I did find the ewg site when I was google searching. I guess it's accurate? I wish I knew what it was in the Cheer that was causing it. I've had allergic reactions to other things; shampoos and soaps, but they've just caused rashes or itching and nothing like this. There is probably one specific ingredient that they use in both Cheer and Gain that causes me to have hives and a swollen face. I sure wish I knew which one it was so that I could avoid it. Another thing that gripes me is that the bottles of detergent do not even tell you what is in the bottle, you have to go to their website to see the ingredients.

They do have to list a few things on the box/jug like if its has enzymes they have to list them but not the exact enzyme.

Some people believe EWG is accurate some don't. Lol. I don't have a personal opinion on that site since I've only glanced at it a few times.

Have you talked to your doctor about the reaction? The swelling is concerning.

Maybe you could run an empty load of the hottest water you can plus a cup or two of White Vinegar and a cup or two of Bleach. Your machine may have residue that is redepositing onto your clothing. After this I'd run it again with the Vinegar but without the Bleach to remove any Bleach residue and smell.

You could also use very warm water and a big sponge or something to thoroughly wash out your dryer's drum. There could be build up here too, of both the detergent and any fabric softener you may have used in your laundry.

I suggest you give up fabric softener altogether. I had to, and it has made a big difference in keeping my skin under control.

Best of luck! There's nothing like cranky skin, is there!?

DO NOT MIX VINEGAR AND BLEACH TOGETHER!!! You will have worse problems than allergy reactions. That goes for peroxide too.

ETA: Mixing peroxide and vinegar releases a toxic gas. Mixing peroxide and lcb cancel out each other.

I have run the washer with bleach and extremely hot water with no clothing. I let the bleach sit in the washer for a few hours and then turned it on a wash and let it do its thing. I have wiped off the top of the washer and all the inside and top of the dryer too. It seems that the contaminates are sticking in the seams and the waist bands of the clothing. I think that I'm going to start just soaking my underwear in some vinegar and hot water and see if that will stop the itching around the elastic band and seams.

MamapinkO, where is the best source for accurate ingredients? Is it from the manufacturer? I've looked at my bottles and just didn't see any ingredients listed at all. Maybe it said "contains enzymes" but that doesn't really say much.

Again -- throw out the underwear. Elastic is a petroleum product. Soaking won't help much and, frankly, I've found vinegar to be useless in laundry. People swear by it but it's not producing results in this instance.

Hisown - your advice about vinegar and bleach, and in those quantities is freaking me out.

I agree with Rococogurl - buy new underclothes, pjs, and don't forget sheets/pillowcases, in all cotton.

In order to give your body a complete rest from whatever chemical that is causing your skin reaction, you might try Charlies Soap for a while. (people either love CS or they hate it-LOL) There are very few ingredients in it - a plus in my book when dealing with unknown allergy triggers. It is not great for whites after a while, because it has no optical brighteners, but for now it might be the best thing. I have to use it on a large majority of my clothing, and it works great as the detergent portion of my laundry product recipe for wicking fabrics.

I have laundry detergent that I've used without issue such as Purex and All. I've also used Era and Arm and Hammer without any issues before this Cheer debacle. All where the free and clear versions. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of buying All Small and Mighty Free and Clear and used that only to find out it bothers me also although it only causes itching and hives but it doesn't cause my face/mouth/lips to swell. Itching I can handle, it's the severe stuff that's scary!

I've never used Charlies Soap, is it similar to Dr. Bronner's liquid Castile soap? I have that and I can use it without itching. I've used that for years to bathe, the unscented one.

I've already thrown out underwear and bought all cotton ones but unfortunately I washed them in the All small and mighty so they are making me itch. UGH! I can't keep throwing out clothing and buying new all the time.

I don't want to be harsh here but if it were me, I would stop buying commercial detergents and move to something like Cal Ben Pure Soap, or the one Cavimum suggested. Cal Ben as it was the only laundry product our little guy wasn't allergic to -- DD found it and it was a life save for her.

No sense in doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.

But I'm not allergic to the All free and clear, the Purex free and clear, Era free and clear or Arm and Hammer free and clear. Just for the record, I'm extremely allergic to Kirk's castile bar soap in the fragrance free variety. So just because it's supposed to be pure soap doesn't really mean it's going to be ok for me. I'd rather stick with something I know is safe...really I was hoping to find out how I could get the Cheer remnants(and the All small and mighty) out of the clothing...don't really need a new cleaner at this point.

