Tide Free or Downey Free

[Deleted]

Anyone use them? Would they publicize it if they changed the formula? I can't seem to find any info.

Ive had hives for a week and can't seem to isolate the issue...

[wvugurl26]

I'd call them and ask. Not sure if they would publicize it.

I just started with the Tide Free so I can't say.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

Tide Free made Gwen's excema flare up.   All Free & Clear made her flare up too but I have no problems with it.

Never tried Downey Free & Clear

I use Purex Free & Clear.  Recently discovered Era Free & Clear works for both of us.


I'd switch and see if the hives disappear. 

Have you been using any new body washes/soaps lately?  If so stop using those and switch to plain Ivory.

[Deleted]

No. Nothing new. My mom thinks its tomatoes, but I haven't touched one or a plant since Sunday. The hives are just as strong now, keep reflaring and I'm getting annoyed. Sigh.  I might just call... Palm to forehead... 

[kittensaver]

Have you considered ditching commercial detergents completely and making your own? It's not necessarily cheaper, but you can control what goes into it and there are no "mystery ingredients." Mystery as in: the label say "fragrance," and when you contact the company for details they won't give you any because their formula is a secret protected by patents .

A quick internet search will turn up dozens and dozens of "recipes." My personal favorite is: one bar of castile soap, grated very fine, 1.5 cups of baking soda, 1.5 cups of borax. Mix well and store in a covered container, mixing again each time you use it. 1/4 cup should be enough for an average load. If the clothes are heavily soiled I add an additional 1/4 cup of washing soda or 1/8 cup of borax. But this is only one recipe - - there are MANY out there, so go with your gut instinct when selecting one to try.

I have MCS so I stay away from commercial products, even "fragrance free" products. Did you know that "fragrance free" products most often have a fragrance added to them to mask the smell of the ingredients?

Good luck whatever you decide.

[Deleted]

Have you tried a second rinse?  Maybe even washing them and them RE-WASHING them without detergent and a second rinse?

I don't have detergent allergies, but I do this sometimes when I wash something that "might" have contacted something like poison ivy.

[Works4me]

Regarding the need for a second rinse - got a new washer last yerar and discovered the rinse cycle only fills anout 1/3 of the way max to rinse an entire load of laundry! I now try to catch it as it goes to rinse and re-set it to wash for a full water rinse. I guess that is why the new machine had so much better water usage ratings - I bought it because it matched the dryer almost exactly and wanted matching appliances as I plan to sell this house in a few years.

I have Lupus and very sensitive skin so the short rinse cycle just does not work for me.

[chiver78]

I don't, but I'm hypersensitive to fragrances all-around. I use Woolite for everything, and haven't had a problem in a long damn time.


gentle <hugs>

[Deleted]

I'm actually surprised I've never gone more'natural' for laundry, but then these have always worked with no issues... A big deal for me. 

I don't know. I'm going to avoid tomatoes, but I think I will extra rinse ll of my clothes just to e sure. It's really starting to get to me at this point, all the itching and skin yuckiness... Sigh. It could be worse i know. But I wish Benadryl didn't make me so sleepy/spacey..

[sesfw]

I use Tide as detergent but use vinegar for the rinse.  My skin is fairly sensitive and the vinegar seems to get the soap residue out.  I put it in the additive container.

[Peace77]

Have you had anything to eat or drink with sulfites in it?
Possible culprits include salad mix, sliced apples, or wine.

[Deleted]

I keep a food journal. No sulfite a or nitrates, unless naturally occurring. It could be contact or something I ate. I have had more rice and tomato products this month than usual... And picking, prepping lots of tomatoes. My mother gets a rash from them, and can't eat them... I have t touched one in a few days though, and the hives are still going strong/ reemerging. And all over now. Why I was wondering about my clothes.

its been a long long time nice I had them this bad. 

[Deleted]

Sept 17, 2013 15:28:04 GMT -5 oped said:

Anyone use them? Would they publicize it if they changed the formula? I can't seem to find any info.

Ive had hives for a week and can't seem to isolate the issue...

I cannot use Tide free.  Even though it is supposed to be free of dyes and stuff...I still break out with hives.  I use the Arm& Hammer Free and clear.  

I don't use fabric softener so I have no clue about the Downey.

[Peace77]

I don't use fabric softener either.  I use All Free & Clear.  I mentioned sulfites because the last time I got hives it was from eating sliced apples from McDonald"s.

Have you eaten out?  Perhaps you ate something prepared on the same cutting board where tomatoes were cut.

[MarleyKeezy78]

Are you wearing anything different? Wool when worn close to my face can make me get hives. I love wool but must wear something under it so it doesn't touch my skin. I also get random hives on my face for whatever reason all the time   About six years ago over xmas break I broke out in head to toe hive for two days and had to go to the dr and get a shot   Now the random hives are the norm. Has it been cold where you live, that can cause them so sometimes. They are sneaky little suckers 

[tractor]

Tide always makes me itchy. Back in the day, even my girlfriends mom had to switch detergent as touching her daughters cloths made me itch. Looking back, I have no idea why she decided to do it?

