being the meanie again

[rootofnewt]

I'm going to have to start enforcing the no-stinkiness-rule. I've been letting it slide because I dislike offending friends, but let's face it--I'm too damn sick to be able to afford massive reactions like this. Why should I LET my friends make ME ill? I shouldn't.

If you use scented laundry detergent and fabric softener and I can smell it from two feet away, you will not come in my house. Period. No overnight stays, either.

Some of my reactions are due to chemical toxicity, some of them are allergic in nature.

Some hints about doing laundry:
the less detergent you use, the better off you'll be. Really. a quarter of the recommended amount *WILL* get your clothes clean. what's more, if you don't use as much as the manufacturer recommends, you won't need fabric softener. if you normally use, say, Tide or Cheer, and you normally use the full amount, do an experiment for me--toss some towels (used or clean) into the washer without ANY soap or softener. start your normal wash cycle. open it up about halfway through the agitation cycle. you will see suds. you might see LOTS of suds. that's residual detergent. Ew, right? Sometimes, you'll see this after a SECOND rinse, to boot.

Fabric softener... this stuff is basically just lubricant. it leaves a layer of goo on your clothing so that your stuff *feels* smooth. why do so many people think they need it? well, because residual detergent left in textiles makes them feel stiff. so, instead of suggesting we use *less*, the manufacturers invented more chemicals to use. in reality, dirt and dust stick to this goo, so your clothing looks dirtier more quickly. you see where this is leading, right?

I use All Free&Clear. it's not safe for everyone and I don't use it on all of my stuff. I use about a splash per load. Sometimes I double rinse. Instead of using softener, I fill my fabric softener cup (part of my washing machine) with plain old grain-distilled white vinegar. vinegar helps ensure that all the soap residue is removed from the clothing. as for static--if clothing isn't overdried, it's not terribly staticky.

Other wash aids:
Washing Soda - this can help get gritty dirty stuff out of clothing
Borax - helps get rid of mildew and mustiness--great for loads of towels
Baking Soda - can be used instead of vinegar as a fabric softener
Salt - great for removing sweat smell
Dry milk - I use this to soak clothing or sheets which have been contaminated with fragrances. It works for most things, but not for Walmart Stink, nor for Febreze, which is EVIL. Sometimes I have to soak and rinse things several times before I get the stink of Tide out of sheets someone has used.

You know what else? My methods *work* AND they're far cheaper than buying even walmart brand stinky evil.

I'm willing to work with folks, really. If you absolutely want to come and cannot guarantee unstinkiness, I will provide you with clothing, provided you're close to our size. Or you can bring clothing in a plastic bag and toss it into our washer, where we will do our best to make it stench-less. You, yourself, will go straight to the shower, where you can scrub yourself with stuff we provide. Some of it is subtly fragranced with herbs and spices. Some of it is turpentine. I reserve that for open wounds. I can't be responsible for any aggressive behavior on my part if you enter my house reeking of something which will cause my brain to react in a way that makes me violent.

Comments

[silent-muse.livejournal.com]

What would strike me as really funny is if the soap you use is amongst the millions I am allergic to. . .

[krasota.livejournal.com]

i know a few who can't use our laundry detergent. the biggest problem with most, though, is the fragrance. Tide is the exception--even scent-free Tide makes me react.

as for shower soap, we have oatmeal soap on hand, too. and olive oil shampoo that can be used as soap. or we could scrub you down with tomato juice.

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

I can use the basic liquid detergent made by Seventh Generation, the one called Planet, and Arm & Hammer "for sensitive skin." I can use Oxyclean but not on my underwear unless I use half what's called for, and I double rinse. Basically, I double rinse almost everything, especially anything that'll go near my face or against my genitals or torso.

I work with kids whose incredibly perfumed moms let them wear it sometimes, a woman who uses really strong lotion, and in general, lots of strong fakey scents that make me sneeze. But I can usually get outside or just not get too close to those kids on those days. (Being near the perfumey parents is far worse than being near their kids.)

[silent-muse.livejournal.com]

I have a problem with fragrant detergents too, but currently I use Tide-Free simply because it's the only scent-free detergent I've found that can get out all the stains one accumulates from working at a Restaurant. Any ideas of a strong but Jos-Friendly detergent?