Use what works for you. I personally don't think you need to try something new when you already know what works. I would continue washing several more times in only hot water and vinegar. Don't add any detergent as your trying to remove not add.

I understand peoples views on vinegar, I share some of the same but it does and will neutrilize residue this is why professional laundrys use a acidic...otherwise they risk turning peoples lovely whites an awful shade of yellow when the heat of the press hits it.

There's another way...you could order Sodium Tripolyphosphate (STPP) wash the clothing in it no detergents....it will strip all residue from detergents, boosters, fabric softener ect

If you choose to do this let me know and I will help you understand how to use it. Please keep me informed as I'm interested in your outcome.

allergies are no fun. mamapinky's making a good suggestion.

Arkansas girl,

I am sorry to hear about you allergies. I want to encourage you to see a doctor quickly and get a ELISA based allergy test (A link to WebMD for basic details). Although you have used some of these products int he past without allergic reactions, the manufacturers are constantly improving them without making label changes. There may be something specific in the new formulations of the detergents that you are truly allergic too. Based on the information you have provided so far, I am not sure it is the clothes but a combination of things you are doing when wearing the clothes like working in the garden, eating yogurt or something else. You will be surprised what it could be. The first action is to figure out the things you are allergic to. I am extremely sensitive to things and a few years ago, a shampoo that I had used for years was modified and I itched for weeks!! It was extremely frustrating and I could not sleep. Even worse, Benadryl and I are not the best of friends:-( So, I used topical lotions and calamine lotion on my hair for the first few days until I went to the doctor!

Good luck!

Thank goodness I can use Benadryl and just discovered Allegra after hearing of someone using Allegra after the same thing happened with a detergent. I thought, "well may as well try it", I love that stuff, works great and I have no side effects from it either! I can take it and I don't feel like I've taken anything. I once had a reaction to White Rain shampoo, after the first use, the entire back side of my body was covered in a rash. After that, I couldn't use any of my regular toiletry products. That was when I started using Dr. Bronner's baby version. I've been using it ever since although I did use other things here and there. But right after the rash...I was so sensitive to everything for a couple months.

I have a big jug of vinegar, I will definitely give that a try and see if it works.

It sounds like you have an allergy to enzymes. All the products you mentioned are enzyme free except Cheer, All Small and Mighty and Era Free and Clear.

Frieda,

You can safely use bleach and vinegar together. It is bleach and ammonia that react badly together. Note too that I suggested doing this in an EMPTY washing machine, just to wash out the machine itself.

arkansas girl, what you are having is angioedema, which is sometimes accompanied by what are called pressure welts or pressure hives. I have suffered with it for many years, and still don't know all the triggers. Not everyone gets welts. But if you are prone to them, once the immune system goes into hyperdrive, the welts can pop up anywhere there is pressure -- e.g., a waistband. One of my triggers was, interestingly, vibrations, as from an airplane, lawnmower, or motorcycle. When I traveled constantly for business (in the days before roll-aboard briefcases) I would leave the airport with welts the size of potholders on the backs of my shoulders. Lately, the inside of my right knee swells -- it's where I balance my laptop. Mine went dormant from 2010-2016 then came roaring back a few months ago. It is hideous beyond words, but last month I went on a medication that seems to be controlling it.

There are three kinds, IIRC, allergic, idiopathic, and the very-scary HAE, hereditary angioedema. None of this is to say the detergent doesn't trigger yours. Just observe, and see if you are then having pressure welts. And by ALL means go and get a couple of EpiPens. This is a must. Because one day, it could be more than your lip that swells. I don't think you have HAE since you're sure detergent is the trigger, but if you have any history of unexplained swelling in your family, get tested anyway. For years docs speculated I had HAE but until recently tests were inconclusive. But the blood tests have greatly improved over the years. So I have now been diagnosed with idiopathic AE. Until recently, I was getting three allergy shots a week, but could never tie any of my allergens to the swelling. (My husband theorizes that my beginning the allergy shot regimen is what woke my immune system back up.) I'm glad that you do have some idea what is causing it. But again, unless you live within two blocks of an emergency room, EpiPen!!!

