to think I might be exuding some weird chemical?

[OddProblem]

This sounds like an odd problem, but I am hoping some of you (perhaps slightly sweaty menopausal) ladies may understand what I mean...

I am not menopausal yet, but I do seem to sweat a lot at night sometimes- I can wake up feeling distinctly damp, and not ina good way.

The thing I have NEVER heard talked about in real life, is that my coloured duvet covers are actually starting to look, well, bleached. Is sweat really that toxic to fabric? It's all round where I snuggle the duvet round my neck. The colour is just coming out of the duvet cover.

Now, I feel a bit yuck to admit to this- but what is going on? I change the sheets about once a week. When I remember.

How strange could be your deodrant??? that can change the colour of fabric sometimes?

Maybe you just need to change the bed more often? You can't beat lovely fresh sheets anyway. I don't know- maybe you sweat bleach?

Your sweat could be slightly acidic so it's fading the sheets?

You should really see your GP if you are having night sweats, there could be a medical reason for it so it should be checked out.

dh and FIL have similar problems
their sweat bleaches socks and rots leather watch straps

there was also a thread re people whose fanjos bleach black knickers...

The bleach knickers is caused by ammonia in concentrated wee, means the wearer is dehydrated and needs to drink more.

i was thinking ammonia too, which is not really a great thing to be emitting in large enough amounts to bleach sheets. I'd have a chat with the GP...

Do you put any creams on your face before bed? DP uses benzyl peroxide and that bleaches his tops around the neck.

When I started going through the menopause (it was pretty obvious that I was given that my very regular periods pretty much faded away over just a few months), one of things that I noticed was that the odour of my sweat changed quite noticeably in that it was very different and, for a while, quite strong.

Hormonal changes at the menopause can be as extreme as they are at puberty, so it wouldn't be at all surprising if the effects of those hormones show up in unexpected ways. And as we're all individuals, those hormonal changes can have different effects. I spent years scrubbing away at my armpits in the shower every day, and almost power-spraying with deodorant.

As for the bleaching effect, that's something I've been aware of since when I was young. (TMI alert!) Black panties always ended up with a bleached area in the gusset, and I could never wear any jewellery other than gold/silver/stainless-steel. Anything other than that meant I ended up with black marks on my hands and an unpleasant smell. Some people's secretions are probably more acidic/reactive than others.

Oh god- maybe you are going to be one of those weird spontaneous human combustion cases you read about? That's meant to be to do with ammonia

Well, you're probably right BoF, it could well be all to do with ammonia. (But, I'd like to claim the Mumsnet Bleached Panties Award.)

As far as I know, I haven't spontaneously combusted. Yet.

I've been going through phases of terrible night sweats where I wake up with my lower portions and legs literally dripping - and no, it's not wee, in case you were wondering! I am not quite menopausal yet, (nearly 44) but I think I've traced mine to coinciding with ovulation, as I don't get them all the time. No bleached sheets but as mine are all white it's hard to tell! Are you sure it's you that's bleaching them though? I've noticed lots of bleach type marks on some of our coloured towels. They've appeared for no apparent reason. I wonder if it's the very concentrated liquid washing detergents that go in the machine with the washing - it takes a while for them to dissolve in the water and I'm sure that's what's doing it.

interesting - my stainless steel watch strap causes dark grey / black marks on my arm - not dirt. what's that about?

Lol at all these mysterious staining troubles

TiggyR, can you be sure that nobody is wiping their wee parts on them?

Night sweats should be discussed with a doctor, people.

Could the marks be salt from your sweat building up in the sheets?

Why should we consult a GP - is it likely to be anything other than pesky almost-middle-aged hormones?