Anti allergenic detergent

[rancherman]

My son said something today that got me thinking;
"Seems like there is a LOT of products on the shelf that are Non irritating, non allergenic, etc... that never seemed to be even an issue from 10 or more years ago" or as much of an issue as today.

Yes, some folks are flat out sensitive to certain elements.

But why the influx?? Are the new super concentrated HE products that harsh? Are people today thinner skinned than previous generations?

My first thought, and maybe this has been hashed to death, Is not the detergent, but the MACHINE??

With all the new HE machines using the least amount of water for wash, and some even less for the rinse.. some just have a spray rinse.. I got to think this 'epidemic' is from the product not getting rinsed out in the first place.
Plenty of Youtubes showing soap still in the laundry as it is pulled out..

 

[yogitunes]

many factors to consider.....

one could be rinsing, although most offer several rinses, and even extra on top of that....

too much detergent can be a cause.....

manufacturers change their formulas all the time....may not bother you at one time, and then all of a sudden start causing issues...

some products you just wont have a good reaction from....

most times its the dyes and scents that cause an issue, not so much the chemical part...

even the dye free, fragrance free products still contain a fragrance to block out/counter act the true chemical mixture smell...

your new to our group....but you may want to consider a detergent created by one of our own JonCharles/Jetcone…..Rosalie's....Great Stuff!!!

Rosalie's Zero Suds | Premium Laundry Powder

Introducing Rosalie’s Zero Suds Premium Laundry Powder, a new detergent that cleans deep with zero to minimal suds and rinses clean leaving zero suds residue.

www.zerosuds.com

 

[launderess]

IMHO The Trend Is Market Driven

Much like the whole "non-biological" detergent thing in UK, there is simply a large and growing market in North America that desires (for various reasons) hypo-allergenic laundry products.

Go over to Amazon and or other media and read reviews for this or that "non-irritating" laundry detergent/product. People claim this or that product didn't break them out in a rash and or provoke other responses.

There is that and or the large (and equally growing) group of Millennials and or those coming after who seem to want more "natural" and or "gentle" laundry products.

Of course anyone who was around in the 1970's recalls the whole "crunchy/hippie" back to earth movement that saw something similar. A push for more "natural" and or environmentally positive (or at least neutral) laundry products and household cleaners.

Few persons actually have allergies to laundry detergents per se. What many do have are reactions to the scents and perhaps dyes used. The other worry is simply bad laundry habits. Using too much detergent or other products that isn't washed totally out of laundry.

What has changed with laundry products are the scents used and technology behind. Not only are laundry products more highly perfumed than in past, but the scent is designed *not* to rinse out of fabrics easily. In many cases various encapsulated versions are made to withstand tumble drying and remain on laundry for days/weeks afterwards. Worse any friction (such as wearing or touching) will release yet more fragrance. To anyone with allergies that likely is a very big culprit.

Finally the other major worry is that once phosphates were removed over the years laundry detergents have increasingly become hugely chemical dependent as ever more substances are added not just to replace phosphates, but bringing other benefits (supposedly).

The nearly wholesale move towards liquid detergents brings other worries. First and foremost they are loaded with preservatives. Well they would be wouldn't they otherwise shelf life would be measured in short months.

Then there are the vast enzyme cocktails meant to replace bleaches and or deliver better laundry results in cold, cool or lukewarm water.

 

[perc-o-prince]

IMHO....

It's another by-product of the over-sensitivity thanks to shielding. When we used to drink from the same pop bottles (and garden hoses) as our friends, eat a sandwich after it fell on the ground, go outside and play (gasp- no video games/Internet) till the streetlights came on, et cetera, we didn't hear of all of these allergies and conditions. Yes, admittedly, some were masked by ignorance and/or indifference, but we had actual immune systems that could fight off everyday bugs and beasties.

"Johnny is allergic to milk- he threw up when he drank it." Maybe it was the 76 pretzels he had before that and the milk was the icing on the cake! Exaggeration, yes, but I heard some ridiculous things when driving school bus.

I was driving a camp run for the summer and a parent commented when I was picking up a group at the temple- her son had to sit in the back because there was a young counselor sitting in the front with what appeared to be a frozen coffee drink of some kind with milk in it. "He can't even touch milk, he's so sensitive. How can you allow these things on a bus?" Really? Wow!!

Rant over,

Chuck
p.s.- I have a sensitivity to perfumes/dyes so I use "free" laundry detergent. But, I endured a whole-body rash when my mother suddenly switched to Tide and did all the laundry- clothes, sheets, etc. in it!

