Washing clothes at 40C

[ScotiaLass]

There must be some really evil chemicals in some detergents! I ended up at A&E covered in tiny blisters that just kept spreading until they gave me a course of anti biotics.
It was never confirmed exactly what I was allergic to, but after several lesser episodes of skin problems and experimenting with various detergents, Fairy seems to have solved the problem, so we can only assume that detergent was the cause.

Yes, apparently detergents, washing up liquids etc are the most awful chemical concoctions!
I was itchy and had red lumps all over (not blisters), It was awful
I steer clear of all 2 in 1 type detergents now, but am okay with most other stuff and tend to stick to branded stuff.

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

Yes, apparently detergents, washing up liquids etc are the most awful chemical concoctions!
I was itchy and had red lumps all over (not blisters), It was awful
I steer clear of all 2 in 1 type detergents now, but am okay with most other stuff and tend to stick to branded stuff.

I keep clear of biological detergent after several episodes of discomfort. Persil non-bio works for me

 

[Lullabelle]

I keep clear of biological detergent after several episodes of discomfort. Persil non-bio works for me

We use Persil non-bio. Some detergents have a very strong smell which aren't nice to be honest.

 

[slowmotion]

We use the 30 degree wash quite a lot. It's probably a good idea to do a high temperature wash once in a while to flush out the soap scum etc that can gum up the guts of the machine.

Edit: completely off-topic, but do a really hot wash with your dishwasher every once in a while. We basked in the glory of Planet-hugging smugness for eighteen months while always using the low temperature "ECO" setting. The gizmo got clogged up with sheets of fat that set up home behind the washing compartment panels. The £150 engineer showed the revolting stuff to us.

 

[ayceejay]

Ah but Mort you need the special Assos washing stuff too.
I stayed in the house of a friend briefly after my divorce and was keen that she
should think I was a nice guy as I had just been through the mill being accused
of not being. I came in from work and there was something bubbling on the stove.
:Mmnn that smells good" I (the lying b_stard ) said,
"Oh that" she said, "I have Trichomoniasis and I need to boil my knickers to kill it."

 

[Piemaster]

2 washing machines on this ship, one with portugese programmes, one with english. My lack of understanding of the portugese machine makes no difference as I have no idea with the other one either. I'm actually not convinced about the washing at low temperatures to save energy achieves much as the clothes then usually end up in the dryer and come out almost too hot to handle. Dryer settings - 'DRY'; 'DRY +' and of course if thats not quite dry enough there is the usual setting of 'EXTRA DRY' And when was the last time you saw OMO wash powder in the supermarket?

If I hang one of my boilersuits up it's gets so stiff it's like trying to put on a cardboard box, if it goes in the dryer it shrinks and is a bit tight up the bum crack for the first ten minutes of wearing.

 

[Accy cyclist]

I rarely use launderettes but if i do i check the temperature of the hot water by sticking my finger in it as it fills up the machine, I always check after the stingy git who owned the nearby laundry had cold water running through the hot tap! If it's cold or tepid i don't go back again.

 

[Hill Wimp]

Unfortunatly clothes manufacturers theses day use material that won't survive a decent hot wash at 60 degrees. I have come a cropper many times washing clothes that say 40 degrees on the lable at 60 because i think it needs a good wash. I find M&S are the worst offenders at this.

 

[ufkacbln]

What's wrong with cheesy wet dogs?

Nowt.....

 

[ufkacbln]

Yes, apparently detergents, washing up liquids etc are the most awful chemical concoctions!
I was itchy and had red lumps all over (not blisters), It was awful
I steer clear of all 2 in 1 type detergents now, but am okay with most other stuff and tend to stick to branded stuff.

Even with branded you may not be totally safe

Fake Ariel

 

[ScotiaLass]

Even with branded you may not be totally safe

Fake Ariel

Jeeze!

 

[coffeejo]

My skin doesn't like the chemicals either, but I've never had a problem with Ecover liquid (OT - I also use their washing up liquid). I sometimes wash my white sheets at 60°c but do everything else at 40°c. No complaints thus far.

 

[Globalti]

Unfortunatly clothes manufacturers theses day use material that won't survive a decent hot wash at 60 degrees. I have come a cropper many times washing clothes that say 40 degrees on the lable at 60 because i think it needs a good wash. I find M&S are the worst offenders at this.

It's probably the other way around - clothing manufacturers know that consumers are feeling pressured to wash at 40 so they are making clothes to suit.

The problem is that 40 c isn't hot enough to kill bacteria. It needs to be 50 c. So clothes are not really getting cleaned, even though detergent is a hostile alkaline environment with some enzymes thrown in for good measure. Your clothes may emerge smelling nice thanks to clever perfumery but leave them somewhere warm and damp and you might as well give the bacteria a big bed and tell them: "go multiply"!

As with paint and flavours and perfumes, it's possible to formulate a huge variety of different qualities of detergent. Cheap detergents will contain lots of fillers and not much active material whereas fancy brands will be loaded with additives including very high quality perfumes. Fabric care perfumes are going further and further up-market, it's eau de toilette for clothes now, some perfumes are even encapsulated in tiny beads of resin. Typically the perfume will contain 30 to 50 ingredients at tiny dosages and the use of these is strictly governed by an organisation called IFRA but if ten million people use a product it is certain that a dozen will be allergic or react in some way to one of the perfume or detergent ingredients though as with everything, it's a question of acceptable numbers.

 

[Elybazza61]

Nearly everything gets washed at 30 in either ecover or surecare and the machine gets a clean every so often with some machine clening powder(can't remember what it's called).

For the gore-tex,Sportful no-rain and windstopper gear we use Waitroses liquid for waterproof garments and no conditioner is put in with any cycling stuff.

Some of our neighbours use loads of smelly conditioner,you can smell it wafting in on the breeze;smells really yucky like those nasty home air fresheners.

 

[coffeejo]

The problem is that 40 c isn't hot enough to kill bacteria. It needs to be 50 c. So clothes are not really getting cleaned, even though detergent is a hostile alkaline environment with some enzymes thrown in for good measure. Your clothes may emerge smelling nice thanks to clever perfumery but leave them somewhere warm and damp and you might as well give the bacteria a big bed and tell them: "go multiply"!

Gosh, my clothes must be crawling with bacteria, especially as they're dried on the radiators and on racks in the winter. Must be why I'm always ill. Oh, wait...