Your article is absolutely correct. Fabric softener and dryer sheets are a chemical ‘spill’ that is happening daily in homes. My husband went to a national medical clinc where they could find no reason for his acute fatigue and ‘stumbly’ gait. Many expensive tests were run and only one showed anything conclusive. The doctor had no explanation for the fact that my husband’s cerebellum had shown some atrophy–but it was so. Also, the doctor said that he had some ‘gait’ issues. That was it.
Before we went to the clinic I’d heard that fabric softener was dangerous but had not looked into it because we were concerned that he had a serious illness that it seemed could involve heart and nervous system. Since the first of the year his condition had deteriorated greatly and his blood sugars [that were previously stable] had begun to be quite high which indicated that ‘something’ might be going on that we could not ‘see’. After we came home w/o a diagnosis I began to look on line for a possible solution. I must say that we were very grateful that he did not have a serious illness as we’d thought possible. But, we also did not know what was causing his problem. I entered ‘fabric softener dangers’ into Google and was led to a lengthy list of information. I quickly discovered that fabric softener has an incredible list of possible health hazards, but one of the ingredients was Alpha-Terpineol which causes Central Nervous System disorders which includes ataxia [loss of muscular coordination in the limbs], and ATROPHY OF THE CEREBELLUM. This is incredible because the time frame is also correct. I’d been using fabric softener for approx. 15 years and that is about the length of time he’s had the problem, although it has accelerated over the years and had gotten much worse which is why we sought more thorough medical help.
At present I’m washing all of the bed clothes, including the mattress pad as well as all of his clothes, that clothe from the skin out and then I’m rinsing them in a vinegar rinse. I understand it is very hard to get rid of the residue from the softener so it may take time for us to see any improvement. We may buy some new clothes just to see how well he responds.
My next concern is the chemicals that they put in laundry detergent. Not real pleased with that list either.

I am sorry to hear about your husband. Perhaps your story will help others diagnose problems and be more cautious about what kind of chemicals they are using in their homes. Most people don’t realize just how dangerous thes toxins can be or what everyday products contain them. Who would think that a dryer sheet or some fabric softener could have such a detrimental effect.

As for the chemicals in your laundry detergent. I would reccommend using Quick n Brite. It is an all-purpose cleaner, but it works great as an alternative to laundry soap. It is super concentrated, so a little bit goes a long way. Quick n Brite is completely biodegradable and chemical free. You don’t have to worry about hidden toxins when you clean with it.

Do you know how to clean the residue left on the interior of a dryer drum from dryer sheets? I had been using them and want to change to dryer balls, because I’m going to be using cloth diapers. They say not to dry cloth diapers in a dryer that has previously used dryer sheets because the residue can transfer from the drum to the diapers and decrease absorbency..

You are right to be concerned about this residue. The chemicals in dryer sheets do coat fabrics as well as the inside of the dryer, rendering them less absorbent over time. You are definitely going to want those diapers to be as absorbent as possible, so the best course of action is to thoroughly clean before switching to the dryer balls. A good cleaner to use would be Quick’n Brite. It works great for hundreds of different cleaning jobs, but it would be ideal for this situation because it doesn’t contain any chemicals. You will want to be sure you are not just adding to the problem. Quick’n Brite will remove the unwanted build-up without leaving a residue of its own. Because there are no chemicals, you don’t have to worry about dangerous substances transferring to your baby’s clothes.