Yes, when I first had the reaction to the Cheer and was breaking out every day, I did notice that anything rubbing would cause a huge welt. It's gradually going away. I had a huge welt from my shoulder bag rubbing the top of my shoulder.

I took my new underwear and soaked them in vinegar today and then hand rinsed them out using a motion like I was kneading bread and I was noticing that there was a little bit of bubbling going on so there was still some soap in the fabric even after I had washed them twice in plain hot water and then soaked them in hot vinegar water. I'm hoping that they will finally stop causing redness in the seams. Maybe I need a new washing machine...HA! Actually this is a new washing machine but I'm beginning to wonder how well it's working.

Wait this is a new machine! What machine is it, front loader, top loader, HE? What did it replace? Model number? Reactions started after you changed machines? Did you move? This may have a lot to do with your issues. Please let us know then I will explain my thinking, if I am on the correct track.

Yep Heather....your good...very good...lol

Mama I knew you would understand.

" Actually this is a new washing machine but I'm beginning to wonder how well it's working."

Whaaaaaa??? Hold the phone!!! This might be a big factor, if the machine uses less water than your previous one. If this is the case, inadvertent detergent overdosing might be the culprit.

No it's not THAT new. I've had it a few years and it's a top loading machine. I haven't recently moved. It is just not doing an adequate job of removing the suds which I guess wasn't an issue until the Cheer came along. So no, it's not really the washer other than it's not removing the Cheer, that stuff must have an ingredient that locks to the fabric. I mean the thing can only do so much...right? It fills with water, it swishes the soap around, it spins and repeats with clear water. I've even been running a load of plain water after I wash. Are there top loading machines that do something special? When the wash is over, the clothing is spun very dry with no water remaining in the washer. My husband first brought up the idea that maybe our washer wasn't cleaning but like I explained it to him as above and said..."it's not rocket science here, it can only do so much".

The Cheer is going away. Only thing is I will wear something that I haven't washed enough to remove it all and then I'll start getting hives again. It's hard to keep up with all the clothing. "Did I wash that jacket with Cheer? I can't remember". So I wear it and I start to get hives and it gets thrown in the washer. It's very tiring this washing and washing and washing....UGH!

Speaking of detergent overdosing, I think this could have been what first triggered the allergic reaction because I had not payed enough attention to the little marks on the bottle cap and I was using more than it suggested. I didn't realize the amount of detergent called for was only a little bit in the lid. I was used to being told to fill the cap but this one had little marks which you can hardly see and only called for less than an inch in the cap so from now on, I'm only using a small amount of detergent no matter what they call for.

I was wondering if you had changed machines and went from a water hog to an HE and had not adjusted for the tiny amount of water.

I never use one rinse, it isn't enough to get out the residue. My machine is an older front loader and gives me three rinses with an option of an extra rinse, which I almost always use. Also I use less detergent than the instructions on the bottle tell you. You don't need suds to get clean clothes. If the water feels a little slimy you are using enough. MamaP can explain it a lot better than me. MamaP is my laundry goddess, LOL. Read the other thread here about rashes, it might help you.

I did use the search option to read threads about rashes...I don't know if it brought up the right thread. There were a few and some were very very old. I did read what I could find first before I started this thread.

Respectfully, hisown, I disagree. Please do NOT mix chlorine bleach and vinegar (an acid).

I never wash clothing in bleach anyway because it breaks down the fabrics. I do put it in the washer to kill germs alone with no clothing. I would never ever mix vinegar and bleach together. I really can't see the point in doing that anyway. I knew someone that died from mixing ammonia and bleach.

Most of us at one time or another have had to disinfect a load of laundry. ...how do you do that Arkansas Gal?

By the way occasional use of chlorine bleach if used the correct way can safely whiten or disinfect without ruining textiles. I rarely ever use chlorine only when its an absolute must. ..I much prefer thermal sanitization.

If I had to use bleach, certainly I would, but as a rule, I just don't use it.

One update to make, after soaking the underwear in vinegar for about half a day and then rinsing it out vigorously with hot water a whole bunch of times over and over, they line drying it, I finally have underwear that I can wear without any welts anywhere! I see this as progress. I think I may just continue to wash my underwear in this way.

I was looking at the bottles that I have in the basement, there are a few down there, not one of them tells you ingredients at all. They say "for a list of ingredient please go to *website address*"

That's great that the vinegar soak worked! It may have neutralized the alkaline pH of residual detergent. For all we know, your rash might be alkaline burn.

