to be annoyed about the new Dettol ad?

[Ilovexmastime]

If you haven't seen it, it's for Dettol Antibacterial Laundry Cleaner. It's basically another scare-mongering ad, implying that if you don't use it in your wash then your clothes will be crawling with bacteria.

It's annoyed me because we are heading into an age where antibiotics don't work properly and in my view we should not be trying to kill 99.9% of bacteria as we need most of them.

Is there any genuine reason why anyone would need to use this? I'm sure most of the population don't.

Genuine question, would it be good for nurses who wash their uniforms at home?
I used to wash my uniform on the hottest wash possible and then tumble dry after every shift (we didn't have access to the laundry at work). I think I would have been tempted to use this product after some shifts, just for extra peace of mind.

But for everyday washing, I don't see the point.
Hot wash for anything with worrying stains.

The idea seems to be you can wash the nappies and underpants and other actually potentially hazardous body fluid contact clothes in cold water, rather than hot as is traditional. Or warm, as the clothing manufacturer's advise. But if your budget is so tight you are avoiding a hot water wash when one is needed, purchasing another product is not a viable solution.

or maybe it's meant to appeal to people who have a nagging feeling that they should be bleaching that underclothing like their gran did, except that underclothes and baby clothes arent always white anymore, nor even cloth nappies!

Yeah, I dont get it.

Thanks Missunreasonable, I still think you're being unreasonable, but judging by your username I won't change your mind . And I know what you mean about the smell, nothing smells worse than my hockey top!

RiceBurner I totally get what you're saying, but I think that the whole antibacterial thing has got to the point where it is genuinely becoming a danger, and if the government banning these things is a step too far then why aren't more prominent doctors/scientists etc speaking up to warn of the dangers? I think that relying on everyone to figure it out for themselves that killing most of the bacteria in our lives is a bad thing is just not going to work.

It's just so ironic that I can sit and watch an ad for Dettol, telling me it's a good thing to kill 99.9% of bacteria, followed by an ad for Yakult, telling me that I need to drink more good bacteria.

Why is it wrong? Instead of parents washing shit covered baby clothes at a high heat which may shrink or fade them while also using more electricity they can use this to clean them properly.

Bacteria from faeces does cause people to become ill and can be very dangerous to those with lowered immune systems (along with a lot of other bacteria).

Resistance to antibiotics is caused by overuse, nothing to do with clean homes.

My house is germ free along with everything in it. Dd doesn't have any allergies because playing outside in the mud exposes her to everything she needs to build immunity.

There's no benefit to living in a dirty, bacteria infested environment, it'll make the healthiest people run down and tired because they're constantly fighting bacteria off, makes weaker people sick with various health problems and is lethal to the immunosuppressed.

Well, we've had it drummed into us for however long that we have to wash at 30 to save the planet, but now we need to buy special bleach because washing at 30 doesn't work. Why not just do the odd hot wash for things that need it. I wash my gym gear at 60 because it's rank. Same with toddler potty training accidents.

"ROFFLE at my house is germ free along with everything in it".

Hard to believe such ignorance exists.

wow, flyaway... And all this happens to people who don't sterilise their washing, you say?

Actually barbarian there is emerging research that a lack if exposure to clostridial bacteria can trigger allergies, so there is some science m.bbc.co.uk/news/health-28887088
Children most at risk are those delivered by c-section, those who spend time in heavily sanitised environments such as SCBU and those who are given antibiotics at an early age. Of course parents have very little control in most of these situations but do have some control in other areas such as exposure to varied bacterial loads and pet ownership (shown to be protective against allergies). Of course it's multifactorial with many genetic and environmental components, but increasing sanitisation may be a problem in some cases

YANBU

It's just so ironic that I can sit and watch an ad for Dettol, telling me it's a good thing to kill 99.9% of bacteria, followed by an ad for Yakult, telling me that I need to drink more good bacteria.

It's different types of bacteria though isn't it?
A bit like when you take antibiotics to kill bacteria that has caused an infection in a part of your body but then you get thrush because the antibiotics heave killed off all the good bacteria as well. Unfortunately antibiotics and bleach etc don't have the sophistication to kill off only the bad bacteria. I know if somebody in my house had norovirus (for example) I would be using laundry cleanser for all the clothing and bedding and would have to sacrifice the killing of the good bacteria in order to prevent the spread of norovirus.
Pretty much the same applies to my gym clothes: I have to sacrifice the good bacteria for the sake of other gym users nasal passages. I have tried washing gym clothes at 60 but it doesn't get rid of the smell and it causes the dri fit material to wear out more quickly.
I'm not a germ phobe though - my house is testament to that!

