Laundry is essential to us: thanks to it and its targeted action, the grime of our clothes and clothes disappears and it only takes drying to wear them again. However, in some people, this daily activity can turn into an ordeal: redness on the skin, pain, itching …

These “allergies” to laundry, in reality to some of its constituents, such as perfumes and softening substances, are not, however, inevitable. Sometimes a simple rebranding is enough to eliminate the symptoms, other times it will require a drastic change in the washing method. In any case, a solution is possible.

Sensitivity or allergy to laundry can be identified at different times: direct contact between the skin and the laundry, diluted in water, or even when wearing clothes.

Itches

Apart from the wool sweater, which can make you want to scratch, the constituents of some detergents can cause itching. The most obvious sign that the origin comes from the laundry is if the signs appear as soon as you wear a garment, or wash your laundry. The itching is then localized directly in contact with the clothes.

Redness

Red, sore streaks on the skin, especially after contact between your skin and the laundry.

Buttons

Rarer, pimples can appear on the skin if the area in contact is very localized. 

Read the labels

New legislative standards force detergent manufacturers to list the various fragrances and other potentially allergenic softeners, as soon as their proportion exceeds a certain threshold (most often of the order of a hundred milligrams per kilo). It is therefore recommended to spot and compare these different substances, in order to more easily identify which ones are causing your symptoms.

Eliminate other possible sources

Laundry allergy is very rare, and can sometimes be confused with other sources, such as beauty or cleaning products. Some of the components can indeed be found in shampoos or soaps, in which their concentration will be much higher.

Prefer powder or capsule detergents (in case of problem with a preservative)

If the cause of your troubles turns out to be a preservative, it is better to opt for a powder or capsule detergent (although less good from an environmental point of view). Indeed, these two types of detergents do not contain preservatives. On the other hand, if the problem does not come from there, avoid powder detergents which can leave more compact residues.

Favor long washes

Short cycles Washing machines, while they save water, also increase the chances of detergent, fabric softener or perfume residue remaining on clothes and causing symptoms. By washing longer, this risk decreases.

Avoid using too much laundry

Since the allergic reaction is proportional to the amount of detergent in contact with the skin, it will be necessary avoid overloading the washing machine with too much detergent.

Double rinse

As a last resort, if nothing works, then we can consider launching two rinses rather than just one. Once again, the idea will be to wash the laundry completely, and get rid of its allergenic impurities.

Example of a potentially allergenic fragrance:

• BMHCA : Butylphenyl Methylpropional

Example of potentially allergenic preservatives:

It is mainly the family of isothiazolinones, capable of causing allergic reactions.

• Methylisothiazolinone;
• Methylchloroisothiazolinone;
• Octylisothiazolinone ;
• Benzisothiazolinone.

If nothing works, then why not go for a lye-free washing method? This will relieve your skin, and also your ecological conscience: indeed the products used in the detergents can be harmful for the environment, according to the place where they end up once in the sewers.

Thus various combinations of natural products are possible. Instead of a fabric softener, you can use a quarter of a glass of baking soda and three quarters of a glass of water, directly in the rinse tank.

“Magnetic” washing balls, essential oils or other grandmother’s recipes are often ineffective for washing her clothes (and can cause other reactions on the skin). However, if one should not fall into the trap of too easy recipes, one should not take the advertising slogans of detergent sellers at their word either. “Hypoallergenic” and other “skin / environment friendly” are often phrases devoid of concrete action. The happy medium lies in the course of a long search, to finally find the most painless way to wash your clothes.