plus, these are easily kept right next to the machine.

* There are also environmentally friendly dryer sheets on the market now and some other devices that can be used over and over again. One of the more effective ones are dryer balls.

You can read more about dryer balls and even order them by clicking the link below.

Dryer Balls - The Natural Fabric Softener