So much to think about.

My head hurts.

I agree OP. I said the same thing to DH last night. I also said that I suspect if people read the small print at the bottom of the screen, 'Use Biocides safely', they might be less keen... biocide sounds a lot scarier than washing liquid.

Not everything can be washed at a high temperature, or with bleach containing powder so it might be useful for sterilising delicates. Some washing liquids at a low temperature dont kill or remove bacteria.

Please tell me you're joking Flyawaylittlebutterfly. If not, then maybe google definitions of antibiotics and antibacterial. Hint: they're the same.

"It's just so ironic that I can sit and watch an ad for Dettol, telling me it's a good thing to kill 99.9% of bacteria, followed by an ad for Yakult, telling me that I need to drink more good bacteria.

It's different types of bacteria though isn't it?"

No. Dettol doesn't differentiate between good and bad bacteria, it just kills them all, leaving behind only the hardiest. Which then go "wow, look at all the room and food we have all to ourselves", and breed like mad. These new generations of bacteria will have inherited their parents immunity to antibacterial agents (such as antibiotics) and so we can't get rid of them without developing new, stronger antibacterial agents, and so the cycle continues until we can't kill them anymore without nuking them.

Our everyday use of antibacterial agents is actually very harmful to people who are immunosuppressed as they need antibiotics to work more than most of us.

But why do you want to remove the bacteria gentlehoney? That's the bit that I don't get.

Ilovexmastime, if you had vomit or faeces on a jumper or something that couldn't be washed hot.
Nobody would put E.Coli ridden stuff on a low temperature wash would they?

I agree with you on principle as washing at 60 degrees or above kills bacteria. However, a lot people don't know that washing at lower temps (and 40 is standard on many wash cycles these days), don't. I wash everything at 60 or above and I have to say that the Dettol stuff is great for getting ingrained smells out - like sweat in sports kit - and I keep some handy for incidents involving unpleasant bodily fluids.

Napisan does the same BTW. Don't need Dettol.

I think this is just another solution to a problem that doesn't exist.

The only situation I can see when you actually need to worry about bacteria is with poo or vomit. For years I've just poured a bit of disinfectant in the wash with those, it's what I assumed everyone did. I use Zoflora, it gets rid of the smell from running/gym clothes too. I've no idea why we suddenly need a separate, specific product for this.

If I washed everything at 60C it would shrink more than half the wash. Most items need to be washed at 40C.

I hate the way media provides people with a small part of a large story - and then some use this small knowledge as if they know the full story.
Allergy increase is massive - the gut bacteria is part of the issue for some not all ,far from it .
Ignorant people quote simplistic articles and tv documentaries to argue a point . Happens all the time.
Horizon did a shit episode on it and now suddenly everyone's an expert.

No. Dettol doesn't differentiate between good and bad bacteria, it just kills them all, leaving behind only the hardiest.

Did you read my post properly and notice that I said antibiotics and bleach kill all good and bacteria?

Are people actually getting ill from not washing their clothes properly? Is it some kind of epidemic?

Plain old 27p cheap bleach will be fine on a lot of stuff,(like napisan) and any old disinfectant on things that cant be bleached.

Humans cannot live without bacteria. We REALLY NEED them!

And even (most) gut (fecal) bacteria are VERY GOOD for us. They help us process food and also protect us from the less helpful kind of microbes.

thepowerofpoop.com/about/about-fecal-transplant/

So if we KILL all ,(ie 100% of), 'germs', we are not doing ourselves a favour, cos some bacteria might be there for a reason/to help us? And we don't even know which are good/bad for sure yet

eg from today's DM

www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2775609/Is-cure-acne-lurking-ARMPITS-Sweat-eating-bacteria-help-clear-complexions.html

Some obvious exceptions to all bugs=good, of course eg reduced immunity individuals, ingesting bugs which we don't normally host can poison/kill us (eg botulism) and when doing operations, cos 'good' bugs can do damage when they get into the wrong places eg staph aureus on the outside/skin = fine/good, while reproducing inside the body prob = bad.

But in general, we have been (wrongly) told that "bacteria are BAD" when most of them are GOOD ... or even ESSENTIAL.

And re the few which ARE bad, we can probably cope with a lot better with those if we already have a strong immune system, from having been exposed to lots of different pathogens, rather than living in a semi-sterile environment?