AIBU to get rid of the skin care that is bleaching all our towels!

[bleechhhhh]

Recently I noticed that small beach spots have been appearing on many of our coloured towels. We rarely use bleach, only really in the toilets which I couldn’t work out how it was getting on to towels from bathrooms, not toilets (separate rooms) Noticed in DSS’s bathroom that he uses lots of skincare that contain various strengths of hydrogen peroxide. Asked DH to have a chat to DSS about being more careful with it, washing his hands after using it etc.
Still kept happening, asked again and suggested he only picks white towels from the linen.
Went in just before Christmas to clean his bathroom and a whole set of pattered towels were completely trashed by bleach, not just spots but huge areas. He’s obviously using moisturiser with HP and not washing his hands after, just drying them on the towels. Just feel so frustrated, most of our coloured towels have some form of bleach stain.
DH has asked him to apologise, which he’s done and asked to replace a couple of sets from his own money, yet to happen.
DH want to buy a set of white towels and a basket just for his bathroom to stop him trashing anymore. I think he needs to learn to use the product correctly or it goes in the bin! Plus the white towels still get stained, it’s just a faint yellowing which still looks awful, and I’m reluctant to spend money on towels just for him to ruin. I’d prefer him to use the old stained ones, we normally keep for outside stuff. AIBU?

You’re effectively saying to him that towels are more important to you than he is, if you’re asking him to choose between what amounts to a medical treatment for himself and keeping your (his? He is part of your family!) towels pristine.

Just say you don't like your DSS much and be done with it OP.

Seriously though, he's been forced to apologise which is bad enough, but making him buy you new towels and throwing away his skin care products? Ffs, get a grip woman.
My towels are mostly damaged from these products, what with having teens in the house struggling with acne. I'd never dream of saying anything other than a gentle reminder to wash hands with soap after use. It's just towels!

Jesus Christ it's only fucking towels!
Keep nice ones aside for putting out when you want to impress guests and everything else should be fair game

Or change them all to white

Seriously, there's muuuuchhhh bigger things to get stressed about. You'll drive yourself insane

I think step-parents tend to get a harder time than they deserve on MN, but I'm this instance, it does seem quite cruel to want to punish the boy for something so small, and even stop him from using his preferred skincare products.

Just get him to use the old ones, and watch pillowcases too
I'm a fully grown adult and have still managed to bleach a pillowcase with that stuff accidentally and also towels. It happens, and well, it's a towel

This.

Fuck me.

Your DH made your DSS apologise to you?
You want to limit him to just the outside towels?

I wouldn’t worry, I doubt you’ll see him much once he’s older.

This happened to my husband when he used a cream for acne. He got huge orange patches on my grey towels and our pillow cases. For some reason it doesn’t do it to the white towels so just give him his own set of white towels to use.

Your attitude about it seems awful though, even saying “if you can’t use it properly it can go in the bin.” Your poor son!

*edit Oh just realised he’s your STEP son. Your anger makes more sense now.

This.

My DS15 has awful acne and the cream gives him just enough confidence to leave the house. The towel staining is the least of my concerns.

Poor boy.

God there are some nasty women on this thread! It's a towel! The kid is worried about his face at a time when his self esteem will probably be taking a battering anyway.

Just buy some more towels and keep them out of his reach and consider his skin, you know, his actual tea life human body to be more important than something you fry yourself on.

This.

Feel you're being a tad mean. Yes annoying but now you know what's happened leave him to his own towels.
Hope he isn't damaging his skin cos sometimes it's better to use milder products like Liz Earle cleanse and polish rather than making your skin produce too much oil.
Maybe he needs mild antibiotics.
Well done to the lad for trying.
Just buy yourself some lovely towels and keep them where nobody else can get them.
This is one of the least problems you could be having with a teen right now. Poor kid.

yes its very hard to avoid for some reason, it sticks to the skin. one of my sons has ocd and was very, very careful and his coloured towels and pillow cases still got covering in patches, as well as his bed sheets as he sleeps face down sometimes. he's th eonly one that cares though and asks me to dye or replace them sometimes. He actually had 'a green towel' on his christmas list!

I feel sorry for this boy too.

My child has acne anything that works for him even if it bleaches linen is OK with me. They are only towels .

yes, exactly this. The cream gives them a bit of confidence and self-esteem and makes them feel like theyre doing something to help the situation. It does help a bit as well we have found. He probably needs some antibiotics to really help with the acne as well if it's bad.

I wonder how you'd feel if he wasn't interested in his appearance and personal hygiene and walked around smelling of BO and greasy skin instead, like many teens do.

Wow so many nasty people on here. Presumably he’s a teen struggling with his skin. Suggestion for having him pay for his own towels and so on.

Batshit.

My dd has prescribed cream for acne, that did the same, I ended up buying her towels that only she used to dry her hands etc as I was fed up with bleach stains on all my towels

Which are the “nasty women”?
Pretty much everyone has said OP is overreacting and feel sorry for the boy…

My DD just used the bleached towels. They are clean when washed even if the t are bleached out a bit. Allocate him his own towels and stop angsting about it.

I'm seeing mainly support for the DSS? Only one post I think in support of OP which speaks volumes.

I remember my grandad, who must have had acne in the 1930s, saying it's only spots and it doesn't matter. And that was one of the kindest things anybody said about my spotty teenage skin.
Of course it does matter but it shouldn't.
Reading this thread has brought tears to my eyes thinking about these poor lads. Yes I know there's so much going on in the world but it really can knock your confidence.

Oily skin doesn't wrinkle as much later though!

I think you need to start prioritising your son and his wellbeing above the colour of your towels.

This^

Jesus poor kid! You should be ashamed of yourself to be honest.

The G.P and the product itself will tell you these products bleach towels and bedding, even clothes. It’s how they work. 🤦🏼‍♀️

They’re just towels, just give him the ones that are now stained 🤷‍♀️ no need to make a drama out of it.

OP

Now you need to apologise to your DSS

'I'm sorry for being such a cow. Please use this set of already stained towels moving forward. I'm sorry for making you apologise to me. That was really unnecessary, unkind and completely out of order of me. I will try to be kinder and supportive as I am the grown up here. We will make sure the towels are washed regularly so they are nice and clean to help with your skincare issues'

Also make sure he goes to the GP to get proper medication for his acne such as Lymecycline and if that doesn't work move on to Roaccutane

What on earth are you on about

Everyone is on the DSS side