Neighbors Toxic Dryer Sheets

February 9, 2020 by Lisa Powers

Question from Jane and Georgette

Please, my sister and I cannot keep moving. We are both Identical 59 year old twin sisters. After 7 moves in 11 years here in Phoenix AZ due to smokers and pollutants we moved again recently to a 50+ community.. The situation here is really killing us health-wise. The woman next door does her laundry for 4 hours straight at least 3 times a week usually 6pm-10pm. Her clothes drier's vent is aiming directly to our bedroom windows which is 10-15 feet away, very very close. She uses the scented drier sheets that is horrendous and we've read and really knew anyway, that these sheets are extremely toxic. Anything perfumy is. We use plant-based natural unscented everything in our house and her pollution is entering our home. We knocked on her door a few times and she never answered. We printed a note how toxic the things she uses are and it's not only bothering us but is also a health hazard for her as well. Her car is gone most of the day, she returns at night and that's our sleep time and now with the cooler weather we want to save electric and just use the a/c for the triple digit summer days like we have been doing.

This is totally unfair for us . I called AZ Enironmental and they said they cannot do anything because it's her home and she can use anything she wants for her laundry.
I even called non-emergency police to ask for advice and they said the same, nothing can be done.

Management told us when we were signing the lease that if we have problems with our neighbors we have to work it out with them.
We need your advice how something can be done because it's "perfect" here, we finally want to relax and enjoy our peaceful living and we are so so tired of constantly moving due to selfish and careless " people. Help us please?

Lisa’s Answer

Some suggestions that have been offered by other readers are suggesting that they use wool dryer balls or providing them information about the toxins in dryer sheets.  Here are more specifics:

• Try offering them some wool dryer balls. Don’t suggest they find and purchase some, GIVE them some dryer balls as a gift and ask them to use them. They just might like this alternative and it will save them money.

• Here is an article you can share with them about the urban pollution that is created from all of the VOCs in household products.

• You could consider getting a good quality air purifier that removes both gases and particles. Many air purifiers only remove particles which will not help with the VOCs from the scented products. You can read more in the Air Purifier Buying Guide.