by Janet Trieschman

Created on: November 12, 2008   Last Updated: March 17, 2011

Wear Protective Gloves To Do Laundry!

What laundry detergent do you use? Is it safe? I used to use Tide. I don't anymore. I didn't want to provide the opportunity for it to harm my children. Am I being crazy? See for yourself. Try holding a handful of the stuff in your hand and see how long you can hold on before it starts to burn. Do you really want this touching your kid's skin?

Detergent remains in clothing after washing. It can irritate your skin. So much detergent remains, you can actually wash clothes without adding detergent because of the extra product that remains in your clothing. It will wash the load of laundry without adding additional detergent.

Here is what I found out while searching on laundry detergent. The warnings are as follows: Keep out of reach of children, Product is an irritant, avoid contact with the eyes and wear protective gloves (rubber, neoprene) for prolonged direct contact, May be harmful if swallowed, Store in a dry location to avoid dispensing problems.

How much is prolonged exposure? If you do laundry every week over time is this prolonged exposure? Should you be wearing protective gloves to do your laundry? Having excess in your clothing, is that prolonged exposure? Having it touch your skin on a daily basis prolonged exposure? I'd say so.

While not all detergents are the same, some are powder, some liquid, some contain bleach others are "free" of irritants they all seem to have the following warnings. All detergents regardless of the material structure need to be disposed of according to MSDS regulations that state small quantities can be released into sewer and septic followed by large quantities of water. Larger quantities may be disposed of in municipal landfill where allowed by law.

Here is what I found out about acute health effects:
Inhalation: Heavy or prolonged exposure to product dust may cause transient respiratory tract irritation resulting in coughing, sore throat, wheezing or transitory shortness of breath. This is in regards to laundry powders not liquids.

Skin Contact: Prolonged or frequent contact may result in skin irritation. Consider what is left in your clothing after washing. Both liquid and powder

Eye Contact: May cause mild transient irritation resulting in stinging, tearing, itching, swelling, and redness of the eyes. Consider sleeping on pillowcases and sheets that are laundered. Both liquid and powder

Ingestion: May cause transient gastrointestinal irritation resulting in nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Consider a small child who chews on their clothing or a blanket. Both liquid and powder

You can check warnings at this government site: http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/products.htm

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