So often, the list of detergent ingredients is lengthy and there's not enough room for them on the product package. Furthermore, most people don't care because they don't have detergent reactions, so I can understand why the mfrs. don't label completely. In today's world, almost everyone has internet access to look at ingredients. I'm okay with the minimal list on labeling, because they cover the main things for me: enzymes, brighteners, etc.

I went to the All website given on the back of the bottle to find a full ingredient list. After searching for what seemed like forever, I finally found this file that contained SOME of their products ingredients. I managed to find the regular All free and clear's list of ingredients. I wanted to find the ingredients of All Small and Mighty free and clear because for some reason I cannot use that one...but no matter how I entered the name in the search field, I could not come up with its ingredients. So nowhere on the site were the ingredients for that product listed. I found the ewg sites ingredient list for that product also only said a few ingredients and it says "ingredient disclosure: poor". Yeah, I'd say POOR! I think I may contact the company and DEMAND a full list of ingredients. I'd really like to know why I can use one but not the other. What I find is that each different product, even if it sounds like it should be similar, will have a whole different list of ingredients.

Arkansas girl, All has so many formulas, it's easier to search using the UPC. Go to https://sunproductsmsdsbrand.thewercs.com/private/search.aspx and enter 72613454150 under UPC and hit enter and that should display the SDS and ingredient sheet for All Small and Might Free and Clear. The fresh rain scent UPC is 72613450763.

re: bleach plus vinegar

I guess I must live on the edge. I don't use bleach often but I have many times in the past used chlorine bleach and vinegar together with no problems. Maybe I was just lucky.

Thanks littlegreeny! I looked them up and found that the All small and mighty and the regular All are similar in name only. There is nothing similar in their ingredients. It certainly makes sense now why I can use one but not the other...they are so completely different it's a shame they have similar claims to being hypoallergenic and recommended by dermatologists.

Arkansas girl, you're very welcome! I'm glad I was able to help.

I would also like to thank everyone for helping!

I've been reading reviews of All Free and Clear and even though I can use this without issue, there sure are a lot of people that are experiencing pretty much the same issues that I had with the Cheer and the Small and Mighty (All).

My sister's found a recipe for Dr. Bronners and baking soda and salt, mixed together for a laundry detergent. Anyone use this concoction? I can use Dr. Bronners fragrance free liquid soap for bathing so I'm thinking that for washing clothes, I should be ok. Just wondering how it really cleans clothing.

If the All works for you, I would stick with it and be done with it. Trying soap salt soda and what ever else might just take you back to square one. If you are better and regular All free/clear works I would stick with that, but that's just my opinion.

"Clear" detergents might be free of dyes and perfumes but optical brightners aren't something I'm fond of. I use a pinky nail sized blob of Blue Dawn in my HE machine and it's been working really great. My clothes come out really fresh

arkansas girl - I would never use Dr Bronners as laundry detergent. It is a pure soap and leaves a scum film on our shower stall and sinks. Been there, used it in bath and sink, and won't ever use it in a washing machine, unless I was desperate with no other option.

Ryan, I have seen a recipe for laundry detergent and it says use Dawn, water and a few more things. Makes a gallon I think, then you use 1/4 cup maybe. I can't remember.

Arkansas...let me explain. ...years ago soap was used to do laundry thats all there was but once synthetic detergent hit the market our grandparents were thrilled...Dr Bronners is lovely I love it expecially the peppermint...but its a soap....think about bar bath soap and the ring of scum it leaves in a tub that's what it leaves in clothing and in a washer on the washer parts you can't see or get to without a complete tear down its a perfect breeding ground in the washer for mold to grow and it will. Since bleach or no other chemical is going to clean this on its own you would have to tear the machine apart and use a scrub brush and a lot of elbow grease. This scum will build up in the fibers of textiles causing dingy clothes and an odor. I know this stuff is all over the net on all the mommy blogs but they arnt giving the complete picture.

Soap can be used but its a lot of work...you would need a wringer washer...tons of very hot next to boiling water for the wash and rinse cycle and a good phosphate as it requires chemically softened water and still all the soap won't be removed....also think about this..the main recipe for this stuff is Washing soda and soap..add 2 T per load...that means each ingrident going in each load amounts to grams yet the directions on the washing soda box says add 1/2 to 1 cup per load to act as a booster to your detergent so what's a few grams gonna do....