[xiane.livejournal.com]

Try the Purex unscented. It can be hardcore, and it doesn't have an odor that I can tell. And Jos hasn't mentioned that I stink... do I, Jos? That's a good thing to know.

[krasota.livejournal.com]

You reek of Xiane!

You don't stink, birthday lady. I was going to suggest he ask you what you use, since you used to work at the Soup and probably had stainage to deal with.

I was making a pressie for you, but it didn't turn out properly. So I'm reconsidering my strategy. It shall be late, sweetums.

[xiane.livejournal.com]

Not everyone can get the XianeScent goin'. [uh... good thing!]

I like getting presents over long periods of time! That way, the birthday celebration just keeps going. And I haven't given you and Tom your silly Xmoose present, either.

[queensheba.livejournal.com]

Please remind me of this if we ever get the chance to meet up. I am very fond of scented lotions and stuff. I'll do my best to de-stinkify myself in the event of a meeting:)

[krasota.livejournal.com]

Thanks. :) I generally try to remind net.folks of this before meeting up. It makes things easier when I'm not cranky, migraine-y, or breaking out in hives and searching for asthma meds. ;)

[zeldajean.livejournal.com]

I'd love to see a comprehensive list of your personal and household cleaning agents. I'd like to go more ... what wording am i looking for here? organic? natural? not chemically and fucked up? something like that. It's just a challenge now, since I live with my family and they seem to not give a shit that i'm sick, because after all, it's all in my head. *fwap*

[krasota.livejournal.com]

for cleaning (spot-cleaning, mostly)--lots of Seventh Generation stuff. A lot of it *IS* citrus oil based, so if d-limonene is one of your triggers, avoid avoid avoid! I use the frag-free dish soap. I don't have a dishwasher... when I did, I used ecover tablets and the rinse aid.

Bon Ami or Barkeeper's friend for scouring powder (instead of Comet).

vinegar + water for windows and lots of other stuff.

kosher soap -- for grating into mop buckets, etc.

I *do* use chlorine bleach to keep mildew at bay. lots of open windows, gloves, and fans. i don't use it often.

borax for toilets.

Earth Friendly Products cleansing scouring creme for the bathroom sink (citrus based). (http://www.ecos.com")

washing soda, borax, baking soda, and vinegar can go a long way in various combinations.

for self:
Heritage Products Olive Oil Shampoo, unscented (http://www.caycecures.com)--bought by the big jug, via mail/net order
Granny's Soft & Silky Creme Rinse Conditioner, unscented (bought from http://www.NEEDS.com)
Sappho Hill oatmeal soaps, unscented
Organic Soaps & Balms (local, though they probably have a web site) milk & honey soap, unscented
other local oatmeal soap vendors
Sonoma Soap Company soaps -- green mint tea (glycerin with tea and herbs in it) and Spice Cake (scented with spices and tea). I can get the green one at Whole Foods. They'll order the Spice Cake, but I generally order it from a friend's business--http://www.naturescountrystore.com

Those last two soaps are the only scented ones we use on a regular basis. I can't use the spice cake--the oils (cinnamon) are a bit too strong for my sensitive, dry skin. The scent bothers me when it's wet in the shower, but not the subtle remnant left on boy afterward. I can use the green one, though most soaps make me break out.

I have a bar of Cetaphil (basic cetaphil bar), which is super stinky, but it's the only thing which prevents my detox sores (of which i'm already developing several from this recent exposure) from getting infected. it gives me a headache. it's antibacterial, i think. the regular, gentle cetaphil cleanser doesn't make me sick, but I don't like the feeling it leaves... besides, it looks like semen and it doesn't prevent infection in those spots.

I used to be able to use SunDog hemp oil soaps, shampoos, and lip balms, but developed an allergy.

lip balm:
stuff made by xiane (current one is beeswax, oil, clove oil, some purple pigment, some soy-free vitamin e, not sure what else--it's Jos Safe)
terressentials white chocolate lip balm (very melty, not good for summer or pockets)
Honeybee Gardens Tropical Lip Balm (contains sweet almond oil, smells like pineapple)--this is what boy carries.
Lip Shtick has a corn oil based lemon-flavored balm which holds up well in pockets, but tastes like pledge

part two

[krasota.livejournal.com]

I highly recommend this book: Clean & Green, by Annie Berthold-Bond. It's an excellent guide to nontoxic and environmentally friendly cleaning.

