JaneL
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
Have you tried just hanging things up outdoors to air for a few days or perhaps even longer? I always do that with new clothes before I wash them and find it works quite well.
Fragrance sensitivity
- Thread starter ladycatlover
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- fragrances sensitivity
Have you tried just hanging things up outdoors to air for a few days or perhaps even longer? I always do that with new clothes before I wash them and find it works quite well.
MeSci
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
I have sometimes left things on a washing line for over a year, after soaking in vinegar or bicarbonate, sometimes both in sequence. They have often lost their colour, and still smelt. I have sometimes had to give up. But they are not new items but things bought from charity shops.
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Daisymay
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
Yes, it makes shopping from charity shops nigh on impossible.
Sly Saint
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
Soak in a solution of warm water and soda crystals for a few hours. Wash as usual in 30 degree wash. Repeat if necessary.
I mainly came to this thread because, although I am sensitive to some perfumes ie they give me migraines etc.
I also get allergic skin reactions. But what I have recently discovered rather dramatically is that the major allergen that I have become sensitised to, possibly over years, are the preservatives
- Methylisothiazolinone (MIT / MI)
- Methylchloroisothiazolinone (CMIT / MCI)
- Benzisothiazolinone (BIT)
Preservatives: MIT, CMIT, and BIT (What to Know)
Learn what MIT, CMIT, and BIT preservatives are, why they’re linked to sensitization, what regulations restrict in cosmetics, and what we use instead.
www.commongoodandco.com
They are in nearly all liquid laundry detergents (and pods), washing up liquids, and many other cleaning products such as bath cleaners and glass cleaners.
Up until 2017 (I think) they were also in many other products.
There is loads of info on this. that's maybe not the best site to link to as people need to be aware that what they call 'safe alternatives' ie
- sodium benzoate
- phenoxyethanol
I have spent several months now recovering from a severe allergic contact dermatitis and also eliminating all MIT/BIT products and hopefully residue.
Laundry POWDERs generally do not need or contain these particular preservatives.
The safest things I have now are :
Laundry cleaner :
I am currently using Ecover Zero non-bio POWDER (expensive and only available online), but have purchased some M&S non-bio Laundry Powder which is also fragrance free (available from Ocado) and apparently even better for sensitive skin.
Dri Pak liquid soap (brilliant stuff), non-diluted as heavy cleaner (eg baths), diluted with water for surface cleaning, washing up.
I also bought some Dri Pak soda crystals and add one tbsp to the laundry. They also have various cleaning uses, just need to be careful as they are very alkaline.
Something that is not widely known or understood is that 'sensitive' or 'for sensitive skin' on any product is purely marketing jargon. It means nothing. At best, with regards laundry detergent, it might indicate no enzymes (ie non-bio powder, but not necessarily non-bio liquid) but this doesn't make it safe for sensitive skin.
The term “non‑bio” only means no protease as the primary cleaning system, not “no enzymes at all”. Enzymes are highly sensitising.
WARNING: ECOVER Products
These may be 'better for the environment' but not necessarily good for sensitive skin.
ECOVER non-bio laundry liquid (contains amongst other things fragrance and SLS, and other known potential allergens)
Ecover Non-Bio Laundry Liquid - Ingredient Check UK
Product Overview Fragrance: Yes, Contains Fragrance Enzymes: No Parabens: No Optical Brighteners: No Sulfates: Yes Packaging: Plastic bottle IngredientCheck
ingredientcheck.co.uk
not to be confused with
ECOVER ZERO non-bio sensitive laundry liquid
they've changed the formula and it no longer contains preservatives
(previously had phenoxyethanol)
BUT Contains:
Aqua, Sodium lauryl sulfate, Laureth-7, Alcohol denat., Potassium oleate, Sodium citrate, Tetrasodium glutamate diacetate, Bio poly ethyleneglycol propyleneglycol oligo ester, Citric acid, Sodium hydroxide
SLS is a well known potential irritant.
