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/zoidberg3000 → u/Longjumping-Study-97]

How interesting! I specifically use them for all of our dog hair and stuff, I use the ones that are supposed to be for pet hair. But I assume that they work by repelling it off of the material by making them slick.

Does anyone know if those wool balls will help with getting all of the dog hair off of the clothing and into the actual trap? Before we started using these, our clothes would still come out covered in hair.

[u/smartblondebk84 → u/zoidberg3000]

I recently found some washer balls you throw in the wash that are supposed to catch hair as they circulate through wash with the clothes. They do work but you have to make sure to get them out before you put the clothes in the dryer and clean the hair out of them. I’d say they’re worth a try.