Surcare - good or bad?

[poppyseed]

Can anyone recommend Surcare for preventing exzcema? I used to use Fairy and Comfort Pure and we were all ok until DS arrived and his skin flared up. I have changed to Surcare and although I don't think it gets the clothes clean I will continue with it if it comes well recommended!!

[poppyseed]

so you all found it useless then!?

[ChicPea]

My DS has eczema and I bought Surcare and didn't find that it cleaned very well. Was using Fairy non bio for whites and Persil Soft and Gentle (?) for coloured things. So switched to Ecover and find it good for colours and went back to Fairy for whites with Ecover fabric conditioner. Haven't found any changes have made a difference. The difference has been from the routine - please see Allergies / Four month old baby scratching his head (the one with 18 messages).

[poppyseed]

Thanks chickpea - will have a look at it now.

[misdee]

i find surcare ok. but i tend to wash everything at 60degrees rather than 40, to kill dust mites and also to remove all traces of emoillants etc.
it may be worth just stopping the fabric conditioner for a while to see if that helps.

[Janh]

poppyseed, I have used Surcare for years on and off for DD2 and DS1, both of whom are allergic types - DS1's skin is v sensitive - I stopped for a while but despite only using Persil non-bio liquid his flared up so am back to Surcare laundry liquid and Surcare fabric rinse and it does seem to make a diff, ie he tells me when he's itchy and doesn't when he isn't (he's 15).

Am also using Ecover fab rinse now too - a capful of each (Ecover and Surcare) in each wash.

[poppyseed]

Janh - Why do you use ecover and surcare together? I have never used ecover and don't know whether or not it's scented. I too wash most stuff at 60 degrees, but would be a little unsure about leaving out the rinse as I like my towels soooffffffftttt!

[misdee]

have u got a tumble dryer? i also tumble clothes and never have a problem with hard clothes, they are all soft.

[ChicPea]

Poppyseed, towel manufacturers recommend that you DON'T use fab con as it makes the towels waterproof and therefore less absorbent when drying oneself. The tumbledryer softens towels wonderfully.

[poppyseed]

yes I do tumbledry - far too much as our electricity bill shows! In the good weather I try to shove them on the line outside - except towels, of course! I may be brave and tumble them without the soft rinse then. Thanks for the advice.

[madgirl]

what is ecover? i used surcare for ds but never really sure if it made a difference to his eczema, now ds is 3.5, eczema lots better so use fairy non bio as found it got clothes cleaner, but new baby due in 3 weeks and thinking will go back to surcare, very very interested in alternatives tho.....

[poppyseed]

environmentally friendly range, I think?

[madgirl]

oh ok, do you buy it in reg supermarkets, or is it mail order , or ?>> ()

[madgirl]

i'm not very good at these new emoticons

[misdee]

you can it in supermarket. white packenging i belive.

[madgirl]

right, thanks. by the way, i was under the impression you should never use fabric conditioner when you have eczema around? i haven't used it now for 3 years

[misdee]

i havent used it for around 4yrs either. even the free samples i get either get thrown away or given to people.

[poppyseed]

So if you don't use fabric conditioner, you tumble dry everything to get it soft ?

[misdee]

yup. and i do about 2-3 loads of washing a day!! If i had a washing line (and a garden to go with it) then i would be hanging half out of it out on the line, but i live in a masionette and the if i hang anuthing in the laundry area its likely to be pinched.

[ChicPea]

I use Ecover (clear packaging) as it is environmentally friendly and I became concerned about chemicals when I was pregnant and I could smell loo cleaner and bath cleaner from the other room and I though "What is all this S**T they put in these preparations" and switched.

[madgirl]

chicpea which supermarkets stock it mate?

[poppyseed]

I've seen it in ASDA

[misdee]

sainsburys and safeway as well i belive.

[madgirl]

great thanks, am going to get it. anything to lessen the eczema this summer with ds, and try and avoid it with baby. ds was in park today and it has flared really badly behind his knees- hasn't had any since last summer, breaks by heart to see him scratch and have his sleep disturbed by it.

[laa]

Filetti is expensive but the best I've come accross for DD and DS who both have very sensitive skin. A little goes a long way and I use cloth nappies and it cleans them really well. Both of my babes reacted badly to Ecover.

[Tissy]

we use Surcare because dh has itchy skin- he breaks out with anything perfumed. I can't say I've noticed the clothes not being clean- I think the difference is that you can't smell anything, as there is no perfume, so if you're used to a "Persil" smell, you don't think that things have been washed properly. When I have bought clothes/ nappies for dd from Ebay, I have had to wash them several times to get rid of the perfume- I can't stand it!