From what I have learnt MIT/BIT and the other similar preservatives are insidious, in loads of products and can lurk in residues in fabrics for ages. Once you are sensitised there is no safe level. They are even in some paints, even vapour exposure from say cleaning sprays Any exposure can trigger dermatitis.
The tricky thing is reactions are delayed.
I hope this might help someone. Please ask if any questions. I've spent ages researching.
Just as a note to anyone trying to find out exact ingredients for any product there are Safety Data sheets which companies have to let you have if you request them and these will have all potential hazards and usually a full proper list of ingredients (not the very vague and incomplete ones on retailers websites).
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MeSci
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
I find the best washing-up liquid to be Bio-D.
biod.co.uk
They also do laundry products and other cleaning products.
I use soap nuts for laundry, although some people may not find them sufficient to remove stains.
From experience, I think that the best way to avoid products with hard-to-remove perfume chemicals is to buy natural products, e.g. cotton. If they have been contaminated with perfume they usually lose it on the first wash.
Ethical, Hypoallergenic & Environment Friendly Cleaning Products UK
100% hypoallergenic, vegan and environmentally friendly cleaning products. Free delivery on all orders over £55!
biod.co.uk
They also do laundry products and other cleaning products.
I use soap nuts for laundry, although some people may not find them sufficient to remove stains.
From experience, I think that the best way to avoid products with hard-to-remove perfume chemicals is to buy natural products, e.g. cotton. If they have been contaminated with perfume they usually lose it on the first wash.
Daisymay
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
Yes I find Bio D prodcts very good too. And I can manage Faith in Nature soaps and shampoos. Waitrose do a cheap basic fragrance free soapI find the best washing-up liquid to be Bio-D.
Ethical, Hypoallergenic & Environment Friendly Cleaning Products UK
100% hypoallergenic, vegan and environmentally friendly cleaning products. Free delivery on all orders over £55!
They also do laundry products and other cleaning products.
I use soap nuts for laundry, although some people may not find them sufficient to remove stains.
From experience, I think that the best way to avoid products with hard-to-remove perfume chemicals is to buy natural products, e.g. cotton. If they have been contaminated with perfume they usually lose it on the first wash.
Jonathan Edwards
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
I had not looked at this thread before. I think it may be important to separate sensitivity to fragrance from chemical reactions to substances that may come in fragrant preparations but which may not themselves have any smell. It seems to me likely that people with ME/CFS are sensitive to fragrances, as fragrances, just like light or sound, and in this case the effect will be through the smell itself acting on sensory receptors in the nose. That might trigger migraine, for instance.
That needs to be separated from allergies to preservatives in washing powders and suchlike, that also happen to include fragrances. Allergies would explain rashes or hay fever symptoms.
That needs to be separated from allergies to preservatives in washing powders and suchlike, that also happen to include fragrances. Allergies would explain rashes or hay fever symptoms.
Sly Saint
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
The thing is, for a long time I assumed my problem was with the fragrance in various products because I do have 'sensory' problems with strong chemical perfumes. But before ME I used to wear perfume regularly and use scented soap without any problems sensory or otherwise.
I appreciate this maybe should be on a different thread about allergies but
I was unaware of the whole 'sensitising process' with potential allergens. So things that I have used for years suddenly cause allergic reactions. Relatively minor at first but suddenly severe. I wanted to draw attention to the fact that it might not in fact be a fragrance causing the problem.
Allergy | British Society for Immunology
What is the difference between Type I and Type IV hypersensitivity?
Introduction to Hypersensitivity Reactions Hypersensitivity reactions are exaggerated immune responses that can lead to tissue damage and disease. Th
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Jonathan Edwards
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
Which would be compatible with the problem with fragranes being part of the ME/CFS. If olfactomedin genes are linked to ME/CFS that may be not so surprising.
Which sounds right. Allergic reactions almost certainly have no particular correlation to having a smell. So there may be two different problems.
MeSci
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
I use Oliva Olive Oil Soap.
Ingredients: Saponified Olive Oil *(Sodium Olivate)*, Aqua, Sodium Chloride *(Mineral Salts)*.