Looking for new laundry detergent for sensitive skin and allergies?

@deeppeace On Nellie’s ingredients list it has ethoxylated ingredients which from what I understand with the research is the ingredients that cause 1,4 Dioxane as a bi-product. Nellie’s has “linear alcohol ethoxylate” as the primary detergent. Am hesitant although have heard good things about Nellie’s cleaning power
 
@deeppeace Yeah agreed. Just a list of all detergents without the bad ingredients is all! And I’m sure I not the only one. Instead have to become a detective and spend tons of time researching. This shouldn’t be the narrative…..
 
@ellenp I use Seventh Generation detergent and softener and it works but…
  1. Detergent is not as powerful as let’s say tide, any oily stain on blacks have to be pre-soaked with tide or stain remover for a few hours before washing. I use lavender scented one and no issues. Also, it does work better in warm water or if you do whites then hot water and it does ok job but does NOT fully eliminate let’s say coffee stains from kitchen’s microfiber rag, it’s almost clean but not perfect and slightly visible, adding oxi powder resolves this but I wouldn’t use oxi with dark clothes, it will discolor it.
  2. I wash whites with one scoop of powder detergent from Costco (no fragrance, and comes in a big bucket and lasts forever - works amazing!!!) and also add one scoop of oxi powder (also Costco), in new machine I actually use much less - whites come out amazing and oxi keeps all underarm yellowing from deodorant away! Speaking of machines - Electrolux machines are THE best - no need to pre-soak any whites, including dirty socks - everything comes out amazing but I usually put it on longest, heavy duty cycle for whites(about 3 hours)
  3. Seventh Generation fabric Softener (lavender) is the only softener my skin can tolerate (tried bounce clear, other sheets and many many other softeners and nope - next day I’m all covered with small pimples and red rash, god forbid I wash sheets with that!!!) softener works but you need to put more than suggested and all depends on your washing machine and dryer but it works!
 
@ellenp Out of curiosity, what makes you use laundry detergent as opposed to vinegar? Right now, I'm using apple cider vinegar, baking soda, and occasionally seventh generation dish soap.
 
@ang3ls White vinegar is used as a softener. It’s not a detergent itself. I do use white vinegar in the softener slot and it’s great! It also strips clothes of any left behind washing/soap residue in the rinse cycle. Haven’t used apple cider vinegar
 
@sarahsknight I am realizing after reading this thread that I may be doing laundry wrong. I usually just use vinegar. I was a humanities major, so please forgive me for not knowing about the reaction between baking soda and vinegar.
 
@ang3ls I was also a humanities major, lol.

But yeah… you definitely need a detergent to remove soil from your laundry. Detergent grabs the soil and helps it stick to the water, so you can rinse it all away, leaving your laundry clean. Vinegar is just a very weak, diluted acid; it may help loosen some minerals, but without detergent in the water to help those minerals stick to the water and rinse them away, it may not actually do much to remove them. Baking soda is a base, so it raises the pH of the vinegar (making it less acidic), and I think they just break down into water and salts.

I’m not sure what baking soda even does as a laundry additive, but without detergent to wash it away when you’re done, I’d be concerned it might leave residue. It’s also a skin irritant for many people, so you definitely want to make sure it’s rinsed away.

Dish soap likely has similar ingredients to laundry detergent, but it’s formulated to hand-wash soil off of hard surfaces like pots and pans, whereas detergent is formulated to go in the washing machine to remove soil that’s embedded in fabrics. And you definitely want to use a product that’s appropriate for your washing machine, so as not to damage it. Hand-washing laundry with dish soap is probably fine in a pinch as long as it doesn’t irritate your skin afterwards, but don’t put it in your washing machine.

r/cleaningtips is a really really good place to learn. Also the website For the Love of Clean. But start by reading the use directions in your washing machine manual (and probably also read the directions on how to run a cleaning cycle, since you haven’t been using detergent in it for a while, and there’s probably some soil buildup in there). Then, buy a detergent and follow the directions on the bottle.

I’ll go ahead and warn you not to fall into the crunchy trap of substituting soap for detergent in a washing machine… https://fortheloveofclean.com/laundry-love/homemade-detergent/
 
@ellenp We’ve been really happy with Dirty Labs free & clear. Does a good job of cleaning clothes and keeping them soft, and no one has had a reaction in our house of sensitive skin and eczema. I sometimes throw in a scoop of Branch Basics oxygen boost with it.
 
@ellenp I have very sensitive skin and allergies and my baby has sensitive skin and mild eczema. I use puracy detergent for baby laundry and Tide Free and Clear for mine. I buy a lot of second hand clothes and wash those in a cycle with Persia first.
 
@ellenp I loved ECOS! I moved to EU though and it’s not a thing here. I use Attitude now but it doesn’t have enzymes so I have to take lots of care with stain pretreatment. We have very soft water though which helps
 
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