If the house smells musty or kitchen-sour, I open the windows and put a pot of water on the stove and add a handful of different herbs and spices--orange peel, lemongrass (sometimes--it can make me queasy), a tiny bit of rosemary, clove, allspice, cardamom (especially cardamom pods which are no longer green and therefore useless for cooking).

Makeup is tough. I can use most MAC lipsticks, even though they contain sunscreens my skin reacts to. My lips are less reactive to some of my allergens, though not all. I can't use aloe or lanolin on them very easily, but octyl methoxycinnamate and the paraben preservatives don't bother them too much.

no-miss nail care ltd has mineral pigment powders i use for eyeshadow. sometimes i can find storebrand eyeshadows which are safe, but many brands are adding aloe, lanolin, and soy, along with the ubiquitous parabens, so I'm having to find alternatives.

l'oreal has some glitter dust powders which are basically mica and a few other minerals. these are safe for me.

i can generally find safe mascara, but it takes some looking. currently, it's great-lash by maybelline? pink thing, cheap. if nothing else, i can use cake mascara or black pigment as cake mascara.

for powder, i use cornstarch.

lotion - cocoa butter (pure), coconut oil (pure), Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion (none of the others work--they all have soy or parabens), jojoba oil (used to react, now it's okay). i can also use tea tree oil now *sometimes*. sometimes my skin *does not like it*. my skin doesn't always react well to oils, including jojoba, olive, sweet almond, or apricot kernel oil. sometimes it's happy with them. to get rid of dry skin (i've had xerosis and keratosis pilaris since i was a kid), i use scrubby gloves in the shower.

i sometimes do bad things and take risks. i like nail polish, but most of the natural ones peel way too easily. i try to make sure to buy toluene-free NPs and apply them outside. I'm very fond of KhakiZzing (Revlon), but i try to limit my use. for nail polish remover, i either wait for the stuff to chip/peel or i use pure acetone remover, instead of the stinky scented stuff. i do this in a well ventilated space, of course.

i go out to the club, which is rife with cigarette smoke. yeah, it's bad for me. the socialization does more good for me. i drink sometimes. frankly, the drugs the doctors would have me on are no less toxic to my liver than my occasional drink. i try to avoid excess, though. and i don't mix drinking and prescription drugs. if i'm drinking at night, i skip the valium (and sleep longer and more deeply, interestingly enough. of course, valium doesn't give me an intestinal hangover).


to get smoke smell out of non-washable clothing, use a 1:10 solution of vodka:water. Spritz, hang to dry/air out. to get mothball smell (napthalene gas, which sort of crystallizes within fibers) out of clothing, hang outside, in fresh air, and *sunlight*. i avoid buying mothballed stuff, but i had to have my hideous skirt and it took several months, but now it's wearable. when it gets wet, it smells slightly of napthalene, so i might try hanging it out again soon.

Re: part two

[pixiecrinkle.livejournal.com]

I highly recommend this book: Clean & Green, by Annie Berthold-Bond. It's an excellent guide to nontoxic and environmentally friendly cleaning.

I'll second that. Just mixed up a big batch of "Earth Scrub" for the bathtub last night. The only "commercial" cleaners I use are Seventh Generation, but I do think a lot of the homemade stuff has better scrubbing power.

I don't understand our culture's obsession with perfumed everything. I don't like smelling like all that different stuff. I'm lucky in that I don't have near the reactions that you do, but I do end up with a migraine if exposed for too long.

At Christmas, my parents were astounded when in the middle of the card game, I stood up and said, "OK, where's the Glade plug-in. I've got to unplug it." They couldn't smell it at all, and it was two rooms away, but I felt as if it was so strong that I must reek of it.

Besides, those things are scary and evil.

