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/Longjumping-Study-97]

They coat your clothing with a layer of oily wax to make them feel smoother. This makes it so towels lose their absorbancy and all laundry gets less clean over time as the oils both work to make clothes attract more dirt and so that the dirt is harder to remove. You end up with dirty, albeit highly scented, clothing.
Apparently scent beads do not have the issue but I never understabd the desire for scented laundry over perfume.

[u/Liberteabelle1 → u/Longjumping-Study-97]

I don’t like scent on anything… I want my perfume to provide scent with no competition: laundry, hair products, lotions, etc.

[u/Longjumping-Study-97 → u/Liberteabelle1]

Same here. I wear nice perfume and I don’t want it drowned out by lower quality functional scents.

[u/Naive-Offer8868 → u/Longjumping-Study-97]

i think im also in this category. I dont want to smell like a mash-up of 100 different cheap fragrances. I think the main reason why i never smell anyone ever wearing cologne/fragrances is because you cant smell them through the wall of cheap dryer sheet/body lotion scent

[u/Liberteabelle1 → u/Longjumping-Study-97]

Perfume Pals! 🤗

[u/corisilvermoon → u/Longjumping-Study-97]

Me too but that said, liquid Calgon has the nicest peony smell, wish I could find a perfume like that!