is the smell of the Laundry detergent toxic to birds?

[QuakerParrot]

I wanted to know if it is toxic because i just washed my birds blanket to cover their cage with and the blankets smells like downy?

 

[Wulfgeist]

I don't know if that would be harmful, depending on how much you use but hard to say with their sensitive respiratory systems. I'd be careful about how much you use on the bird stuff.

My one cat actually loves laundry day. Before I got my dryer I would hang things on the shower rod to dry and I would catch him in there, nose stuck up in the clothes sniffing away. Snuggle purple, sandalwood and white lavendar. He loves it.

 

[crazyforfeathers]

I don't know myself, but out of sheer paranoia (not enough research), I stayed away from anything strongly fragrant.

I use scentless detergent and drier pads. It doesn't smell like anything (sad) but I can at least stop worrying about the side effects if there were any.

 

[WharfRat]

Think about it, your clothes (shirts/blouses/etc) whatever are washed the same, I shoulder all ours. I read on a news website that eating "raw" egg yolk was the same as smoking............ I ain't buying that

I think they prefer clean over BO LOL

 

[cdog]

I don't know about detergent but I did read that dryer sheets werent good for their respiratory systems, so I don't use those.

 

[henpecked]

I have also read that dryer sheet are harmful, and the vent from your dryer. I would surmise that soap containing softner would be bad too. I know that Debsflock has researched this, maybe she'll chime in with the "rest of the story".

 

[mtdoramike]

I know that I broke out in hives after my wife washed our clothing in Surf detergent and had to go to the doctor. So would guess and say that I will not use any cloths detergent on any of the articles that I use for me birds. When an item gets to the point that it needs washing, I pitch it out and buy a new one.

 

[antoinette]

When washing Mishka's blankets etc, I use a very little detergent. When the washing cycle has finished, I re-wash it again without detergent, making sure it's all gone. I then hang on the washing line, leave it for hours to dry.

 

[luvmytooo]

Interesting topic !
I haven't been using dryer sheets lately mainly because I ran out , but I was washing their cage coverings and stopped myself from adding Downey .
So that made me think about the laundry detergent as well.
IMO , our clothes air out so quickly once worn and absorb our body odor that the smells of the sheets and detergents are much less then if I used all the above on their coverings and then put it ontop of their cages . I think the smells would linger in the cage until the covering is removed the next morning which is a long time to be forced to breathe all that in....

 

[evesta]

I use free and clear wash and dryer sheets for my family anyway and no problems yet. I couldn't find much info on anything but better safe than sorry.

 

[wenz2712]

I use a small amount of Fairy Washing Powder and then hang on the line to dry>

 

[luvmytooo]

What ? :06:

 

[WharfRat]

All I know is ReaRea likes helping with the laundry :09:

 

[paulhanlon]

Interesting topic I don't know if its harmful to our birds but we use it all the time and our birds are shouldered and they seem fine by it

 

[henpecked]

Bump, deb,bump

 

[IcyWolf]

When I first started breeding our breeder budgies were kept in the room attached to our bedroom, which also had our washer and dryer. The dryer was even vented into the same room and I never had a bird get sick or die from it. We used regular laundry detergent and dryer sheets and the birds never seemed bothered by it. It did worry me though and having to constantly wipe lint dust off of everything really freaked me out so we ditched the old washer and dryer and got a stackable that we put in our dining room closet, away from the birds. I'm not saying it's safe, I'm just saying that we had quite a few of our smaller, more sensitive birds in the same room as ours for months and never had a problem. But then again, I've walked into people's houses that wreaked of scented candles or cigarette smoke in every room and their birds were fine, that still doesn't mean I'm going to allow candles or smoking in our house....

 

[Customcasket]

When I wash my stuff (clothing, bedding, towels, etc) it gets washed with "normal" detergent and fabric softener I have for solely my brother and I. My father and mother both break out from "normal" detergent and use the dye free, unscented detergent which I'll use for the birdie blankets with no fabric softener or dryer sheets. It doesn't smell like anything which I assume is a good thing and it's clean which is even more amazing. I hate when somebody manages to poop on their blanket 5 minutes after I get over the happiness that there isn't poop on it.

I love when my laundry smells amazing and there isn't anything better than the smell of freshly bleached sheets to sleep on.

 

[Customcasket]

I might also like to add that my family uses Purex laundry detergent and softener crystals. My parents with their funky skin can use the crystals and not break out. We've never had a problem with it for humans or animals. I've never had an issue with Tide either. If by chance somebody picked up the really cheap detergent at the store it would make us break out in rashes and our laundry ended up funky feeling. I've become addicted to the little "pods" that laundry detergent comes in now. I'm not lazy, but I like knowing that that package says 18 loads I'm getting 18 loads instead of measuring liquid detergent and only getting half of what the bottle says.

 

[Customcasket]

All I know is ReaRea likes helping with the laundry :09:

LOL. When we had our old washer and dryer my cats would climb into the dryer as soon as I opened it to get the laundry and leave hair all over everything. Now with our new washer and dryer they're stacked and the dryer is on top. My Siamese likes to 'ride' in the laundry basket when I bring laundry upstairs from the basement. I had laundry I just folded sitting on my bed today, and Carlisle climbed right on top of the pile and screamed at me as if he was saying "HEY, I'M ON YOUR CLEAN LAUNDRY! I'M KING OF THE MOUNTAIN!" And boy is it a mountain of laundry... that's still sitting there because I'm too lazy to put it all away right now.

 

[DebsFlock]

Actually, this is one I haven't read up on yet. I'll see what I can do!

I suspect "toxic" is a strong word to use in this case. Personally I would use it as the dictionary originally defined it -- poisonous, causing injury or death by chemical means. Some inhaled products are genuinely toxic. PTFE fumes are a case of that. Paint thinner is probably also a case in point. Others have an irritant effect, which is not desirable and may make the bird temporarily more vulnerable to disease, which I think is the case with most household fragrances. That's undesirable, but not an immediate emergency. But I don't know about dryer sheets -- I'd actually be more concerned about the component that is anti-static more than the scent itself, but as I said I haven't looked into this carefully.

I use "free and clear" detergent most of the time anyway, because some of the scented ones make me itchy. I do use dryer sheets, and I've had my birds do as ReaRea does and help with the laundry without noticing any adverse effects, but I don't use scented products when I'm washing anything that's going into the cage, like the rope perches.

I'm going to guess this is one of those things where it is totally unclear, and if there is a problem it may be brand dependent. I've heard people suggest using dryer sheets to clean cages as well as hearing that they are a no-no.

Personally I'd probably avoid using strongly scented laundry products on anything that would be in close proximity to the birds for long periods of time, but I don't really worry about my clothes or towels or bedding...

I'll see if I can find anything out that has solid basis.