3 Laundry Tips for People with Eczema

Living with eczema can be difficult. Even the most mundane things in our lives, such as picking out clothes, can already be a difficult hurdle for people with this condition. One particular hurdle that people with eczema have to go through is making sure that their clothes won’t aggravate their condition. 

Even if your whole attire is hypoallergenic, if you’re not careful in how you wash them chances are you’ll still trigger your eczema and suffer for it. Fortunately, there are ways to make sure that your clothes, or the way you wash them, won’t aggravate your eczema and here are three tips to help you with that:

Choosing your laundry care products

Despite buying hypoallergenic clothes you can still trigger an allergic reaction if you wash them with detergents carrying harsh chemicals. People with sensitive skin, like eczema, should not be exposed to harsh chemicals, which is why most hypoallergenic clothes, like 100% pure organic cotton clothes, claim that they have not been subjected to harsh chemicals.

So if you’re going to buy detergents or any other product to clean your clothes make sure that they don’t have any harsh chemicals in them.

Here are a few other tips when choosing your laundry care products:

• Make sure that the detergent you’re buying doesn’t have any dyes or fragrances
• Check if the detergent is formulated for sensitive skin and/or hypoallergenic
• Buy liquid detergent instead of powder ones. Powdered detergents have a tendency to leave more residue in the clothes that could aggravate your eczema
• Buy fabric softeners because they are said to be beneficial to the skin
• If your washing machine has an extra rinse option use it to make sure that your clothes are totally clean from any detergent residue
• The National Eczema Association often publishes a list of products that are good for people with this condition so check their site regularly to see what detergent products they’re supporting
• Use soap nuts to clean your clothes. Soap nuts are often made without harsh chemicals in it so they’re a much better alternative to other detergents.

It would be better if you don’t wash your clothes with scented detergents because the chemicals that make a detergent smell good can also be harsh on your skin. But despite this everyone wants his or her clothes to smell great right after it comes out of the washing machine.

So if you really want your clothes to smell nice but you’re scared that it might do more harm to your eczema than good, then try getting some essential oils and sprinkle some of it onto an old but clean piece of cloth. Drop the cloth into the dryer with your wet clothes when you’re about to dry them. The essential oils will stick to your clothes. However, make sure that these oils are hypoallergenic so that it won’t aggravate your eczema.

Wash your clothes before putting them on

Since you have eczema your skin is very sensitive and so you should make sure that anything it touches be clean as a whistle. So no matter how excited you are to try on a new blouse or pants wash it first thoroughly to get rid of allergens that may be in it. This includes any other household item that you often use like beddings, pillows or pillow cases, blankets and even cloth napkins. You should also make sure that the furniture you use is clean from any allergen.

If you bought a new couch make sure that it gets cleaned first before you start using it. Also, it would be better if you choose a couch that’s either leather or wooden because furniture with upholstery are magnets for dust and other allergens that could aggravate your condition.

Clean your washing machine regularly

We often use our washing machine to clean our clothes but we often forget to keep them clean as well and if you or any member of your family is suffering from eczema neglecting to clean your washing machine will only aggravate your condition.

When we wash our clothes in the washing machine there is a build-up in detergent and other chemical in the machine. If we don’t clean them regularly the build-up of residue there will cling to our clothes and sooner or later they’ll trigger a reaction to our skin. So after every wash make sure that your washing machine also gets the cleaning it needs.

That means you take the time to scrub the insides of your washing machine regularly and get rid of any residue that might have stuck in there. Some experts say that washing your machine with vinegar and hot water can do the trick. Washing it down with these ingredients will make sure that your machine won’t have any detergent residue in it. Living with eczema can be difficult but there are many ways to manage this condition that you’ll soon be living your life with as little hiccups as possible.

DISCLAIMER: The information presented on Cottonique is not, and will never be, intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. All content materials found on this site, from text, treatments, outcomes, charts, graphics, photographs, and study findings, are created and published for general informational purposes only. It should not, in any way, be construed as a standard of care to be followed by a user of the website. 

Thus, readers are encouraged to verify any information obtained from this website with other accurate references and review all information regarding any medical condition or treatment with their physician. As Cottonique strives to help those with allergies live with better days, the hypoallergenic apparel brand encourages everyone to always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.