Laundry day can be a bit of a chore, especially when you’re faced with choosing the right fabric softener that won’t irritate your skin or harm the environment.
What if I told you you could easily ditch those chemical-laden options for something kinder to your clothes and the planet?
Read on to explore the top eco-friendly, non-toxic fabric softeners that are gentle on sensitive skin and are kind to marine life and the environment.
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What’s the Problem with Traditional Fabric Softeners?
At first glance, those dryer sheets or that bottle of sweet-smelling traditional fabric softener on your laundry shelf seems benign, but they are anything but harmless.
The Chemical Cocktail: Conventional fabric softeners release harmful chemicals into the environment with every load. These toxic chemicals, which often include phthalates (known endocrine disruptors), benzyl acetate, and limonene, can harm aquatic life, slowly building up in our waterways and disrupting ecosystems.1
The Air We Breathe: Some of these compounds volatilize, meaning they can escape into the air, contributing to indoor air pollution and potentially broader atmospheric issues. In the enclosed space of your laundry room, these chemicals can be inhaled, posing a risk to your health over time.2
Plastic and Waste Problems: Then there’s the packaging. So many of our fabric softeners are encased in plastic or single-use sheets, contributing to the mounting waste crisis. The bottles, often not fully recyclable, end up in landfills or, worse, the ocean, where they can take centuries to degrade.
But don’t lose hope just yet. In the following sections, we’ll explore how you can replace these problematic products with natural, eco-friendly alternatives that are just as effective. By making this switch, you can help protect marine life, reduce air and plastic pollution, and create a healthier home and a happier planet.
First, let’s dive a little deeper into traditional fabric softener options.
How do traditional liquid fabric softeners work?
To understand why we might need to seek alternatives to traditional liquid softeners, it’s helpful to know exactly how they work their way into the fibers of your favorite garments. They promise to eliminate static cling, soften fabrics, and infuse our laundry with fresh scents, but at what cost?
The Softening Science: Traditional in-wash fabric softeners typically contain a concoction of compounds designed to coat the fibers of your clothes. They work by depositing lubricating chemicals onto the fabric, often derived from animal fats or other slippery substances.
This layer of chemicals has a dual purpose: it smooths and separates the fibers to prevent static and make the material feel softer to the touch.
Fragrance Factor: Alongside the softening agents, these products pack in synthetic fragrances to leave your clothes smelling clean and fresh. While pleasing to the nose, these artificial fragrances can be a cocktail of various chemicals, contributing to fabric softeners’ overall environmental and health concerns such as asthma and migraines.3
The Downside of the Deposit: While this coating makes your towels fluffy and your sheets smooth, it can also build up over time. This buildup not only diminishes the absorbency of fabrics like towels but can also reduce the effectiveness of flame-retardant materials on children’s clothing.4 Moreover, the filmy residue can be a magnet for dirt and reduce the lifespan of your clothes.
An Environmental Eye-Opener: When these chemicals wash down the drain, they begin their journey through water treatment plants and into natural waterways, where they can wreak havoc on aquatic ecosystems. They can also disrupt the bacterial balance in septic tanks, and the plastic bottles add to the mounting plastic waste in our landfills.
How do traditional dryer sheets work?
The Secret Behind the Sheets: Traditional fabric softener sheets are made from a thin layer of fabric, sometimes paper, coated with a concoction of chemicals and fragrances. The primary purpose of these sheets is to reduce static cling, soften, and scent your laundry.
Static Cling and How It’s Tamed: Static cling occurs when different fabrics rub together in a dryer’s dry, hot environment, creating an electrical charge. The sheets release positively charged ions that neutralize the negative charges that cause static. This neutralization not only reduces static cling but can also make your clothes feel softer.
The Fragrance Factor: Dryer sheets often contain artificial fragrances like their liquid counterparts. These added scents are designed to adhere to your clothing during the drying process, leaving them with a long-lasting, fresh smell.
The Chemical Coating Conundrum: The softening and anti-static agents in dryer sheets are typically based on fatty acids, stearic acid (a saturated fatty acid), or other chemical compounds. They are generally animal-derived ingredients.
When the dryer heats up, these substances melt and coat your laundry. While effective for reducing static and softening fabrics, these chemicals can leave a residue on your clothes and inside your dryer.
Environmental and Health Considerations: Like liquid softeners, the chemicals used can contribute to indoor air pollution and may pose risks to human health, especially for those with sensitive skin or respiratory issues. They can cause allergic reactions and skin irritation. Furthermore, most dryer sheets are single-use and not biodegradable, adding to the ever-growing problem of household waste.
Are there natural ingredients that work?
Yes! We all want our clothes to feel good and smell great, but not at the expense of our health or the planet. The good news is that nature offers some surprisingly effective solutions.
