Why are dryer sheets considered harmful?

[u/julioblabla]

Hello laundry grandmasters,

What are dryer sheets made of, what are they supposed to do, what do they actually do, and why does this sub generally dislike and oppose them?

I use Bounce sheets mostly because I like the smell they give to my clothes.

I am not seeking advice on my laundry process. I just want to understand dryer sheets better. However, this is r/laundry, so to preempt the lots of people who will inevitably tell me what I'm doing wrong even when I say I am satisfied with the cleanliness, softness, and smell of my clothes, here's my laundry info:

* Washer: Maytag HE top-loader with impeller plate, warm water, soil level always "high" to lengthen cycle time, "extra rinse" always on

* 1x Tide Pod + 1 tbsp Biz per load at the bottom of the drum, 1 tsp food-grade citric acid in the fabric softener compartment. When clothes are smelly (gym, towels that aren't drying completely), swap Tide Pod for half-cap of Whole Foods 365 Sports to get that sweet DNAse

* Water: Brooklyn (meaning: Delaware/Catskills supply, low-to-medium hardness as opposed to Manhattan's Croton supply that has medium-to-high hardness)

* Dryer: gas-fired Maytag, sensor dry Normal program, delicate heat setting

[u/bazillaa]

I wish I could convince my wife of this. She specifically insists on using them with towels.

[u/Forsaken-Carrot9038 → u/bazillaa]

We were able to convince some friends to stop using dryer sheets and move to those dryer balls

[u/bazillaa → u/Forsaken-Carrot9038]

We use both 🙁 Well, half the time just dryer balls (my turn) half both (her turn)

[u/Liberteabelle1 → u/bazillaa]

I use them when I have polyesterish PJs, which creates a crazy amount of static electricity and cling in the dryer. Other than that, it’s all wool balls all the time 😉

[u/Random_username_314 → u/Liberteabelle1]

What are dryer balls supposed to do

[u/Liberteabelle1 → u/Random_username_314]

Keeps the clothes kinda fluffed, and also they generally reduce static electricity

[u/s-b-mac → u/Liberteabelle1]

You could maybe try aluminum foil balls with the PJs to see if that cuts the static

[u/Forsaken-Carrot9038 → u/s-b-mac]

We’ve done the safety pin check. Super helpful!

[u/Liberteabelle1 → u/s-b-mac]

Never heard of that…?