ASTHMA SUFFERERS PLEASE HELP: Chemical Free DETERGENTS, Laundry products, etc please. My DH may be asthmatic

[ecoverpoisoning]

Had a long talk with my dh yesterday evening, after he have suffered severe coughing fits the last two weeks, where he sounds like he is suffocating, and generally wrenching his guts out. There is no phlegm, and no temperature, he is otherwise well. He says, he cannot breathe, it feels like there is some cold air in his lungs that he cannot get out. He rang the out of hours surgery yesterday morning, the nurse said it sounded like he has asthma. He hang up in shock.

Now it turns out that he feels really bad everytime the house is cleaned, it is burning his lungs. The last two weeks I have descaled the coffee maker, the washing machine and the dishwasher. Lots of chemical fumes has been created.

He does not appear to react to normal washingup liquid.

Does anybody have any experience of this?

Can anyone recommend any good chemical free detergents I can use for cleaning the house and clothing that will not have such bad effects on his chest?

Grateful for any replies, dh is devastated to the point of being very surreal about this.

background

As everyone in our house has either asthma or eczema I use alternative cleaning products. Try the melaleuca range of cleaning products, available on line. Everything from washing-up liquid to laundry detergent etc. The products are based on tea-tree oil, so don't buy if you are sensitive to this.

If melaleuca products are too strong, try the Wash-It laundry ball or soap nuts from Lakeland.

I dust with microfibre cloths and a spray bottle of water with a bit of lavender oil in. I'm considering buying some E-cloths from Lakeland though, because the write-up on them is v. positive and they are very versatile and you don't need to use anything other than water with them either.

Cut out the use of all aerosols, if possible. They always trigger a coughing fit in me. Hope this helps.

I use ecover products, my ds no longer has eczema aswell. It's recommended that you don't use air freshner. I open ds's windows every morning and pull back his quilt to air his bed. Sometimes they grow out of it aswell.

I dont use any aearosols, no air freshner, no furniture polish. The only thing we use is Cif spray in the shower, washing up liquid for dishes and the surfaces in kitchen, and a multipurpose wash for the floors, such as flash or ecover.

Sounds like you are doing a fantastic job.

i get a bit wheezy with cif...wondering if, cos you are using it in the shower it is mixing with steam and getting right into his lungs ??

I know that my local haelth food shop sells alot of totally natural products based on orange oil that are supposed to work great.

your poor DH must be grim.

It is very important he sees his GP to get this checked out properly. If it is asthma induced by certain chemicals then yes he needs to try and avoid them but he also needs the appropriate treatment and medication so that if he does come up against them again he can control the symptoms.

It can be done I am an asthmatic and have been for nearly 20 years It took me along time to accept I had a problem I am a nurse nurses do not get ill and certainly do not have to use equipment they use on patients do they? Well they do, as do men who go to the gym and keep themselves fit. I have had bad times where I could hardly walk up the road. It is so well controlled now I use nothing unless I am going into a situation which I know could irritate it or I am coming down with a cold. I cycled played hockey walked... all since I was diagnosed with asthma it has not stopped me.

Uncontrolled asthma is life threatening, even in a fit healthy adult, it is important that he controls this and does not let it control him like he sounds like he is now. Mainly for the sake of the kids they need their Dad.

myself and DD1 are asthmatic and I use comfort pure and persil non bio for washing.

Dishwasher tends not to affect us, we dont use furniture polish or sprays to clean. I use ecover washing up liquid and as an air freshner we use the puresse allergen free stuff which is quite good and doesnt seem to trigger any attacks.

Any major cleaning like ovens etc we do with doors and windows open and not as often as they should be