[wvugurl26]

Sept 18, 2013 6:05:04 GMT -5 tractor said:

Tide always makes me itchy. Back in the day, even my girlfriends mom had to switch detergent as touching her daughters cloths made me itch. Looking back, I have no idea why she decided to do it?

She must have deemed you a nice young man

I use the second rinse setting on my washer. I see a lot of people mentioning problems with Tide but I've always used it. I don't use the crazy scented ones though. I cannot use Dreft or Snuggle.

[zibazinski]

Strawberries do it for me, as in if I eat a lot of them. Ivory soap in any form makes my sink break out.

[zibazinski]

Skin.

[973beachbum]

Sept 17, 2013 22:03:14 GMT -5 oped said:

I keep a food journal. No sulfite a or nitrates, unless naturally occurring. It could be contact or something I ate. I have had more rice and tomato products this month than usual... And picking, prepping lots of tomatoes. My mother gets a rash from them, and can't eat them... I have t touched one in a few days though, and the hives are still going strong/ reemerging. And all over now. Why I was wondering about my clothes.

its been a long long time nice I had them this bad. 

I think you should go see your family doc.  While I understand people with allergies don't necessarily make a big deal I think a week with you not knowing what you are reacting to is starting to sound scary to me.  Most people get worse reaction not better to repeated "touching" of allergens and I wouldn't want it to get more serious than itching and annoyance.

I have a strange question.  Have you had, or been exposed to, a cold virus, or the flu lately?  I know it sounds strage but the body can react to the protiens in the viruses in a strange way that actually comes out like it attacting an allergen causing hives.

[bookkeeper]

Stress can also bring on a case of the hives.  Any new problems or old dramas that are causing you worry? 

[formerroomate99]

It may be things outside your control.  Allergies are culmulative in nature.  Where I am, we're having a particularly brutal ragweed season, which along with causing sinus issues, is also making my skin more sensitive to everything and my food allergies more accute. 

In some cases, a common cold virus can cause a person to break out in hives.  It's more common in kids, but not unheard of in adults who have always lived in a clean house (which is something someone with allergies would do).  I once caught a cold and broke out in hives.  Both the cold and the hives went away in 3 weeks.   

[Deleted]

I went to doc yesterday. She confirmed it was a histimine reaction, we discussed some if my thoughts, but ultimately she said, its either contact or something you ate... Always helpful. She wnted me to go on prednisone... Which I don't tolerate well. I'm keeping benedryl for now. Today is the first day I can massive/continual dose, because that makes me sleepy. 

But ultimately finding the culprit is better than just dosing.

im washing all my clothes sans detergent in the sanitize mode today.

I Don't feel more stressed than normal. It is busy here. I did have hives the week before I started college and when I was pregnant with son that were bad episodes never explained by anything and so might be written off as stress? ... So not unreasonable to consider. 

I'm hesitant to mention this, as it shows how non YM I've been lastly, but I did replace the couch a few weeks ago. I would think if I was having problems with the material/something it was treated with, it would have happened when we first got it? Anyone have experience with that? 

[bookkeeper]

Formaldehyde is used in the manufacture of fabrics.  Many people are sensitive to it.  It gives the upholstery fabric a nice finished "feel".  If you had the couch treated with a stain resistant finish, you may be sensitive to that as well.  Try putting a nice soft cotton throw on the couch and see if the itching subsides.

Many times people underestimate environmental allergies due to carpet, fabrics, paints, etc.

[michelyn8]

I've learned over the years that differenct soaps/shampoos/detergent seem to work differently in different "types" of water.  I had a shampoo I used for years and years when I lived in my current town but when I moved to a house in a different part of the county that had well water, it started leaving a residue.  The next house in yet another area but still well water caused the same thing but now that I'm back in town in a newer house I can use it again.  I had had to start using salon shampoos at home but when I went to stay with the BF who also had well water but in a different county and 40 miles away both types of shampoos left more residue. 

Same deals with detergents.  What I could use on well water doesn't always do as well on town water.  Where I live does have a high mineral level so I'm pretty sure that contributes to the issues but I've also heard that it is also why we have so many people in our area living into their mid-late 90's. 

I've got a newer washer and I made sure to get one that allowed me to set the water levels.  In my research I found that the HE washers (including top loaders) gauged how much water was needed for wash and rinse with sensors.  Not for me.  I like to set the water level one size higher than the load I'm washing so I can be fairly certain all the detergent gets out.  After the last water bill, I stopped doing second rinses on all loads and only do them on certain clothes.  I tend to stick with Woolite because its the only thing I've found that keeps the cheaper Old Navy and Walmart shirts I buy from wearing out to fast and the Woolite dark helps keep the spandex in my jeans from breaking down so quickly.  I used Arm & Hammer on my towels and socks though and Bounce dryer sheets.  So far, thankfully, no adverse reactions in me, DD2 or the DGD.