IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

Are dryer sheets doing more harm than good? Here’s what the experts say

Here are a few alternatives that will save you money on products, clothes and repairs in the long run.
Vivian Le/ TODAY

Many people rely on dryer sheets for a fresh smell and reduced static cling, but Shop TODAY did some investigating into the laundry room staple. Long story short, experts say it can actually be doing more harm than good to both your clothes and your machine.

We asked four cleaning experts to break down what actually happens when you use dryer sheets and alternatives you should probably consider.

What are they? | What happens when you use them? | Is there an alternative? | Alternatives to try | FAQs | How we chose | Meet the experts

What are dryer sheets?

Did you know that fabric softener and dryer sheets are the same thing in different forms?

“Fabric softener is just the liquid version [of dryer sheets], and dryer sheets are the sheet version [of fabric softener],” Kellsie Zapata of Zapata’s Cleaning Services tells us.

What happens when you use dryer sheets?

They work the same way fabric softener does — by coating your clothes in a waxy substance with the promise of softening them and reducing static cling.

Like fabric softener, it also can damage your dryer over time by rubbing across the basket and coating the sensors, says James Copeland, director of technical services for Prism Specialties. “If they're not doing continual maintenance and cleaning where the technician is actually tearing it down to clean these sensors, you could start to have some efficiency issues and earlier malfunctions because it will not be having proper operating temperatures,” he explains.

This can also affect your drying time, he adds, since the wax can coat the lint screen and you won’t be able to tell. You’ll think you’re clearing the screen out completely, but there’s an invisible layer of wax that is building up.

You can tell if your lint screen has that coat by running water over it, the way Copeland did for a customer who didn’t believe it. The water was unable to run through the screen due to the coat of wax. As a solution, Copeland cleaned it with dish soap and a toothbrush, checked to make sure water could properly flow through the screen and then let it air-dry. Afterwards, the efficiency of their dryer improved.

You’ll also want to be wary of dryer sheets getting caught in lint traps, as Copeland says they’re a fire hazard.

Is there an alternative to dryer sheets?

Copeland and Zapata, alongside Rechelle Balanzat, founder of Juliette, and Jessica Ek, senior director of digital communications at the American Cleaning Institute, call out tennis balls and wool dryer balls as quality alternatives to dryer sheets to reduce static.

Ek notes that while it can “definitely help [reduce static], it’s not going to soften the clothes,” so keep that in mind going into your laundry routine.

Even when you’re not using typical dryer sheets, Zapata encourages reading the directions for dryer balls because if you’re not using them correctly (with temperatures too high or loads too large), your clothes can still come out with static.

If you prefer a sheet-style product, Copeland suggests opting for reusable static-eliminating sheets.

Zapata offers one more option that’s free but requires a bit of patience: air-drying. “It’s a good option and if it comes down to it, you can air-dry your clothes and you will definitely not get that static."


How we chose

The products featured in this article were chosen based on a number of factors including, but not limited to, expert guidance, personal experience, affordability and shopper reviews.

Meet the experts