Laundry detergent enzymes & skin irritation

[lordkenmore]

Can the enzymes used in modern laundry detergents cause skin trouble? I haven't noticed any difference between enzyme and non-enzyme detergents on own skin, but I've wondered.

 

I realize, of course, that enzymes (as I understand) don't survive high temperatures. So presumably with a hot dryer it would be "goodbye." But...there is line drying (particularly indoors), and the possibility of dryers that don't get particularly hot (flaw/bad design/a low temperature cycle).

 

[launderess]

No, they cannot.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/575890_3

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/128349

http://www.nhs.uk/news/2008/05May/Pages/Biowashingpowderrashesamyth.aspx

What can cause skin irritation are the various other chemicals including scent used in laundry detergents. This and or irritation caused by "harsh deposits" left by certain powdered detergents.

If you are worried about your nice lingerie irritating your skin, best seek out some Ivory Snow. *LOL*

 

[lordkenmore]

Thanks, Launderess!

 

I like the part at the end of the video when Betsy is talking about how knowledgeable Mrs. Palmer is LOL.

 

 

[frigilux]

Ivory Snow was used in our household for blankets and delicates. I always loved the "99-44/100% Pure" designation. What unspeakable toxicity lurked in that last 56/100%? LOL.

 

[lordkenmore]

99-44/100% Pure

And don't forget that the bar soap was advertised to float!

 

Cartoon on this topic. Click on cartoon to enlarge:

 

http://www.condenaststore.com/-sp/Industrial-Crisis-The-day-a-cake-of-soap-sank-at-Procter-Gamble-s-New-Yorker-Cartoon-Prints_i8619160_.htm

 

[chestermikeuk]

Skin Irritation...

Dont blame the detergents - Blame lack of Poor Rinsing. Detergents as first made 90yrs ago where much harsher, perhaps not as perfumed and it MAY be that synthetic perfumes today could be an issue with certain peoples sensitivities, but surely if its rinsed as good as its washed then all residues should be swished away...

Personally I think what doesn't help is the EXTRA stuff that's around the detergent such as slimey gelatine that's around liquipods (that can form a slime again in cool water and soaking) and the heavy dosing of fabric conditioner, I discussed with the techies at P & G that fab con ( in our wonderful world of FL wendy weshers) should be available in the 3rd rinse (or programmable in one before the last) and then you have the option of a final clean water rinse having had the benefit of conditioner - which is more of a problem with eczema than detergents !!

 

[askolover]

rinsing

That's what initially sold me on Asko 20 years ago...four rinses.  The new models rinse up to seven times.  My Miele does three but with long spins between instead of burst spins like the Asko. 

 

[rolls_rapide]

There is one enzyme which works as clothes dry: lipase. This enzyme helps to break down greasy, oily stains. Whether there's enough left in the garments after three rinses is a moot point, though. And a hot tumble dryer is likely to deactivate it anyway.

I too would be more concerned about the extra ingredients. For example, liquids might contain methylisothiazolinone, which is a preservative. This can and does cause allergies - it was featured on one of our consumer programmes, and is used in cosmetics, shampoos, etc. Ironically, the EU allowed the manufacturers to remove one of the preservatives - methylchloroisothiazolinone - because they thought consumers might be allergic to it. I suspect that endeavouring to cheapen manufacturing costs, played a major part too.

 

[liberatordeluxe]

I am allergic to Sodium laureth sulfate and most mainstream toiletries so avoid them. However unless you come into contact with the neat detergent or the perfumes are too over bearing then proper thorough rinsing should remove the majority of detergent. I do think the likes of Procter and Gamble detergents are not the easiest to rinse though.

 

[launderess]

Procter and Gamble detergents are not the easiest to rinse

No, they aren't even on this side of the Pond. Which is why one tends to avoid.

Liquids are slightly better than the powders, but there you are then.

Whenever have used powdered Tide, Cheer or other P&G detergents it dulls the surface of the stainless steel laundry sink. It took only one wash with Cheer powder to dull the NIB finish of my Hoover TT; so that was that.

 

[rolls_rapide]

That's interesting - I found the opposite.

I haven't used P&G detergents to handwash for some years, but when I did, Ariel always caused the stainless steel sink to positively gleam.

 

[tomturbomatic]

In the late 60s, when enzymes were new and, I believe, were primarily for protein stains, but not for oils or grease, there was a product called TIDE XK which was Tide with the enzyme. Dermatologists started having patients come in with rashes around their waist bands and it turned out that the cause was insufficient rinsing that did not remove the product from the elastic so basically the enzyme was working on the skin, augmented, of course by everything else in the detergent left behind.