Plant-Based Power: Many eco-friendly, non-toxic fabric softeners harness the power of plant-based ingredients. These natural softeners use compounds derived from plants, which are kinder to the environment and gentler on our skin. They can include soybean, coconut, and other vegetable-based agents that naturally soften fabrics without leaving harmful residues.
Essential Oils for a Natural Fragrance: Instead of synthetic fragrances, natural fabric softeners often use essential oils to add a scent to your clothes. Lavender, lemon, eucalyptus, and other plant extracts leave your laundry smelling fresh and have their own benefits, such as relaxation and antimicrobial properties.
The Magic of Mineral Ingredients: Some eco-friendly softeners incorporate minerals like baking soda or magnesium sulfate (Epsom salt) to soften the fabric. These minerals can naturally balance the pH of your laundry water, ensuring fabrics come out soft without the need for harsh chemicals.
Wool Dryer Balls – A Mechanical Marvel: A fantastic and increasingly popular option is wool dryer balls. These balls are made from natural wool and tossed into the dryer with your wet laundry. As they tumble, they physically separate the clothes, allowing more air to circulate and reducing drying time. This mechanical process naturally softens fabrics without any chemicals, and it effectively minimizes static cling, too.
For a comprehensive look at wool dryer balls, check out our article, “Complete Wool Dryer Ball Guide: How Many Per Load & More.”
The Benefits Beyond Softness: These natural ingredients are often biodegradable, reducing the environmental impact once they wash down the drain. Moreover, eco-friendly fabric softeners often come in sustainable, recyclable, or even compostable packaging, reducing their ecological footprint.
The Best Eco-Friendly & Non-Toxic Natural Fabric Softeners
1. Dropps Fabric Softener Pods
Dropps Fabric Softener Pods are mineral-based and free from dyes, phthalates, and both methylisothiazolinone and glutaral preservatives.
They are cruelty-free, vegan, and manufactured in the USA. Dropps are available in four fragrances, including a lavender scent. There is also an unscented option.
2. Molly’s Suds Dryer Sheets
Molly’s Suds Dryer Sheets are plant-based, biodegradable, and scented with essential oils. They contain no waxes, dyes, or animal derivatives.
They are certified cruelty-free by Leaping Bunny,5 vegan, and made in the USA. The recycled, recyclable packaging is biodegradable.
3. Molly’s Suds Liquid Fabric Softener
Molly’s Suds liquid fabric softener is made with 7 earth and plant-derived ingredients and infused with essential oils. It’s hypoallergenic and gentle on sensitive skin.
This biodegradable fabric softener is certified cruelty-free by Leaping Bunny and made in the USA. It’s free of artificial dyes, fragrances, parabens, waxes, and animal derivatives.
4. Friendsheep Wool Dryer Balls
Friendsheep wool dryer balls are made of 100% New Zealand Wool. They are handmade, non-toxic, organic, fair trade, certified cruelty-free, compostable, and plastic-free. They are wool to the core and contain no synthetic chemicals.
Help me get started!
Do you want to live a less-toxic, more eco-friendly lifestyle but have no idea where to begin? Here’s our “Non-Toxic 101” guide to get you started today!
Do I have to use fabric softeners?
While many consider fabric softeners a necessity, the truth is you really don’t need them. It might be a good choice to avoid fabric softeners, even non-toxic ones, if you’re sensitive to ingredients. While the Environmental Working Group gives some fabric softeners an A rating, it recommends skipping at least the most toxic ones.6
Are there other options I can try instead?
Yes! Here are a few things you can try to soften your laundry and reduce static cling:
- Add a 1/2 cup of distilled vinegar to your washing machine’s rinse. No, your clothes won’t smell like vinegar.7
- Use natural wool dryer balls.
- Remove laundry from the dryer promptly. Overdrying can cause static.
- Air dry your laundry.
I found another brand. How can I tell if it’s safe to use?
Though not all brands are listed, the Environmental Working Group’s searchable database of cleaners is a great place to start.8
Final thoughts on fabric softeners
Our choices in laundry care reach far beyond our laundry rooms. While traditional fabric softeners have long been a staple for many, their environmental and health concerns urge us to rethink our habits.
Embracing eco-friendly and natural alternatives benefits our clothes and skin and plays a significant role in protecting our planet.
Do you have a favorite eco-friendly, non-toxic fabric softener? Let us know in the comments!
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10 Best Non-Toxic Wall Plug-Ins + Alternative Air Fresheners
Sources:
- Environmental Working Group ↩︎
- Environmental Protection Agency and Air Quality, Atmosphere, and Health Journal ↩︎
- Environmental Working Group ↩︎
- McGill University Office for Science and Society and American Association for the Advancement of Sciences Annual Meeting ↩︎
- Leaping Bunny ↩︎
- Environmental Working Group ↩︎
- Environmental Working Group ↩︎
- Environmental Working Group’s searchable database ↩︎
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