[klwalton.livejournal.com]

Meanie.
:P

:)

I use Arm&Hammer Fragrance Free and haven't used fabric softener in years - since moving out of my mother's house. I do bleach towels, because my kids do inhuman things with them. But most of the time it's 1/2 a cup of detergent into a large load, and *no icky fabric softener*. Ick.

And what the hell is with fabric softener dryer sheets? What *are* those things? Ew ew ew.

[mmymoon.livejournal.com]

They're sheets... of PURE EVIL!!!

[krasota.livejournal.com]

i have bleach on hand. evil chlorine bleach, to boot. it's the only thing that will kill and eradicate mildew and get rid of the stains. i use it with the windows full open, gloves, and a fan to blow the air out the window.

[lupa.livejournal.com]

just 3 weeks ago i was told of another thing to use - vinegar mixed with cream of tartar!! try it - it's worked on mildew for me.

[krasota.livejournal.com]

i've tried it. nothing seems to work on evil, humid, Virginia mildews but bleach. i've tried all the other methods. vinegar involves a lot of scrubbing that i cannot physically handle.

Evil chlorine bleach...

[absinthea.livejournal.com]

...is also a quick and thorough way to destroy DNA...like when you do go stabbing people and need to get rid of the evidence quickly.

Re: Evil chlorine bleach...

[jkatj.livejournal.com]

**rubs hands together sinisterly** Good to know.

[elnigma.livejournal.com]

whoa. *ditto* for me

icky dryer sheets

[cassidyrose.livejournal.com]

Dryer sheets are evil. ptor found some in his dryer the other day--random housemate threw stuff in the dryer with his and added a dryer sheet. Grrr. ptor had to re-wash everything in that load as my skin reacts *horribly* to such evilness. catzen and I use All Free&Clear and ptor uses that too now so I don't itch from his sheets and towels.

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

I never saw the point of fabric softener. I don't recall ever having used it myself. But I've had roommates who were hooked on it, and left the garage very sneezy.

What your kids do with towels is perfectly human. I read it on scarleteen.com ;)

[bandhiaduit.livejournal.com]

weird side thought:

almost *every* day, when I wash my hands in my own bathroom, or anywhere there is liquid soap, I think, "surfactant....klwalton"
Like clockwork.

[mmymoon.livejournal.com]

Although I used to be fond of Tide for the keeps-blacks-blackiness, my mother has brought me up on All, and I've been switching back... and using a lot less than they say, honestly, who fills those things up to the third line? That's enough detergent to wash a zoo... I miss my mom's industrial washer. One of the major events of my young life was her purchase (and subsequent installations and repairs of) a giant side-load washer. It can do three sleeping bags! And needs hardly any soap. I miss it...

Do you know if Woolite makes you dead? Is what I wash most of Cory and I's pretty things in. (Especially the special Goth Woolite. Woo.)

I friggin detest fabric softener, and dryer sheets -- gah! Even I, who is not actually reacting to them, cannot abide the smell of those things. Personally, if it's not rough-cotton-from-the-line, it doesn't feel clean to me. I've having to dry everything, since the neighbors complained about my line-laundry (and the fact there's no GRASS so if anything falls = ruined) and even that annoys me. Drying damages your clothings. Feh.

[sweetbabboo.livejournal.com]

I use Woolite too, for my pretty things, [and don't dry them ... Luckily I have a big closet so I just hang 'em in there and they dry fine. Yay] so I'm also wondering if that makes Miss Jossums dead =/

[angldst.livejournal.com]

We always use some form of dye&fragrance free detergent, either arm & hammer or All free & clear.

I use perfume, but would be sure not to use any if I knew you were coming to visit or vice versa.

I use neutrogena products for my skin, but make sure to get the fragrance free sort, as they're less likely to irritate my (nowhere near as much as yours) sensitive skin.

