How Do You Get Fragrances and Chemicals Out of New Clothes?

Those of us who have MCS (multiple chemical sensitivity) are all to familiar with the daunting task of getting fragrances and chemicals out of clothes that have been purchased in  the store or in online shops.  I have found that online purchases are usually easier to deal with as they haven’t been exposed to as many fragrances and other chemicals found  in most department stores.

Depending on where the piece of clothing was purchased and the fabric it is made of plays a big role in how many times I have to wash the item.  For new purchases, I place the clothing in the washing machine with baking soda, powdered milk and 7th Generation Laundry Soap.  I allow the machine to agitate a little and then let the clothing soak for an hour or two.   Once the soaking has stopped, I finish the washing cycle and take a whiff.  Generally it can take three to four washings to be able to tolerate the item. If this doesn’t work I may add a little AFM Super Clean to a wash cycle.  Some of my information has come from a book by Carolyn Gorman with Marie Hyde.  The book is titled, Less-Toxic Alternatives.

I know others who have literally had to boil their clothes to get some of the formaldehyde and other chemicals out.

I am curious what have you tried to remove chemicals and fragrances from new clothing?

Layers of Fragrance

I wonder how many give any thought to how many layers of fragrance they are wearing and the amount of chemicals they are being exposed to as a result of these layers.  I know that I never thought much about it until I became ill and my body refused to tolerate fragrances and chemicals of any kind.

Think about it for a moment.  You get up in the morning and shower using fragrant or scented soaps, shampoos, and conditioners.  You exit the shower and put on scented lotions, hair gels and hairspray.  Next comes make-up and perfumes.  Last you put on your clothes that have been laundered in scented soaps and fabric softeners or worse yet come from the dry cleaner.  Every one of these products you have put on your body is full of chemicals.

Your sense of smell over time becomes dulled as your body masks itself to all these fragrances.  Have you ever walked by a little old lady and thought you would keel over from her perfume as if she had taken a bath in it?  After years of putting it on I believe she has become so masked that it takes more and more for her to even smell what she has put on herself.

We need to be more aware of what we are putting on our bodies and absorbing through our skin.  I have learned to do without a lot of products that I have not been able to find that are safe enough for me to wear.  I no longer color my hair, wear fragrant lotions or use fragrant products.  I think that what we put on our skin is worth thinking about.