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!!

[TalkinBoutWhat]

Lavender - I do indeed. There's a few different methods, some easier than others. I have a particularly good recipe/method if you're an impatient sort like me and would like to use your soap asap instead of waiting 4-6 weeks. PM me and I'll give you a few pointers.

[LavenderTrug]

Have PM'd you Talkin

[LoniceraJaponica]

steppemum is spot on. I use to use non bio laundry liquid for sensitive skin, eco balls and low temperature washes, and DD’s eczema got worse and worse, plus the washing machine started to smell. Thanks to the excellent advice on here I bought some Ariel powder and started washing clothes with that instead. My washing machine stopped smelling and a side effect was that DD’s eczema disappeared.

Apparently it was the build-up of mould and bacteria due to not using bio powder and high temperature washes that was aggravating the eczema. We think we are doing the right thing for the environment by using non bio and low temperature washes, but instead you get itchy children and a smelly washer. DD has been eczema free for many years now.

Those of you who use eco balls/eggs etc do your washers never get smelly, or do you do service washes in between washes?

[user789653241]

Lonicera, my ds's allergy doctor recommended washing at at least 60 degrees.

[TrinitySquirrel]

Fairy bloody stinks. Use that.

Makes me want to gag and how people think it must be nice for babies dressed in that is beyond me.

[TrinitySquirrel]

OP are you adding an extra rinse and an extra spin cycle to the end of your wash? We aways gives clothes an extra rinse and and extra spin after that. And if you wash at 40° + all detergent will be removed. Washing at 30° is bloody pointless if you have an energy efficient machine.

[quirkychick]

I only use eco balls on a cool wash. Bedding and towels (or anything particularly dirty) I would use ecover laundry liquid and a hot wash 90°, as it stops the machine getting mouldy . This was on advice of our gp. Seems to work pretty well, you do need to run a hot wash through every so often.

[NerNerNerNerBATMAN]

We had to switch from using ecover and method washing powders to persil- the combination of ecological powder and 40degree washes made the machine and our clothes stink! Took me ages to realise why my eczema had come back!

[deepestdarkestperu]

We use eCover and wash everything except towels and bedding at 40. Towels and bedding all go on at 60.

[TovaGoldCoin]

Essential oils can trigger allergies too.. I can't use several

[user789653241]

I do also do maintenance wash at highest temp.

[venys]

I used to use essential oils and eco balls bit found out that essential oils don't disperse in water, and need a carrier oil or castille soap for that. What you will get is spots of oil if they make it in the machine which could damage clothing as the oils are potent. Also with eco balls , a study by Which discovered that they are the same effectiveness as water - which may explain why my cloth nappies were disintegrating as they weren't being cleaned properly. I know there is an excema website out there which helps find better detergents for sufferers - think it's this www.allergyuk.org/get-help/products/filter/product_type:Cleaning%20Products - I don't have excema but use the Bio-D detergent currently and it's pretty nice.

[ToadOfSadness]

'Natural' additives these days are allergens too, limonene, geraniol, and linalool in particular. They can irritate skin, airways etc. Unfortunately they are used to fragrance most of the household products and also have crept into cosmetics, especially the formerly pleasant Lidl moisturising range which now smells like a tarts boudoir.

Read the labels and avoid the above. Some essential oils will cause problems too and should always be tested on the skin before use, not neat from the bottle but mixed in a vegetable oil first.

[Hotfootit]

I would agree with trying a different brand. Ecover sets off eczema in one of my DD, and Ariel sets off my Dad. I now use Persil which so far is fine.

[pamperedmum]

I've been told that lots of washing liquid and powders are full of fillers and that it's these fillers that don't rinse out easily and aggravate skin conditions. We've been using Norwex washing powder. It's not scented and seems great for sensitive skin. It's eco friendly and free from all sorts of nasties too.

[TwoShades1]

I’m confused, your washing should smell clean providing you are using some form of detergent. If you want your washing to have a certain fragrance that’s a different thing to it being clean.

[DangerMouse17]

Fairy non bio has always been great for me and I'm highly allergic (carry epipen etc). Ariel sends me scratching...

[Yambabe]

In contrast to most of you I only ever use Ariel (bio) alongside lenor or comfort sensitive as scent/sorteners. Most other washing powders set my skin off, Persil is the absolute worst....

[grannytomine]

My husband and son both have problems with most detergents, with son it started at birth and the hospital sheets made him red raw. Persil non bio was always the best for them but I have found Aldi non bio suits them both and works fine and it is cheap. Win, win, win.