*hugs*

-d

[lachupacabra.livejournal.com]

i do not blame you one bit.

roger -whos mom does his laundry
with the nastiest scented detergent
in the universe AND fabric softner-
is no longer allowed in my car or
apartment and my mom, who pretty
much bathes in perfume, isnt either.
im sick of being sick cause of their
poisons.

now if i could only not have to wear
a breathing mask most of the time
im @ work. it really sucks. its like a
terrible-smell-soup in there & even
when i cant smell it, i can feel it.
;(

[red-frog.livejournal.com]

Small amounts of Arm&Hammer work very nicely for keeping my stuff clean. AND it's cheap. I bleach a couple of things from time to time, but unless you start lying on the bathroom rugs it's unlikely to affect you. :)

I'm pretty sure that nothing I use affects you, because I can't imagine that you would not have said something. :) Let me know if anything comes up.

[krasota.livejournal.com]

so long as the cats aren't eating MY head, it's all good. ;)

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

I use maybe 1/3 of the recommended amount of Arm & Hammer in my wash, and I get out the kinds of stains one might associate with preschool teaching.

And about once every four months, I gather all the whites in the house -- towels, sheets, dish rags, a few pairs of underpants -- and bleach them with 1/2 cup of bleach in the washing machine.

[evilcresyluna.livejournal.com]

can anyone else not walk within five feet of the normal soap/detergent aisle in the grocery store? ick ick ick. Anyway, I'll take note in case I end up visiting. they usually use a bit of arm&hammer detergent here, never softener or sheets [hate hate sheets] - those large boxes took me about a year to finish off. I've been known to wear perfume, will try to avoid that.

[circumspectly.livejournal.com]

i put this *right* into my memories. like zeldajean i'm wanting to become less chemically dependent for my cleaning and laundry and things. please advise about cleaning products and whatnot. :)

[wolfden.livejournal.com]

Smells kill me too. I can't bare the detergent/softener aisles. I especially detest perfume sections in department stores. I've learned to hold my breath and hurry.

I do use fabric softener on some things but not every load and a use a scent free product. I'll be trying the vinegar though. That sounds much better. I use CheerFree. It's Dye free and scent free too. I can't use Tide (much itchiness) or All(same thing). I double rinse my clothes too. I have bleach in the house but it rarely gets used and if it does someone else has to use it. What do you use as a natural non-smelly disinfectant for cleaning in the kitchen after say raw chicken? I use vinegar and/or baking soda in most cases but not after raw meat has been in the kitchen. Personally, I'd do away with meat entirely but my husband would not.

I told my mother-in-law this year that I would appreciate her leaving her perfume home because I can't tolerate it. First time she listened. Let me tell you, you can smell her across a room, she layers it on, scented soap, scented lotion, scented powder perfume. She's a walking migraine factory. To my shock and surprise, for the first time I can recently recall, I didn't feel like killing her every minute we were together and I didn't get a migraine from being around her. I'm glad I said something and glad she actually listened. And here all this time I thought the migraine came from listening to her talk. *grin* When my daughter was a baby I couldn't stand to hold her after my mother-in-law did because her little head would reek like the perfume du jour. Hope she remains agreeable about this. Otherwise, I guess she won't be welcome. I knew the smell of her could make me vomit (and did, every time she came into the same room as me when I was pregnant). I never realised it could be the small that brought violent thoughts to mind. I always thought it was just stress and that cutting voice that gave me migraines. Think I learned something.

Hope that everyone heads your scent free, chemical free, stink free wishes.

[krasota.livejournal.com]

My brother uses CheerFree--I react to it if *I* use it, but I'm fine with him. He can't use All, but is fine if I use it. Xiane uses Purex free--I can't use it, but I don't react to her.

The violent thoughts are part of the neurotoxic stuff and part of fight or flight. Our bodies really do go into panic mode when we're confronted with harmful things.

As for disinfecting... um, I'm vegetarian. My husband doesn't cut any raw meat at home. our cutting boards are kept away from the meat. he buys fish fillets individually and bakes them in the toaster oven on a foil-covered pan. He has frozen chicken burgers he cooks the same way. And he has single portion filet mignon--ditto. I've found that my local Whole Foods butcher will happily divvy up a package of pork loin or steak or whatever into a single serving (there's no counter, so I can't just *ask* for one serving to begin with). And the fish people will wrap the fish separately, too, if I'm buying two servings for him (different days). When we buy directly from a local organic farmer, it's always in larger amounts. boy can cook it all at once and either have friends over or freeze it. so, if he buys a pound of ground beef frozen, he just browns it all and freezes all but what he wants to use for sloppy joes that day. he reacts to Quorn, so he can't have my Quorn sloppy joes. ;)

