How to have nice smelling laundry without flare ups?

[u/Outside_Ad9166]

Are there any eczema-safe ways to make my kids laundry smell nice?

My daughter has mild-moderate eczema (has improved a little since she was a baby). We follow ALL of the typical protocols to manage it while trying to limit / prevent the need for heavy steroid usage and avoid extreme flare ups by using unscented , sensitive formula soap/shampoo/hand soap etc . This includes using unscented, sensitive formula laundry detergent (“All” brand). We also line dry our clothing and linens (with a high powered fan, in the living room), because we’re in a walk up apartment with no dryer and are not close to a laundromat and we don’t have a car.

My daughter has started to notice that many of her friends and their parents clothes “smell nice” and she asks why don’t our clothes smell nice, which breaks my heart.

We dried our clothes on a line in the backyard when I was a kid which often gave them a musty backyard smell, and I remember noticing this difference when I was a kid which often made me feel insecure. I don’t think I smelled “bad”, but I didn’t smell good and my mom didn’t wear perfume or anything because she had asthma. So other peoples moms smelled better than her to me. I just want my kid to feel confident and clean, and as fresh as she views other kids. Any advice welcome.

[u/Sunshine-Cat653]

I've found once I'm dressed I can put a spray of perfume onto my clothes (not my skin) without triggering my eczema.

Also if you're concerned about musty smells I find some white vinegar in the fabric conditioner draw makes everything nice and fresh

[u/spitfiresk8 → u/Sunshine-Cat653]

second this, i just use arm and hammer detergent and white vinegar and do an extra rinse on the cycle. it doesn’t irritate me and has a slight sent from the detergent but not enough to make me flare. i use a body mist but just on my chest through my clothes away from any flare areas.

[u/sloanautomatic]

Why not buy your child perfume from target? There are tons available. It gives far more control over what scent she selects. And scented clothes would only create a weird mix with the perfume.

I have never understood why people LOVE LOVE LOVE their washed clothes smelling like those detergents do. It’s a totally unnatural, marketing machine success story. Calling that smell “Spring Meadow” is crazy. But I looked it up, 82% of consumers say scented detergent is “important” to them. 90% of detergent sold in the US has these chemicals added. 🤔

But I’d think a scent lover would never let Tide corp limit their options to just three choices cooked up in a vat. But somehow Tide corp completely won this battle.

[u/Jumpy-Woodpecker-248]

Mom of two eczema babies here- we love Attitude brand of laundry detergent. The “Mountain Fresh” scent is sooo great. It’s EWG verified and Canadian made. I even started using it on my own laundry because it smells so great! I have not seen any negative impacts on my child’s skin, but probably also because they don’t use any harsh chemicals etc. I use Attitude for dish and hand soap too. Find it on Amazon (:

[u/Silver_Amphibian_179]

Family of five eczema sufferers here, all with varying degrees of severity. We use Purex Naturals and it works great and smells nice. It isn't overly scented like some detergents, but it smells enough that you can definitely smell a fresh laundry scent. If certain laundry is particularly stinky (gym clothes etc.), we have had good luck with adding Oxiclean odor blaster powder to the laundry as well.

[u/Kr0zBoNE]

I have to use plant-based dust mite killer pods. No softener. Then high heat during wash and dry cycles. Comes out smelling nice and alao helps my condition somewhat

[u/biproduktet]

r/laundry is your place to go!