The Unnecessary Laundry Product With A Clean Reputation But A Dirty Truth

If you're dedicated to doing laundry better, it may seem like a good idea to go the extra mile and try to make use of every new laundry product that boasts great cleaning power or aims to improve the scent of your clothing. Despite your best intentions, however, there are certain laundry products you should avoid. Laundry scent booster beads, for example, are relatively new and claim to make your laundry smell fresh for an extended period of time after its most recent wash. These beads are added directly to the drum of the washing machine and dissolve during the wash cycle — and they actually do a pretty good job of eliminating foul-smelling laundry and making your clothes and linens smell great.

While laundry scent booster beads can create a pleasant scent for your laundry, they do come with some serious issues that should make you reconsider using them. One of the biggest problems is that laundry scent booster beads may harm your washing machine, especially if you overuse them or don't follow the directions. Not only that, but these beads may also cause damage to clothing and become a safety hazard, particularly for children and pets.

While it doesn't always happen, laundry scent beads may sometimes fail to dissolve in washing machine as they're supposed to. And when they don't dissolve, they have the capacity to cause clogs in the machine's pipes. This can strain your machine and even potentially lead to damage. On top of this, any undissolved beads may damage your clothing as well, leaving residue on the clothes and staining them.

Beyond any possible harm to your machine and your laundry, these laundry scent booster beads may also be harmful to people. Contact with the beads can lead to allergic reactions for some people and may cause itchiness and rashes, especially if they have sensitive skin. The beads are also toxic if ingested and could poison a child or pet if they accidentally eat any of them. Ingestion may cause mouth irritation as well as stomach problems and nausea, so it's important to keep them out of reach of kids and pets if you have them in the home. If you need extra power when cleaning your clothes, you may want to consider other methods like using white vinegar to get rid of smells instead.