Is the skin on your arms and legs itchy and unusually red - even though the laundry has just come out of the machine? Then you may be sensitive or even allergic to your detergent or fabric softener! This is usually due to skin-irritating and allergy-causing ingredients that build up in your clothes during washing. In this article, you'll find out how you can easily eliminate this annoying problem!
Allergic reaction to detergent? These are the most common causes!
This is how skin irritation occurs
- Neurodermatitis or allergy
- Harmful fragrances in the detergent
- Residues of surfactants or bleaching agents build up
Many detergents and fabric softeners are enriched with lots of ingredients to make the laundry soft and fresh-smelling. However, in addition to synthetic fragrances, you are also bringing harmful surfactants and bleaching agents into your home, which can cause irritation or even allergic reactions when they come into contact with the skin.
A detergent allergy is caused by deposits of these substances in your clothes, which in turn come into contact with your skin.
With frequent contact, some immune systems react incorrectly to substances that are generally harmless to the body. These reactions are particularly common in people who suffer from allergies or neurodermatitis. In these cases, the body is particularly sensitive to synthetic substances.
If you belong to this group of people, the first step is to pay attention to the materials your clothes are made of. As with detergent, the more artificial it is, the more harmful it is! If you choose natural materials such as cotton, silk or linen instead and wash them with an environmentally and health-friendly detergent, the unpleasant symptoms will soon be a thing of the past!
How do I recognize a detergent allergy?
The symptoms
- itching
- Reddened and dry skin
- Swelling on arms and legs
- Rash and pustules
Many people have an allergic reaction to the artificial substances in detergents and fabric softeners. The result is itching, swelling, redness and even pustules on the skin that appear during or after wearing freshly washed laundry. Ultimately, only a doctor can determine whether this is actually an allergic reaction to your detergent. So if you regularly experience such symptoms, you should consult a doctor. They can carry out an allergy test to determine which substance you are allergic to. You can also identify the problem yourself by changing your detergent to an eco-friendly option. If you notice that the redness subsides, you should only use skin-friendly and environmentally friendly detergent without harmful substances in future.
Allergy to detergent - what now?
If you are sensitive to detergents and fabric softeners, you should always remedy the problem immediately. If you experience unpleasant itching and redness, you can take a quick shower to remove the harmful substances from your body. Then wear airy, comfortable clothing that you have washed with an ecological and skin-friendly detergent. To get rid of such problems in the long term, you should avoid harmful substances permanently and stay away from conventional detergents.
Skin-friendly washing at last: with these 5 washing tricks!
1. choose a detergent without allergens
You can prevent allergic reactions by taking a close look at the detergent label. In future, choose a detergent that does not contain any harmful substances. Look for seals such as the one from Dermatest. The Dermatest seal is an award for independently tested products that come into contact with the skin. Products that have been awarded this seal after testing are skin-friendly and safe. This also includes our wash strips - nonly the best for your laundry and skin.
- Surfactants: are harmful and yet contained in conventional detergents
- Enzymes: used to remove stains are not kind to the skin
- Bleaching agents: make white laundry whiter, but damage the skin
- Fragrances: irritate the skin and are mainly added to fabric softeners
- Silicones: defoam the water and settle in the clothes
2. choose the right detergent for sensitive skin
Fortunately, there are now great detergent alternatives that don't harm the environment or your skin! Unlike conventional products, these detergents contain no artificial surfactants or fragrances and are therefore not only easily biodegradable, but also skin-friendly and therefore prevent allergic reactions! This also distinguishes the super effective washing strips from bluu from other products. They are particularly well tolerated and are also suitable for washing baby clothes or clothes worn by allergy sufferers. Even at a low washing temperature, your clothes will be clean and no harmful ingredients will be deposited in the textiles. Sounds great, doesn't it? And it is!
3. reduce detergent and fabric softener
Most people use far too much detergent and fabric softener for one wash cycle. This often leaves residue in the drum and in the fabric softener compartment, which in turn builds up in the clothes. From there, the ingredients get onto the skin - causing unsightly redness and pustules. So if you use a conventional detergent or fabric softener, you should follow the manufacturer's dosage recommendations and never overdose. Simply use the enclosed dosing aids or switch to better-tolerated detergents - your skin will thank you for it!
4. insert an extra rinse cycle after washing
If you notice that your skin is allergic to detergent, you can also run an extra rinse cycle after the wash. This will thoroughly remove any washing residue from the machine and your clothes. The water dissolves the artificial ingredients and rinses the clothes effectively. However, as this is not a particularly environmentally friendly solution due to the high water consumption, you should only use the extra rinse cycle in an emergency. It is much better to wash immediately with compatible detergents!
5. clean the washing machine regularly
If you want to pay more attention to your skin health in order to avoid allergic reactions to detergents in the future, you should also pay attention to the hygiene in your washing machine. There are often countless residues, bacteria and germs that have accumulated from the numerous previous washes. These also accumulate on the laundry during washing and can cause skin irritation. Therefore, clean your washing machine every few weeks with a special cleaner or with a solution of lemon juice and a wash cycle at approx. 60 °C. This removes unwanted soiling from the machine and leaves your clothes completely clean again when you wash them!
Would you like to give your washing routine an update and wash in an environmentally and skin-friendly way in future? Then take a look at our allergen-free detergent.