Our grandparent were thrilled when synthetic detergent hit the market. ...keep looking Arkansas..this homemade brew is for people looking for cheap..not people that want clean clothes.

Sparky, I even use Dawn in my dishwasher, after trying the real soap thing and finding it left soap scum on everything. I do make sure to rinse everything with a sponge first, but the dishes come out sparkling when I use a tiny amount of dish soap, like less than 1/4 tsp. And my clothes washer is starting to smell a lot nicer after switching from All free and clear to dish soap. And if I have whites, I just add oxy clean. If the washer gets stinky I run a cycle with bleach when I wash the kitchen rags. Bleach really cleans the washer out.

LET ME TELL Y'ALL: I went ahead and made up a very small batch of the Dr. Bronners, baking soda and salt recipe that my sister found for me. I washed ONE item of clothing by hand and ended up with the worst allergic reaction yet!!!!! Can you believe that? WTH? I don't know how to explain it because I can use Dr. Bronners, I'm certainly not allergic to eating baking soda or salt! I've swam in salt water my entire life without any issues. Afterwards, I was mostly just angry and baffled. My husband suggested that maybe it was combining those three things together that created some sort of a near lethal (to me) concoction. Well it's nothing but ALL for me from now on. I'm wearing Tshirts washed in All without any issues but I tell ya, it's taking quite a few washes followed by a vinegar and hot water only wash cycle to get to this point!

This is just so frustrating because I'm not a person that is normally suffering from allergies. I had that one time issue with the Gain 17 years ago, have been buying whatever was on sale in a free and clear variety without issues. A couple of other incidents with shampoo once and some soaps make me itch but nothing severe like the laundry detergent. UGH!

arkansas girl I have had reactions to weird things that no one would imagine would cause a reaction. My real relief came when I found a good dermatologist and a great allergist. I was tested by the allergist and dermatologist. The short story is I now know that sometimes my reactions are not because of the item in front of me but a cross reaction because my immune system thinks the item is something else, like tree pollen. For example I am not truly allergic to apples but if I eat uncooked apples my throat closes, every mucus membrane swells and itches beyond belief and I can be in a life threatening situation. However if the apple is cooked even a little I am fine. This is because I am actually allergic to birch pollen which to my confused body looks like apple proteins. Maybe your reaction was as simple as you ate something that on its own would not bother you, but mixed with your soap concoction, bang, bad reaction.

My point of this long winded story is if you truly value your health and life see a doctor. Reactions can come out of the blue and usually do not get better in adults on their own, they get worse and can be suddenly deadly.

I’m just recovering from a nasty reaction my MIL inflicted upon me with Cheer 😩At home I use Dropps...all natural ingredients, compost ale packaging, free carbon neutral delivery. http://i.refs.cc/hWyb3HUI?smile_ref=eyJzbWlsZV9zb3VyY2UiOiJzbWlsZV91aSIsInNtaWxlX21lZGl1bSI6IiIsInNtaWxlX2NhbXBhaWduIjoicmVmZXJyYWxfcHJvZ3JhbSIsInNtaWxlX2N1c3RvbWVyX2lkIjo0MjYxMTAwNTJ9

Funny to see my old thread pop up. I have since started using Persil sensitive version and am happy to say that I can actually use a detergent without itching and breaking out in hives. Not sure how this is different but I tried it for the heck of it and use it to wash my husband's clothing. I decided to throw in a shirt of mine and was surprised to find I had no itching. Even the Tide had started to itch my skin as if something changed in the recipe after some time. I had been buying the HE turbo clean in the Tide but began to have a problem finding it so I bought the regular HE...I guess there's just enough difference in the recipe to make me itch.

So anyway, if someone else is having issues with itching, maybe give the Persil Sensitive version a try.

I'm struggling with exactly the same problem right now. I'm severely allergic to my laundry detergent and just can't get it out of my clothes, no matter how many washes with vinegar, baking soda, or plain hot water I use! The problem is confined to the area of my underpants. Please help! You said for you, soaking in a vinegar and water solution for several hours, then washing it repeatedly by hand in hot water and line drying resulted in underpants you could wear right? Can you give some details? How many times did you wash by hand in hot water? For how long? I'm so desperate.