Appliances with greener technology make for a wider selection for consumers, high-efficiency washers being one of those such choices on the market. Not only do they make doing laundry a little more fun, but, alas, you feel you're saving the Earth. The high-efficiency detergents required to be used with high-efficiency washers can be a problem for the allergy prone or those with sensitive skin, though, creating the perfect storm between your comfort and your green efforts.
Distinction
High-efficiency washers use several methods of lifting and tumbling to clean clothes and higher spinning speeds to extract more water, resulting in lower drying times. They also use less water and lower foaming detergents, better known as high-efficiency detergents. These lower-foaming detergents are no different from regular detergents in that you can develop an allergic reaction to them as well. Although not the same formulation, the allergy is the same type of reaction, only from a different product.
Symptoms
The medical term for skin allergies is contact dermatitis. Contact dermatitis, according to the Mayo Clinic, is a kind of skin inflammation that occurs when substances that have come into contact with your skin cause irritation or an allergic reaction. Among the symptoms Mayo Clinic lists for contact dermatitis are a red rash, severe itching, blisters, a skin rash where exposed to the offending allergen, and pain or tenderness.
Solutions
Washers must now use 11 percent less energy and 20 percent less water to qualify for an Energy Star seal, according to ConsumerReports.org. Because they use less water, simply selecting a second rinse may lessen your sensitivity by further diluting any residual detergent on your clothes. Although this may defeat the purpose of using less water, you don't have to do this on every load. Using a second rinse on your clothes only when your symptoms are bothersome could be an effective solution. Also, if you are washing items that will not come into contact with your skin very often, such as rugs, curtains or kitchen towels, use only one rinse.
Prevention
Like any other product that comes into contact with your skin, less is better. Simply choosing products that have less ingredients may work for you. Innocuous as it sounds, the term fragrance on an ingredient list can actually mean a mixture of chemicals that are not individually disclosed and therefore not evaluated for safety. Simply eliminating fragrance from your detergent choice can effectually eliminate a variety of chemicals that you are exposing your skin to on a daily basis, resulting in less chances of an allergic reaction.
