I Tried Good Housekeeping’s Favorite Dryer Sheets and Was Blown Away

When I was a child, I had very strong opinions about my future adult self. I vowed I would never give birth, cut my hair short, call my child by their middle name, or sell my collection of Baby-Sitters Club books. I have done all of these — on purpose, no less — but there were a few things my elementary school self got right. One was swearing to marry a cute fifth-grader named Marcus Asby (I knew how to pick them, even at age nine) and the other was the firm belief that my towels should always be soft, fluffy, and smell of flowers.

Here’s the hard thing about soft towels, though: I want to be a good steward of the environment (you know, for that child I call by his middle name), and many of the products that soften and scent towels are bad for the planet.

That’s why I was excited to try Beyond Fabric Softener Sheets, a winner in Good Housekeeping’s Cleaning & Organizing Awards. These lavender-scented sheets smell amazing and are a 99% USDA Certified Biobased Product, which means that 99% of the materials in these non-woven sheets are derived from plants and other agricultural, marine, and forestry materials. The cardboard box packaging is also easily recyclable. That’s why Good Housekeeping calls them “do-good dryer sheets.”

Is it a perfect solution? No, but it’s a significant improvement from the large, plastic bottle of liquid fabric softener I was using before. I also love that these sheets take up far less space in my laundry room, and there’s no risk of a sticky spill.

When I tried the Beyond Fabric Softener Sheets on a load of whites, my towels came out of the dryer incredibly soft, with a lovely, mild scent. I like the lavender fragrance, so I’ll either toss two sheets in the next load or try not to overstuff the washer and dryer, which is good practice anyway. 

I’m delighted to find a product I can feel good about, without sacrificing my hotel bathroom experience. I can lighten my carbon footprint just a touch, and still meet my 9-year-old self’s laundry standards.