Friday1961

How could dryer sheets be extremely flammable when they are made to go in a hot dryer? There may be many reasons for not using them but this one doesn't make sense to me.

chris_quilts

I use dryer sheets to clean my iron and that's all they get used for. I use white vinegar in my laundry. I'm one of those allergic to every scent, minus chocolate, people.

Snooze2978

I quit using dryer sheets after I read it coats the dryer vent which in turn in time clog up the vent with the lint. I normally use muslin for my string quilts as I usually have a bolt around here for that purpose. My better quality muslin I keep for backing and/or background on quilts.

Bree123

Oohhhh. Good call, mme3924. I just found this article from Consumer Reports debunking the myths that dryer sheets cause fires & that it causes an invisible fabric softener film in your lint trap. Interestingly, they found that it is actually the liquid fabric softener that is what makes fabric more flammable, not dryer sheets. (http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/2...ires/index.htm)

Leave it to the smarty smart QB members to figure out all these interesting details. All those frugal, earth-conscious people out there who are using dryer sheets can rest easy knowing that scientific tests have shown that your quilts are not any more flammable than the rest of ours.

crafty pat

I have also used coffee filters pressed flat. I like used dryer sheets pressed flat. I would never use a new dryer sheet.

Cass62

I've never used dryer sheets for foundations, but I'm tempted to try it for applique. For string blocks, I use deli wrap from a restaurant supply. I've used the ones from MSQC and liked them, but deli wrap is the same thing and much less expensive.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01...XSH5S1AMMJ3AKD

elnan

I thought those warnings about flammability of dryer sheets was more Henny Penny and the skys-a-falling than fact. I took a used dryer sheet outside along with a strip of the nylon foundation I've already used for some of the blocks I'm making. I held each one up and lit at the bottom with a match, then dropped to a concrete porch. The dryer sheet had an interesting burn pattern, looking like moving cracks in dry mud or the pattern of heat lightning. It burned longer than I had expected. The nylon foundation strip melted where the flame from the match touched, but did not continue to burn. I'll use up what I have, but will be aware of where these will be used.

I like that idea of deli-wraps, thank you for the heads-up on them. My question is do they tear easily to remove, or as easily as the phone book pages?

lynnie

some people say not to use dryer sheets because the stuff on the sheets flakes off and goes into the machine. mine are so overused, i use them more than once to make sure all the gunk is off. never had a problem. i also use them for applique, i stitched the goodside of the fabric to the sheets, slit the dryer sheet and turn inside out. works great.

charlottequilts

What I have been told is that fabric softeners are long-chain fat molecules with a polar end that electrostatically binds to fabric and cancels out the charge, and, over time, ends up as a gelatinous mass in a low water washer. Mine was taken apart recently, and it was really revolting. I have begun to use hot water when I safely can and avoid the dryer sheets I used to love. There are reasons there are so many products out to buy to clean up low water washers and eliminate odors. Fabric softener in any form is one.

Hugs,
Charlotte

QuiltnLady1

I don't use dryer sheets -- haven't found one that doesn't make me sick. For I fabric softener I use vinegar in place of liquid fabric softener. I have used tracing paper, Carol Doak's pp paper and a very light weight stabilizer (non-fusible). I understand why folks would want to use the dryer sheets, but the smell is never light enough not to bother me.