Lisa at Home Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 Ds has had a rash we've been fighting for a while now. I just had a "duh" moment and realized the rash is only on parts of his body covered by clothing. Maybe it's our detergent? I wonder if anything free of dies and scents would be enough, or if I need to switch to something like Dreft? I chucked the dryer sheets already, but with not much of a significant change. For the record, ds is a redhead with milk-white skin. What do you use for your sensitive skin family members? ETA- We also have well water, just in case anyone wants to take that into consideration. Thanks, ~Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindy in FL. Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 We have a lot of problems with eczema which can get worse with the wrong detergent. I have been using All Free and Clear with no problems. Hope you find something that works for you! Cindy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ria Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 I've been making my own. You can google it. The ingredients are water, washing soda (found in the laundry aisle of the grocery store), borax, and a bar of soap (I use Fels Naptha). The recipe I use calls for 1/2 cup of the borax and washing soda, 2 gallons of water, and 1/3 bar of the soap. It couldn't be easier to make, and it's very mild. I store the liquid in gallon milk jugs. BTW, this works great in the new front-load washers. :) Ria Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 We too have found All Free & Clear to be the best for my allergic ds who tends to have very sensitive skin. I did try more "natural"/"earth friendly" detergents, but they were some of the worst for ds (though I don't know why). So now I just stick with what works. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cin Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 We use regular tide. All didn't get my clothes as clean. Tide LIQUID caused DH to break out in a full body rash (I just HAD to do the sheets first!) Tide powder doesn't. As an aside, when I called P&G about it, they offered me coupons for free Tide Liquid for my trouble. They are really good about coupons for free stuff, but HELLO????? :001_huh: Forgot to add, Cling Free Softener sheets bother him, but Bounce doesn't. We use vinegar now, so it's a non-issue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa at Home Posted June 20, 2008 Author Share Posted June 20, 2008 :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa at Home Posted June 20, 2008 Author Share Posted June 20, 2008 I've already been that route, and for some reason I just don't care for the stuff. Thanks, though!!! ~Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa at Home Posted June 20, 2008 Author Share Posted June 20, 2008 I was hoping someone would give a nay or yay for it. Too bad it was a nay, though! Two points for All! I'm sorry that I'm all out of rep! :thumbdown: Thanks, ~Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Tara~ Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 We use Tide Free here. I wasn't impressed with All's cleaning power either. I've tried the cheap Purex 'free' version, didn't care for it either. Arm & Hammer also has a 'free' version that didn't click with me. Basically, yeah, I've tried other 'free' versions and have found Tide powder to be the one for us. Clothes are clean, no residue, no itchies or rashes. Oh, I did use Meijer Naturals before and that did fine. I only used it for one, *maybe* 2 bottles though before we moved out of Meijer country. I just prefer the powders, seems to use less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2GirlsTX Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 If you have a top loader: Tide Free Powder(love this, hard for me to find for some reason) All Free and Clear, which is okay but does not clean as well as Tide If you have a front loader: Sears Brand HE powder, the one for front loaders that is perfume and dyefree in a bucket (not a huge bucket, probably one gallon size bucket) but it cleans very well and is not harsh. Consumer Reports rated it well several years ago and we have been using it since then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa at Home Posted June 20, 2008 Author Share Posted June 20, 2008 I'm definitely concerned about clean clothes, as we live in the country. That was my issue with the homemade stuff. I guess I will have to buy small quantities and see what works. Drat! I suspected that! ;) Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa at Home Posted June 20, 2008 Author Share Posted June 20, 2008 Useful info. Thanks! ~Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa at Home Posted June 20, 2008 Author Share Posted June 20, 2008 2 points for Tide powder! I'm sorry I'm out of rep! I appreciate your response. ~Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2legomaniacs Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 I use Tide Free. I have started using vinegar in the softener dispenser. And I get the eco friendly biodegradable unscented dryer sheets too. Works well here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laughing lioness Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 I have serious allergic reactions to most detergents but I can use the bulk detergent from Sams- it's pretty economincal as well. It is called Wind Fresh Super Concentrated Laundry Detergent. The only other "brand" that I've found that I can tolerate is making my own but it is time consuming :) hope you find something that works for your little one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieAir Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 Arm & Hammer is the only detergent I'll use. I have sensitive skin and so does youngest dd. It's also the only thing my brother can use and his skin is even more sensitive. He has to do a second rinse even with the Arm & Hammer. I use half the recommended amount of detergent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serendipity Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 I didn't read all the responses, so I don't know if anyone else has suggested the following. A bit of background...My SIL's girls suffer from TERRIBLE rashes. She recently tried washing everyone's clothing in a mixture of just borax and washing soda. It is has worked so well to clear up her girls' rashes, that she is back to using cloth diapers. