Are Dryer Sheets Bad For Your Dryer?

For some, fabric softening comes from a detergent put in the wash, but for others, they depend on using dryer sheets. However, there is a long-standing debate on whether dryer sheets are bad for your dryer or not. Obviously, if they caused a lot of harm very quickly, we wouldn’t use dryer sheets as often as people do. However, dryer sheets typically don’t do your appliance any favors.

The issue is that dryer sheets are made from fatty or stearic acids. These are designed to melt slightly when heated so that they soften your clothing, but they also coat the inside of your dryer. You won’t really notice any build up in the tub over a long period of time, but build up happens. Instead, the acids will melt and build up in more unseen areas, like the lint filter. This can make lint build up in the filter, but it also coats lint that slips through. This means that lint becomes innately stickier. Over a long period of using dryer sheets, you may find your appliance overheating from lint build-up. This will happen to people that don’t use dryer sheets if they do not clean their lint filter appropriately, but it does become more likely if you use dryer sheets.

So are dryer sheets bad for your dryer? Yes and no. They are a little bad, but generally not bad enough to abandon them completely. What you do need to do instead is be diligent in your dryer cleaning and maintenance ritual. If you are, then it is likely that your dryer will never manifest any problems that can be caused by dryer sheet use.

If you are having overheating dryer issues or any other appliance problems, contact us today. We at Central Valley Appliance Repair can help you get all your appliances back up and running.