 

This was also the time of enzyme presoak products which were shown to have huge amounts of phosphates just at the time when phosphates were being removed from detergents.

 

[paulc]

Rolls_Rapide

Remember, the majority of US powders don't have oxygen bleach in like Ariel does.

 

[aegokocarat]

I'm going to be honest, I use non bio detergent because I find that my skin doesn't seem as irritated by it as it does by most bio's, though there are some I can use I just stick to non bio out of habit. I found its down to the perfumes used but also as others have said, how well your machine rinses. My 1600 spin Zanussi machine rinses fairly well with fast spins in between the rinses, I can't ever smell detergent left on the laundry afterwards, I do use fabric softener on certain things but usually its a gentle/plant based softener and even then I use a reduced amount and thats only for specific garments. I use Fairy, Ecover, supermarket or persil non bio (Fairy, Ecover and Persil being my favourites) and I use roughly 50-100ml depending on the load and the soiling and it always rinses out fine for me, though, we do have soft water here. Anyway, thats just my pennies worth.

 

[rolls_rapide]

Paulc

That's true, but I find that the sink gleams even with liquid detergents.

Maybe it's down to the quality of the steel finish?

 

[panthera]

Well, what do people expect?

Modern machines in the US use too cold of water to clean clothes.

They deposit all sorts of molds and bacteria on the clothes.

The detergents don't clean in cold water, they contain far too much perfume to cover the stench.

Finally, rinsing is a joke in the modern machines.

 

All these problems would go away if people were to:

Use hot water to wash clothes clean.

Use enough phosphates, enzymes and good detergents to clean.

Wash in clean machines.

Rinse thoroughly.

Stay away from those horrid fabric softeners and extremely scented detergents.

 

Problem solved.

 

[tomturbomatic]

Keven, you are absolutely right. It is a testament to the wonders of the human body's immune system that the skin's constant exposure to the toxic brew in the fabrics does not result in more health problems. On the other hand, maybe people's bathing habits and the products used for bodily cleansing have set up an almost semi-permeable barrier on the skin through which the shumtz and unrinsed chemicals cannot pass.

 

[iej]

A lot of this actually stems from a Unilever marketing move in the UK.

When the first enzyme detergents launched in the UK there was an big emphasis put on the new stain busting power of "biological" detergent. It was the new buzzword.

Ariel was the first big push and then Unilever pushed "New System Persil Automatic" which was an enzyme based formulation of the old venerable brand.

A few people in the tabloids reported getting a rash and Unilever basically relaunched their old Persil as "non bio" and ever since the British have had this idea that biological detergent is some kind of horrific Frankenstein product that will irritate your skin of you even look at it across a room.

You could react to enzymes but you would be more likely to react to strong surfactants, perfumes and optical agents etc etc found in these products.

The key is rinsing and detergents typically leave behind their fragrances and conditioning agents that are designed to climg to fabric. The majority of other ingredients will rinse away very easily.

If you've sensitive skin, any detergent could potentially set it off. So really the key is rinsing.

The problem in this market is that "non bio" has become shorthand for "sensitive" detergents and is not necessarily a very good description.

I'd prefer to see hypoallergenic detergents being marketed than non bio

 

[chestermikeuk]

Detergents...

Interesting comments, for me Ariel always rinses clear no probs at all, latest formulation even more, perhaps manufacturers are getting the message that
"ya dont need suds to clean"

Ariel UK is a different formulation to P & G equivalent Tide, when Ive used it in twintubs wringers etc it always leaves the washtub coated in a fine powder something I`ve never encountered with Ariel ...I was told it would never be sold here as it wouldnt pass muster due to the high metalergic content which is prob what dulls the tubs n sinks !!

And here we go again about Persil Non bio and The Housewives of GB, you are right Ariel launched with enzymes then Persil followed suit (they did have a problem with a manganese accelerator) but also it co-incieded with manufacturers making the powder concentrated and they didnt do a good enough education & selling job...and also at the same time Washing Machine manufacturers with new eco rules to abide by drastically reduced wash water levels, again without educating the poor consumer....so new concentrated powder, new low water levels = customer disaster !!

Nowthen The Great Housewives of the UK rose up about their beloved Persil of old being phased out, you know the one with all that soapy goodness and our own bleachy bleaching whitening system which had housewives had come to use and love for decades - and one thing you dont do is "Mess with women who Wesh" ...