Are dryer sheets safe to use during pregnancy?

What does the evidence say about dryer sheets and fabric softener during pregnancy?

1. Independent testing of 25 common scented household products, including fabric softeners and dryer sheets, found they release volatile organic compounds such as limonene and pinene, and close to half of the products tested emitted at least one chemical the EPA classifies as a hazardous air pollutant, including acetaldehyde and formaldehyde. 1
2. When researchers sampled actual dryer vent exhaust from a fragranced dryer sheet and fabric softener combination, they detected seven VOCs the EPA classifies as hazardous air pollutants, including the carcinogens acetaldehyde and benzene, with acetaldehyde measured at more than 25 times the average outdoor concentration for the area. Only one ingredient, ethanol, appeared on either product's label, since current labeling rules don't require individual fragrance components to be disclosed. 2
3. In consumer surveys, close to 11 percent of respondents reported irritation they attributed to scented laundry products vented outdoors, and researchers noted anecdotal reports of stronger reactions like seizures after dryer sheet exposure, though these are self-reported associations rather than confirmed cause and effect. 1
4. MotherToBaby's guidance on household products notes that a strong smell doesn't necessarily mean a product is more dangerous, that many people develop heightened smell sensitivity during pregnancy, and that opening a window or running an exhaust fan can help clear lingering odors. 3
5. In a study tracking fragranced personal care product use across pregnancy, women in the lowest fragranced-product-use group had urinary concentrations of a common fragrance-linked phthalate metabolite that were 7 to 10 percent lower than the group average, though no single product-avoidance pattern consistently lowered every chemical measured. 4

Is dryer sheets and fabric softener safe in each trimester?

• First trimester. There's no research singling out this trimester for laundry-product fragrance specifically, but if smell sensitivity or nausea is already a problem this early, dryer sheet scent is a common trigger worth swapping out for a fragrance-free version.
• Second trimester. Nausea often eases up now, so lingering laundry-room smell is less likely to bother you, though the underlying chemical exposure from a normal laundry routine doesn't meaningfully change by trimester.
• Third trimester. No third-trimester-specific concern is documented either. If you're washing baby clothes or nursery linens ahead of delivery, a fragrance-free detergent and skipping dryer sheets altogether is a common, low-effort choice.