2007-01-09 10:43:55 · 2 answers · asked by steve_veloz 2 in Home & Garden ➔ Cleaning & Laundry
When clothes tumble inside a dryer, friction causes an exchange of electrons on the surface of the materials. Items acquiring excess electrons become negatively charged while those losing electrons become positively charged. The items attract and cling together. The electric charge, which by some estimates can be as much as 12,000 volts, is commonly referred to as static cling. Dryer sheets are coated with positively charged substances that rub off on the clothes in the dryer in the presence of heat. With the clothes positively charged, there is no static cling.
Other chemicals in dryer sheets help to soften clothes and make them wrinkle resistant. Finally, dryer sheets include fragrances that make your clothes smell fresh. Because of the anti-static, fragrance-rich properties of dryer sheets, many people claim they work well for other household purposes
2007-01-09 12:07:10 · answer #1 · answered by Gary S 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Cationic surfactants (softening agent) are in the dryer sheets, along with what Gary S. said, which I do not presume to understand, but is brilliantly stated at wisegeek.com..
2007-01-09 18:22:50 · answer #2 · answered by intrepid 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