Dryer sheets have been a laundry room staple for years. Toss one into the dryer, and your clothes come out softer, less staticky, and smelling like whatever “fresh” scent is printed on the box.

For a lot of people, it’s such a normal part of doing laundry that they never really stop to think about what a dryer sheet is leaving behind.

The softening effect comes from ingredients that coat the fabric. That coating can be useful for reducing static, but it can also change how certain fabrics perform over time. Fragrances can be another issue, especially for people who are sensitive to scented laundry products.

That doesn’t mean everyone needs to stop using dryer sheets. But if you’ve noticed that your towels aren’t as absorbent, your workout clothes seem to hold onto odors, or your lint screen gets coated with residue, your dryer sheets could be part of the reason.

Here are 12 things worth knowing before you toss another one into the dryer.

Chemical Residue on Clothes

Dryer sheets work by leaving softening ingredients on your clothes. That coating is what helps reduce static and gives fabrics that soft, smooth feeling. The downside is that some of the residue stays behind on the fabric.

With repeated use, certain materials can develop a coating that changes how they feel or perform. This can be especially noticeable with fabrics that are supposed to breathe, absorb moisture, or wick sweat away from your skin. If your clothes start feeling different after years of using dryer sheets, the residue may be part of the reason.

What’s Actually in the Fragrance?

The ingredient list on a dryer sheet can contain several fragrance ingredients and softening agents. “Fragrance” can also refer to a mixture of ingredients rather than one single substance. That doesn’t automatically make a dryer sheet unsafe. But it can make it difficult for someone who is sensitive to fragrances to know exactly which ingredient is bothering them.

Heating scented laundry products can also release fragrance compounds into the air. If you’re trying to cut down on scented products at home, dryer sheets are an easy place to start.

Skin Irritation Can Be a Problem

Some people simply don’t do well with scented laundry products. Fragrances and other ingredients in laundry products can trigger skin irritation or contact dermatitis in people who are sensitive to them. Since dryer sheet residue stays on clothing, bedding, and towels, your skin can come into contact with it throughout the day.

If you regularly deal with itchy or irritated skin and use heavily scented laundry products, switching to fragrance-free products may be worth trying.

The Scent Doesn’t Mean Your Clothes Are Cleaner

There’s a reason clothes smell so strongly after a dryer sheet goes through a load. The scent comes from fragrance ingredients, not from the clothes becoming cleaner.

Some people love that freshly laundered smell. Others find it too strong or get headaches or irritation from scented products. If you prefer laundry that smells like, well, nothing, skipping dryer sheets can make a noticeable difference.

Keep Dryer Sheets Away From Pets

Dogs and cats can be curious about just about anything that smells interesting, and used dryer sheets still have fragrance and other product residue on them. A pet that chews on or swallows a dryer sheet can become sick. Keep both new and used sheets somewhere your pets can’t get to them, and contact your veterinarian if your pet swallows one.

It’s a small thing, but it’s easy to overlook when a used dryer sheet gets left in a laundry basket or on top of the dryer.

Dryer Lint and Residue Still Need Attention

Dryer sheets can leave residue on the lint screen. Over time, that residue can make it harder for air to pass through the screen if it isn’t cleaned properly. Lint buildup is a separate concern, but both lint and restricted airflow can make a dryer work harder and run hotter.

Cleaning the lint screen after every load and washing it periodically with soap and water can help remove the film that dryer sheets may leave behind.

Related: 14 Uses for Dryer Sheets

They Can Affect Your Workout Clothes

Your favorite workout clothes are made to handle sweat and moisture. Many athletic fabrics are made to wick moisture away from your body and dry quickly. Fabric softeners and dryer sheets can leave a coating on these materials that interferes with those properties.

That means your workout shirts and leggings may not perform the way they did when they were new. They can also start feeling less breathable or hold onto odors. Check the care label on your activewear before tossing it in the dryer with a sheet.

That Strong Scent Can Stick Around

Ever pull a shirt out of the closet weeks after washing it and still smell the laundry product? That’s because fragrance can stick around on fabric for quite a while.

For people who enjoy scented laundry, that may be exactly what they want. For anyone who prefers fragrance-free clothing, it can get old pretty quickly. If you find yourself getting tired of the smell or noticing it on your bedding, towels, and clothes long after laundry day, skipping dryer sheets is one easy change to make.

Dryer Sheets Can Reduce Towel Absorbency

There’s a reason hotels and people who wash a lot of towels tend to be careful about fabric softeners. Towels need to absorb water. A coating left behind by fabric softeners or dryer sheets can reduce that absorbency over time.

Your towels may still feel wonderfully soft, but they might take longer to dry your hands or body. If your towels have started feeling soft but strangely ineffective, try washing a few loads without dryer sheets and see if you notice a difference.

Towels need to do their job, and absorbing water is a pretty big part of that job.

Your Dryer Needs Cleaning Too

Most people think about cleaning the lint screen and calling it a day. But dryer sheets can leave residue on other parts of the machine, too. The lint screen is one place where buildup can become noticeable, and other surfaces inside the dryer can collect residue over time.

A dirty lint screen can also make it harder for air to move through the dryer. Give the lint screen a proper cleaning from time to time, and follow your dryer’s care instructions for cleaning the rest of the machine.

They Create More Single-Use Waste

One dryer sheet doesn’t look like much waste. Now multiply that by several loads every week, all year long. Dryer sheets are made to be used once and thrown away. That makes them less appealing for anyone trying to cut down on single-use household products.

If you do several loads of laundry each week, switching to something reusable can cut down on the number of sheets going into the trash.

The Cost Adds Up

A box of dryer sheets usually isn’t a huge expense. That’s part of why it’s easy to overlook the cost. But laundry is a weekly chore, and those boxes keep getting replaced.

If you use a dryer sheet with every load, take a minute to add up what you spend on them each year. You might find that you’re paying for a product you could easily live without. Skipping them completely costs nothing.

A Reusable Alternative

If you like softer laundry but want to stop buying disposable dryer sheets, wool dryer balls are one option worth looking at. Wool dryer balls can be reused for many loads, and they help separate clothes as they tumble. That can help air move through the load and may reduce drying time. They also don’t leave the same softening coating on your clothes that dryer sheets do.

They aren’t a perfect replacement for everyone, and static can still happen, especially in dry weather. But if you’re trying to cut down on waste, reduce the amount of fragrance in your laundry room, or stop buying boxes of dryer sheets every few weeks, they’re worth trying.