Doing the laundry is one of life’s tedious but necessary tasks. His reward is an empty basket and the smell of fresh, clean clothes. However, if you have sensitive skin, doing the laundry can be more than boring; it can also be painful. This is because many detergents contain harsh chemicals that cause people with certain allergies to get a bumpy neon red rash. Known as contact dermatitis, this inflammation of the skin can take you from cool and clean to itchy and uncomfortable before you realize it’s happening.
According to research, contact dermatitis from laundry detergent is rare. That said, detergents with harsh chemicals do your skin a disservice. We spoke to Todd Minars, MD, board-certified dermatologist and owner of Minars Dermatology, to learn more about the role detergent may play in the development of this rash.
Understanding Contact Dermatitis
“The two main types of contact dermatitis are irritant contact dermatitis and allergic contact dermatitis,” says Dr. Minars, “and they behave very differently.” Irritant contact dermatitis is not specific to one person. Chemicals defined as “irritants” will, given enough time and exposure, affect most people. The difference is the threshold. A person with sensitive skin will likely be less exposed to the irritant and may have a more severe reaction than someone with less sensitive skin.
Allergic contact dermatitis, on the other hand, only occurs in people who show an immunological response — usually a red, itchy rash — to a particular allergen. A person who is not allergic can be exposed to the allergen and never have a reaction.
How laundry detergent could trigger a rash
Conversations about harsh chemicals in laundry detergents involve irritant contact dermatitis. However, Dr. Minars says most of the detergent reactions he sees are allergic. After washing and rinsing your clothes, there is very little detergent left. That’s why, he notes, only the most sensitive skin gets irritated. But, if you have an allergy, there is enough detergent residue to trigger an immune response.
A word of caution: washing clothes by hand with detergent involves direct exposure of the skin to the detergent, which box cause an irritant reaction (even if you are not allergic).
Cory Gaskins, BSc, MD, CCFP, director of aesthetic medicine and dermatology at Skin CV, lists three laundry detergent ingredients that can lead to contact dermatitis:
- Benzisothiazolinone (BIT)
- Methylisothiazolinone (MI)
- Octylisothiazolinone (OIT)
Getting to the root of allergic contact dermatitis
“Allergic contact dermatitis due to laundry detergent can be difficult to diagnose,” says Dr. Minars. Indeed, almost all skin reactions are the same: an itchy red rash. Of course, the use of a new detergent is an important clue. An indication of a possible detergent allergy is a generalized rash that mirrors the points of contact between your clothes and your skin, with a particularly severe rash at the “friction points” where your clothes not only touch your skin, but rub against her. Watch your wrists if you’re wearing long sleeves; your back if you sit in a chair most of the day; your shoulders if you’re carrying a backpack.
The armpits are another place where your skin rubs against your clothes (but not the “arch” of your armpits). “When I see a red, itchy rash around the periphery of the armpits that spares the arch,” says Dr. Minars, “laundry detergent allergic contact dermatitis comes to mind.”
The definitive test for any diagnosis of allergic contact dermatitis is patch testing. This, however, has its own challenges. First, it can be difficult to find a doctor who performs patch testing. (Consult the American Contact Dermatitis Society website for a list of patch testers by region). Second, the test itself requires multiple visits to the doctor, which involves wearing itchy patches on your back for several days and making sure they don’t fall off. Dr. Minars says he often asks patients to switch detergents to something like All Free Clear or Tide Free before patch testing, to see if that fixes the problem.
Another tricky part is that changing laundry detergent can take several weeks to show results. Indeed, several washing cycles may be necessary for the initial allergen to be completely eliminated from clothes and machines.
Other ways to prevent detergent from damaging skin and clothes
Zack Kutchma, associate brand manager at Swash Laundry Detergent, explains that choosing a detergent depends on factors such as average load size, different types of stains and hard water. To accommodate sensitive skin, Kutchma advises using a phosphate-free detergent like Swash (Buy on Amazon, $17.99), which is also formulated to fight stains without harsh chemicals. Then, he suggests these laundry care tips:
- Less is more when it comes to detergent. Using too much detergent can reduce your washer’s ability to properly rinse your clothes. This causes detergent buildup on clothes and can lead to contact dermatitis. (To note(See your washer manual or manufacturer’s website for the amount of detergent to use per load.)
- Take good care of your clothes. Frequent washing helps reduce allergens and proper washing limits snags and fabric damage that can irritate the skin. Follow the care symbols on your clothes for advice on water temperature, drying, ironing, and more.
- Wash and dry your sheets frequently. Drying your sheets thoroughly is crucial as it helps kill dust mites that can cause skin allergies. Using the steam and heat settings or ironing your linens can further remove allergens.
- Do not overload the machine. Knocking out an entire load in one cycle sounds great in theory, but your clothes need to circulate inside the machine to get sufficiently cleaned. Instead of filling it all up, separate them into smaller loads and use a concentrated detergent.
One last word
Clean clothes don’t have to come at the expense of your skin. To avoid contact dermatitis, choose a detergent free of harmful chemicals, wash small to medium loads, and avoid using too much cleaner in each cycle.
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