I don't know how good of a disinfectant it is, but Seventh Gen has a kitchen cleanser spray. We use it on particularly crust spots. Otherwise, I've been known to pour boiling water and lemon juice onto the counters. ;)

[lupa.livejournal.com]

additions to your list:
-hydrogen peroxide instead of bleach. not cost effective, but much better at creating unsmelliness. it also is a suds enhancer.
-apple cider vinegar for deodorant smell removal
-sweet orange oil in the detergent to assist in stain removal

in my experience, i've noticed something very interesting.
surfactants wash out of fabrics much better when there's no colorant, dyes, preservatives, or other "additions" to them. i washed my clothes at my mother's this week and i had forgotten my homemade detergent. i used her Purex and now i'm grossed out at the feel of my clothes, even after 3 rinses! unfortunately, due to my skin, i need to use MORE surfactants than prescribed because my skin reacts to itself, and it is VERY hard to get skin flakes out of clothing. it pisses me off.

best of luck at getting people away from tide and cheer! and if your sheets are natural color or not-quite white, try adding a tablespoon of coffee grounds or a bit of potato starch to your dry milk soak, if you haven't tried that already?

Smells suck!

[simonvervain.livejournal.com]

Actually, I kind of hate my entire sense of smell. I basically associate it with filth, decay, and industrial cleaners and perfumes, all of which make me sneeze violently and repeatdly while my eyes water and my head throbs.

I, personally, consider modern corporate clean to be a scary, scary thing. Though you'd be shocked if I admitted to all the really _terrible_ industrial and scientific solvents, flammables, and corrosives to over the years..... My fave: chlorine gas!

[absinthea.livejournal.com]

I learned while cloth diapering Nate that plain white vinegar (about a cup) and a *squirt* of detergent along with ALWAYS using a 2nd rinse was excellent at getting stains and smells out of diapers, without compromising the fabric or the waterproofing on the covers. Borax would actually eat away the waterproofing and make cotton fibers less absorbant.
That technique also left *no residue* bubbles.

Also, might suggest that in nicer climates and weather, that hanging clothing outside to dry will bleach stains out almost as good as bleaching them with chlorine bleach (without the fiber destruction of bleach).

[krasota.livejournal.com]

there is no outdoor line drying for me--pollen.

i do air some things out on the porch, but only on non-windy days or winter days.

i don't have white stuff, anyhow.

[absinthea.livejournal.com]

No white or off-white undergarments? I would have guessed you'd at least have a vintage white petticoat in your collection somewhere.

So what are your suggestions for removing the nasty finishing on fabrics when you buy fabric off the bolt? I'm not allergic to it, but it just is really unplesant and sometimes makes kind of a weird dust.

[dahliablue.livejournal.com]

I put this in my memories. Lots of helpful tips in here. Thanks!

[ismene.livejournal.com]

You could just start killing people who do this so there won't be repeat offenses. Though if you did that I'd be dead now since I inadvertantly brought my previously-perfumed rubber bracelets into your house without checking for scent first.

[caberfling.livejournal.com]

I love vinegar and I love baking soda. I clean primarily with vinegar and water solution. I've learned how to use it well because of our cats.

Also, a nice way of using vinegar as fabric softener is to just fill up one of those Downy (or any other) balls and throw them in your wash. It works excellently.

[jkatj.livejournal.com]

This reminded me -- what does one do about static? Most things I don't have problems with and never use the chemical sheets, but a few items do get static-y. One is a dress that doesn't go in the dryer at all, but it is static static static all day. I hate that. Do you know any non-toxic ways to kill the static?

just checking

[lcohen]

i use all free and clear, baking soda, and borax but i have been known to use bounce fragrance free dryer sheets. did i smellify you?

Re: just checking

[krasota.livejournal.com]

You were fine. :)

[anmorata.livejournal.com]

8.5 years after this was posted, and I still check it from time to time for cleaning tips. :) You know, this post changed the way I do my laundry. Completely.