The fresh and clean smells associated with these products are completely artificial fragrances that are required to cover up the stench of all the chemicals in typical dryer sheets (chemicals used for fabric softness and eliminating static cling.)

So how could products with pretty names like Soft Ocean Mist, Summer Orchard and April Fresh be so dangerous?

The chemicals in fabric softeners are pungent and strong smelling -- so strong that they require the use of these heavy fragrances (think 50 times as much fragrance) just to cover up the smells. Furthermore, synthetic fabrics, which are the reason fabric softeners were created in the first place, do not smell good either when heated in a dryer or heated by our bodies ... hence the need for even more hefty fragrances.

In other words, remove all the added fragrance that endears people to fabric softeners and -- like the cliché wolf in sheep's clothing -- the real smells of the chemical-laced fabric softener and the synthetic fabrics they were designed around may prompt people to shoot their laundry machines and be done with it.

Here is a list of just some of the chemicals found in popular fabric softeners and dryer sheets:

• Benzyl Acetate: Linked to pancreatic cancer
• Benzyl Alcohol: Upper respiratory tract irritant
• Ethanol: On the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Hazardous Waste list and can cause central nervous system disorders
• A-Terpineol: Can cause respiratory problems, including fatal edema, and central nervous system damage
• Ethyl Acetate: A narcotic on the EPA's Hazardous Waste list
• Camphor: Causes central nervous system disorders
• Chloroform: Neurotoxic, anesthetic and carcinogenic
• Linalool: A narcotic that causes central nervous system disorders
• Pentane: A chemical known to be harmful if inhaled

Unlike food and drugs, cosmetic and home cleaning products like fabric softener are largely unregulated due in part to an incorrect assumption that their chemicals are not really absorbed into the body. The basic argument - which the giant corporations are more than happy to repeat - is that such chemicals could not be absorbed through the skin because the skin is a strong barrier against external agents.

In reality, nearly every chemical that touches the skin finds its way into the body and into the bloodstream. It certainly may do so in small quantities, but fact is families don't use fabric softeners, dryer sheets and all the other popular household chemicals once or twice - they use them repeatedly.

Considering the partial list of chemical ingredients in typical softeners and dryer sheets above, what is the effect on the body of such chemicals over time? The manufacturers of such products are not required to test their chemical-laced products for an answer, of course, so sensibly determining what the answer is - and deciding whether or not to act on it - comes down to you.

Here's another item to take into consideration: Right on their labels, many of the manufacturers of popular dryer sheets are recommending other uses for their product, including to repel mosquitoes and ants. Typical dryer sheets as an insect repellent ... knowing there is almost nothing "natural" about these popular products, what does that suggest about the chemical ingredients?

Here are a few more interesting insights regarding the typical chemical dryer sheets that you won't find their manufacturers boldly advertising on the pretty boxes:

• Common dryer sheets greatly reduce the flame retardency of children's clothing
• They create toxic fumes when released with heat
• Warranties on some new dryer models can be negated because of their use
• Their inert ingredients can cause cancer, liver disease, Alzheimer's, and many other chronic disorders
• Common dryer sheets can cause allergic reactions on your skin
• They create a clogging residue on your lint screen that can cause the heating element to burn out

Are "Soft" Clothes Worth It?

Fabric softeners are made to stay in your clothing for long periods of time. As such, chemicals are slowly released either into the air for you to inhale or onto your skin for you to absorb. Dryer sheets are particularly noxious because they are heated in the dryer and the chemicals are released through dryer vents and out into the environment. Health effects from being exposed to the chemicals in fabric softeners include:

• Central nervous system disorders
• Headaches
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Dizziness
• Blood pressure reduction
• Irritation to skin, mucus membranes and respiratory tract
• Pancreatic cancer

Soften Your Clothes Safely With These Tips

Even if you don't feel the effects of these chemicals today, they can affect you gradually over time, and children, whose systems are still developing, are particularly at risk. There's really no reason to expose yourself to these risky chemicals when natural alternatives exist. Not only are they safer for you, your family and the environment, but they're much more economical too:

• Learn about Static Eliminator, a 100% safe, non-toxic dryer sheet system that is more effective at softening clothes and eliminating static cling but poses no risk to you and your family! This is one of the most highly recommended of all products we have reviewed, and you will find it is also extremely economical, too!
• Add a quarter cup of baking soda to wash cycle to soften fabric
• Add a quarter cup of white vinegar to rinse to soften fabric and eliminate cling
• Check out your local health food store for a natural fabric softener that uses a natural base like soy instead of chemicals

It's likely that fabric softeners and dryer sheets aren't the only toxic products in your home. Many household products that consumers regard as safe are also full of toxic chemicals. Our past articles on PEG Compounds in Cosmetics and Phenols in Common Household Cleansers are two of the all-time most popular articles on SixWise.com and will make you more aware of the pervasiveness of harmful chemicals that can be eliminated from your home.

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