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pianoplayer Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 when I was growing up, my older brother had really awful eczema. The doctor told my mom to wash his clothes in Ivory Snow. Of course, mom's reply was something along the lines of, "How do I get my teenage son's filthy blue jeans clean in Ivory Snow?" She ended up having to wash all of his clothes twice--once in Tide to get them clean, and then in Ivory Snow to get out the offending chemicals. It was a lot of trouble, but it made a drastic difference. My observation with others has been that this process involves a lot of trial and error to see what works for your child. Hang in there! I hope you find something that works well.:grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacquelyn in NC Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 My son had pretty bad excema when he was younger, and All Free and Clear worked really well for him. Good luck finding what works for your family! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mooooom Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 It deals very well with b.o. too - I have teen boys...2 of them. When it's really bad I throw some Oxiclean in. Tide is the nastiest stuff out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbie Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 Method is great, I believe all natural, we buy the baby detergent for our sensitive skin. You can buy online, I think Method.com or Target sells it. We buy in bulk. They also have cleaning products. Jet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2g2b Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 Another vote for Arm and Hamour Free and Clear. That is what my son's allergist suggested. I bought my cloth diapers for the next baby from Nicki' s and they suggest A & H Free and Clear as well. Vickie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted June 21, 2008 Share Posted June 21, 2008 We have a lot of problems with eczema which can get worse with the wrong detergent. I have been using All Free and Clear with no problems. Hope you find something that works for you! Cindy I have a terrible time with detergent allergies. I actually can't use all, it breaks me out. I use the liquid Tide Free (it has to be the liquid) or the 7th Generation liquid dye and scent free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa at Home Posted June 22, 2008 Author Share Posted June 22, 2008 You all have been so helpful!!! Crossing my fingers with the washer and new detergent going....... ~Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ahwahnee Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 My sister uses Dreft or non-sudsing ammonia. She has detergent allergies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
summer Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 Do you perhaps use Tide? Because we have used Tide Free for 12.5 years and I used Tide my whole life before that. Then suddenly, this spring, my son and I broke out all over. My mother told me she did too and had to switch. We had to switch too and the rash/hives (looked like lots of little pin pricks all over our bodies) are gone. We are using All Free now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jules in MI Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 he also is allergic to some laundry detergents and we have hard water too, but we also have a water softener. For us, the allergy calms down a lot if we use detergent that is sulfate free. Sulfates can be a common allergen and it is found in many "free and clear" brands. I had to go to a natural foods store to find it. It is sulfate free and fragrance free. Ditch the fabric softener altogether. You probably don't need it ( I NEVER dreamed I'd stop using it myself!) anyway. Our clothes and towels are just fine w/o the added softener. Dryer sheets tend to be more irritating than liquid, FYI. Hope this helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kailuamom Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 I have allergies and since I switched to All Free & Clear (Costco has a big one), I haven't had problems. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elbac Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 I use Charlie's Soap, for other reasons than allergies, but I do believe that's the reason the bulk of their customer's use it. They have customer comments on their website that you could sift through if you're curious to see what some have to say about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa at Home Posted June 22, 2008 Author Share Posted June 22, 2008 Which translates tons of scent! I did decide to try the Tide Free powder first, so I'll just have to wait and see. For the record, his rash sounds similar to what you describe. I guess I am prepared to have to try several different brands. :ack2: ~Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa at Home Posted June 22, 2008 Author Share Posted June 22, 2008 I don't know if the words only sound similar, or if they are actually related. Anyone? Thanks! ~Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa at Home Posted June 22, 2008 Author Share Posted June 22, 2008 :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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