Aibu to add oil to my washing?

[Goodbuycat]

4 of 5 DCs have allergies to biological washing powder, as well as OH. I love the smell of clean washing, so was thinking I could put a couple of drops of tea tree and lavender oil in the detergent drawer with the detergent, just make things smell nice, without turning the house into a scratch fest. AIBU in thinking this would work? Or, is it a completely mental idea? Don’t want to knacker the machine!!

Why arent you using non bio powder? I use persil as we have exzma in the family and no fabric softners - clothes smell lovely.

Essential oil in clothes is fine. But, what's the point in putting in the detergent drawer? You're just going to rinse it out.

Put a drop of essential oil into the fabric softener compartment so that it goes through the rinse cycle. My favourite fragrance combination is lemongrass and tea tree oil (I use it in soap, not in washing though).

Use Fairy sensitive or something similar designed for allergies and sensitive skin. A few drops of essential oil just masks the smell of what is essentially still dirty clothes

Actually some essential oils do have anti microbial properties so would destroy the bacteria that cause the smells e.g. tea tree and lavender funnily enough

you may get oil matks on clothes.

can I suggest something?
I heard a dermatologist talking on radio 4. He was saying that we are the only country in Europe that sells non bio powder, and many people think that they cannot use bio powder as they are allergic to it.

He said that actually it is much more likely that people are reacting to the perfumes in the powder than the enzymes. If it were the enzymes, then the incidence of topical exzema would be much higher in France/Germany etc than uk and it isn't.
When bio powders first came out it was very very different to the powders we have today, and then it did cause reactions in many people, but that powder is worlds apart from what is sold now.

I’ve done this recently with orange essential oil. It’s lovely and doesn’t knacker the machine.

But yes, put it in the fabric softener drawer 🙂

can I suggest something?
I heard a dermatologist talking on radio 4. He was saying that we are the only country in Europe that sells non bio powder, and many people think that they cannot use bio powder as they are allergic to it.

He said that actually it is much more likely that people are reacting to the perfumes in the powder than the enzymes. If it were the enzymes, then the incidence of topical exzema would be much higher in France/Germany etc than uk and it isn't.
When bio powders first came out it was very very different to the powders we have today, and then it did cause reactions in many people, but that powder is worlds apart from what is sold now.

I've seen similar said about the US who apparently don't have non bio either.

Depends how severe the eczema is, personally I wouldn't as both of those trigger mine despite being 'natural'. Can you look for a different powder, there's quite a few out there. We use Simple but there's loads more, I know what you mean about missing the 'clean' smell though.

Talkin do you make your own soap? I would like to try, but it looks complicated and hard work!

I have eczema and Bio sends it CRAZY. Just use non-bio like Ariel 3-in-1 pods and add something like Comfort Pure softener into the machine drawer.

My dd's often have eczema, so I use ecoballs plus tea tree oil on a cool wash *eco balls leave no smell) and just use ecover for a hot wash.

Wait nowhere else sells non-Bio? ... well there go my dreams of living abroad. Nope Nope Nope.

Sorry for typos: dds and (eco balls leave no smell)

I thought modern non-bios were extra strong to compete with bios so generally not a good idea.

We use persil non-bio and don't use fabric conditioners at all and have lovely smelling clothes.

I don't think the oils would damage the machine in any way if you do want to try that.

Different brands set me off scratching my skin off. Ariel being one of the worst offenders. I can, however use either Bio or Non-Bio Persil with no problems, so maybe it's a change of brand required rather than the bio/Non Bio thing.

I agree with trying differnt brands. My Mum and her family react to certain brands but others even bios they don't - they don;t genrally have excame issues it's just washing powder and a few face creams that cause problems.

We tried some other non-bio I forget which - and Ds reacted so stick to persil non bio as we know that's fine for him.

Another for eco-balls and essential oils.

It is the perfume in bio powders that cause most reactions.

Bio / non bio isn’t used as a term in the US. They use enzyme vs enzyme free / natural.

If you have sensitive skin, don't add oil to the washing.
I have no problem with the bio powder I use but tea tree oil makes me flare up in eczema.

As others have said, why not just use non-bio?

Do not use Fairy! I don't know what they put in it but it makes 3 of us flare up horribly. Never again! Interesting about the bio powders not necessarily causing allergy though. Not sure I dare try it. Anyway, we find Surcare works well but I like the idea of an essential oil fragrance.

Presumably she is using non-bio!

when i was on holiday in italy i noticed they have 'natural' washing liquids so there are definitely non-bio things available it is just not marketed as non-bio.

Nowhere does she say she is not using detergent!

Can't any of you read?

"lavender oil in the detergent drawer with the detergent " - my italics.