Clothes Cleaning For People With Allergies

Natural Allergy Cures


For people with allergies, there are two main considerations when it comes to doing the laundry. The first concerns symptoms (respiratory or skin) that are made worse by contact with mite allergen; the second concerns eczema, dermatitis, or urticaria that caused or made worse by some washing products.

House-dust mites can survive washing temperatures up to 56ºC/133ºF. Although the mite allergen will be washed out at lower temperatures, the mites themselves will cling to the fabric using suckers on their feet. This is why all bed linen (sheets, pillow cases, duvet covers, and so on) should be made of cotton, which is washable at the temperatures needed to kill the mites outright.

Alternatively, you can add a dilute benzyl benzoate solution to a lower-temperature wash water used for bed linen. The benzyl benzoate kills mites, which are then washed out along with the allergen. Make sure that you follow the manufacturer's recommendations regarding quantities to use.

Benzyl benzoate is generally considered to be safe, but little is known about its effects when used long-term as an acaricide. If you do use it for cleaning bed linen or clothes, you may want to program your washing machine to give extra rinses. Alternatively, you could replace your bed linen with cotton items and reserve the benzyl benzoate for use with items, such as curtain, that are not in constant, close skin contact.

By a process of trial and error most allergic people discover which washing product best suits their skin condition. Whichever it is, try not to use too much, and rinse thoroughly to avoid any potentially irritating residues. If you are experimenting with different products to discover which ones are suitable, remember to rinse your washing machine out thoroughly to remove all traces of the previous one. It is also wise to try any new product on just one or two items first, particularly if the allergic person has very sensitive skin.

Biological washing products contain enzymes to break down proteins, such as milk or blood, that cause stains. People with eczema may find that their skin condition is made worse by exposure to these enzymes (which may also cause respiratory symptoms), and often find non-biological products more acceptable. However, if these also cause irritation, then products labelled as suitable for "sensitive skin" may be a better option, or you could even try old-fashioned soap flakes. Sensitivity to every type of washing product is rare, but if this should occur, try using one tablespoon of washing soda, sodium bicarbonate, or borax per washing load. Another option is a laundry ball, a chemical-free alternative to detergents.

A few people with eczema can tolerate fabric conditioners, but many sufferers find that the perfume they contain irritates their condition. If this is the case, use a quarter cup of baking soda, vinegar, or borax instead.

Many brans of stain remover contain solvent-type irritant chemicals - often indicated by the manufacturer's precautions concerning their use. In addition, they are often highly fragranced. Simple home-made stain removers, based on vinegar, club soda, or corn starch, can be just as effective as these stronger commercial brands.


Natural Allergy Cures



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