 

[DADoES]

 
The family doctor back in the day told mom to bathe us in Tide as a solution to summer heat/grass rash & itch.

 

[jamiel]

We used Cheer as bubble bath--Blue Cheer matched the tile. My grandmother used pink Dreft--ditto.

 

[yogitunes]

oh wow...forgot about that...but thankful for not having a need in a while...

but Regular Liquid Tide is great for rashes like poison ivy/oak/sumac, etc...

it would take the oils off quickly....very effective

 

[ea56]

My experience is that the laundry detergents of today have scents that aren’t nearly as strong and long lasting as the detergents of decades ago.

And when my washer finishes a load I can barely detect any residual scent at all. I think that this is why there are so many scent booster products on the shelves now. And I also believe that is was strategically done by the manufactures of detergents, because now, if the customer wants their laundry to have a lingering scent, they have to purchase yet another product to accomplish that end, when in the past a dose of Tide would have done the same thing.

I like my laundry to have a pleasant, lingering scent, and would never buy an unscented detergent.

Eddie

 

[rancherman]

@launderess

Around here, we called 'em CRISPY HIPPIES.. or Crispy Critters.. Regional differences??

 

[mrsalvo]

Had a horrible reaction to Gain powder sometime back, nearly landed me in ER. It was on sale and had been a number of years since I tried it. I'll spare you the details, but it wasn't pretty. Doctors office recommended All Free & Clear or Tide Gentle. I rewashed everything in All and rashes and swelling went away, ever since then I've had a keen interest in detergents, have no desire to relive that experience. Have found since then that any number detergents can cause anything from a mild skin irritation to more sever reactions, among other things. Luckily I've not experienced an adverse reaction to dishwashing soap.
Think there should be a law that manufacturers should advertise on the container any changes when reformulated. Speaking as an older adult, so often our bodies change, the skin gets thinner and more sensitive that we can't handle what we once were able to. Would like to try and retry many detergents, but at this stage I'm very leery to do so. Just want clean clothes with a slight clean scent and no bad reaction. Have had to also switch to a very mild bath soap, Ivory, or something from Whole Foods (and that's not a guarantee either). It's frustrating getting older, and manufacturers can definitely complicate.

Lastly, I agree 100% with your post Laundress, your observations. I so remember the eco friendly changes in detergents in the early 70's. (My mother would have nothing to do with it. Lol.)

Barry

 

[mrboilwash]

For most skin reactions it is the scent to blame.
In the EU there are more than 20 scent ingredients of high potential for allergies that have to be listed on every consumer product if a certain amount is exceeded.
This does not only apply for cosmetics or laundry detergent, but even for natural products like essential oils. Pure lavender oil would typically list linalool and coumarin for example. So if your allergy pass tells you to stay away from linalool it is easy to find scented products that don`t contain it.

Additionally the entire formulars of cleansers, detergents and so on must be published on the internet, which still seems to be a voluntary thing in the USA.
Kind of surprising as regarding ingredients in cosmetics the USA were transparency wise years ahead of us.
Can`t believe anybody still buying a product today if a manufacturer decides to hide behind "trade secrests"

I also think most of the increase of "sensitive" products on shelves is purely market driven. So many imaginary skin problems today... a slight itch could be the result of too long and hot showers, not an allergy.

 

[launderess]

For most part cosmetics, health/beauty aids sold in USA for consumer use do have ingredients listed. Professional products are another matter IIRC, but most do anyway.

Laundry and other cleaning products long bucked federal government mandates to list chemicals siting "trade secrets". Which is a load of flannel since much of the ingredients for many laundry detergents are sourced from the same group of companies.

P&G doesn't list full details on packets of their laundry products, but they do have them online. Then you have websites like EWG which list such information for a world of products.

Linalool and or coumarin are listed as ingredients with nearly every Persil product one has seen.

 

[rolls_rapide]

I had popped into my local Tesco recently, and they had moved some Unilever Persil and Surf powders to a prominent position on another aisle, just around the corner of the shelving from where I was shopping.

Gawd! The stench of the perfumes was overpowering. I couldn't get rid of the smell from my nostrils for hours afterwards.

It seems that the two worst culprits for unnecessary overloading of perfumes and associated stenches, are Unilever and P&G. It's a case of: 'Who can make the stronger perfume?'. Totally unnecessary, and it actively repels me from their brands. Therefore lost sales.