Washable Men's Dress Clothing for the Chemically Sensitive

It is often difficult for individuals with chemically sensitivity to find clothing they can tolerate. And it is important to find clothing that can be washed so that any chemicals can be washed off. Dry cleaning generally entails the use of toxic solvents and is not an option for many with chemical sensitivity. I recently found washable versions of two items that generally are not washable:

Washable men’s suits:

I have purchased three washable men’s suits from Marks and Spencer in the UK. I live in the US but they will ship internationally to many countries. The suits are very reasonably priced and are wearable for me (the chemicals are not too strong). The shipping was surprisingly fast.

Washable men’s ties:

Haggar now makes a line of washable men’s ties. I have purchased five and at least two did not have a problem with chemicals on them. However at least one of the other ties was toxic with solvents and I think it was a blue one. I purchased them from Amazon.com.

Washer and Dryer for the Chemically Sensitive

My dad and I are extremely chemically sensitive, and we really depend on washers and dryers. I often must put my clothes through the wash more than once to remove chemicals, so it seems like I am doing laundry very often. Furthermore, we must wash new clothes many times before we can wear them, so our washer gets a lot of use. For a chemically sensitive individual, a nice and dependable washer and dryer is a great blessing. I actually wish I had more than one washer! My dad and I both use Whirlpool Duet washers and dryers. They have been quite dependable and we have not had problems with them being too toxic. A few months ago we purchased a Whirlpool Duet dryer. At first it made me somewhat ill as it gassed off (perhaps solvents?). But it was a lot better after a week or two.

Washers

In this section I will compare a  top load washer with an agitator with a high efficiency front load washer.

Pros and cons of top load washing machine with agitator:

Pros:

• It uses more water, and seems to remove chemicals with fewer washings.
• Generally less expensive.

Cons:

• Sometimes quite loud/noisy.
• The agitator is hard on clothing, and clothing seems to wear out much faster than with a front load washer. This is an important consideration for chemically sensitive individuals who have a difficult time finding clothing they can tolerate.
• The agitator gets in the way when removing clean clothing. This is important because the agitator and sides of the top of the washer get chemicals on them when clothing is put into the washer. The agitator makes it difficult to pull out clean clothing without the clothing touching the agitator or the sides of the basket and getting chemicals on them. Therefore, the larger the opening on the washer through which clothing can be removed, the better.

Pros and cons of a high efficiency front load washer:

Pros:

• Gentle on clothing.
• Has a large opening through which clothing can be removed.
• Uses less water.
• Often quieter than washers with an agitator.

Cons:

• Generally more expensive.
• It may require a more washings to remove chemicals because it uses less water.

It may make sense to invest in a fairly nice washing machine that has extra features. For example the following features may be helpful for a person with chemical sensitivity:

• Super hot water. This may help to remove volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other chemicals.
• Extra high spin speed. This feature removes more water from the clothing so the clothing does not need to be in the dryer or on the clothesline for as long.
• Extra long cycle. Our Whirlpool Duet washers have a cycle as long as nearly two hours. This is helpful if you want to wash the clothes for a long time but do not want to keep restarting the washer.

Dryers

I like dryers with a large capacity because they dry the clothes more quickly. I am sensitive to natural gas so we recently purchased an electric dryer and I am doing much better with the electric dryer. Natural gas makes me extremely tired and also triggers my arthritis symptoms.

Clotheslines

A clothesline is probably the ideal way to dry clothes for a chemically sensitive individual because the dryer makes clothing wear out more quickly than using a clothesline. However, if the neighbors use herbicides or other chemicals, using a clothesline may be a risky proposition as the airborne chemicals can contaminate the clothes. It is also beneficial to use a clothesline that you can wash. I purchased some copper wire and put it through the dishwasher, making sure to secure it so it wouldn't get tangled in the moving parts. The dishwasher removed any chemicals from the wire and it has worked well as a clothesline. I previously had purchased a clothesline made of plastic or synthetic material and I had to throw it away because I could not remove chemicals from it by putting it through the dishwasher.

The following posts related to laundry it may also be beneficial: Boiling clothing for the chemically sensitive, clothing for the chemically sensitive, laundry detergent for the chemically sensitive.

Shoes for the Chemically Sensitive

I can wear some steel toe shoes I purchase from Walmart. I think I’m on my fifth pair! The brand is “Brahma” and the style is “Steve.” They cost about $30. (See http://www.walmart.com/ip/Brahma-Men-s-Steve-Work-Boot/21610088). I like these shoes because they have thick soles. If I walk on carpet or other flooring that has pesticides or solvents on it, I can feel the solvents come up through the shoes if the soles are thin. If you find it difficult to believe that solvents can travel through the soles of your shoes, just ask the people who design chemical resistant boots and shoes.

To remove chemicals from these shoes after I buy them, I have used two different procedures: (1) I run hot water into them in the tub for 20 to 30 minutes. Then I pack baking soda into them and let them sit in the sun for a week or two; (2) I just put them through the dishwasher once and they come out wearable. I recently discovered the second procedure and I like it because it is much faster and easier. Once I tried to boil the shoes (to remove the chemicals) and they fell apart because the glue holding them together melted! Boiling them really removed the chemicals, but also destroyed the shoes.

My dad (who is also chemically sensitive) bought some Vans slip-on shoes recently and was able to wear them after putting them through the wash about seven times.

Laundry Detergent for the Chemically Sensitive

In this post I will share some of the brands of laundry detergent that I can tolerate. I know that not everyone with chemical sensitivity can tolerate the same products. However, both my dad and I are extremely chemically sensitive, and we can both tolerate most of these products pretty well.

I like to use the powder form of detergents because I can put the powder into a container near the washing machine. I can then use a spoon to put the detergent into the washing machine. With the liquid form, I have to handle the bottle of liquid to put the detergent into the washing machine. If you are chemically sensitive to the touch, you know that the less you touch, the better. If there are chemicals on the bottle of liquid laundry detergent, my hands get chemicals on them each time I do a load of laundry. If my spoon gets chemicals on it, I just put it into the dishwasher.

Here are the laundry detergents that work well for me:

Country Save: This is probably the least toxic detergent for me that I have come across. It is expensive, however. I use the powder form.

Click here to view the selection of Country Save at Amazon.com



OxiClean: I use this regularly and it works really well. I buy it in bulk from Costco. It is less expensive than Country Save and Seventh Generation.


Click here to view the selection of Oxiclean at Amazon.com



Seventh Generation: I can tolerate a number of the detergents that Seventh Generation produces. Some of the Seventh Generation detergents have a pretty strong odor, but the odor does not bother me.

Click here to view the selection of Seventh Generation laundry detergent at Amazon.com

Boiling Clothing for the Chemically Sensitive

I have found that boiling clothing is an effective way to remove some chemicals from clothing so that they are wearable for a person with Chemical Sensitivity. Boiling clothing can remove Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and other chemicals that cause problems for people with Chemical Sensitivity.

Here are some tips for boiling clothing:

• I usually put clothes through the wash two or three times before I boil them. Then I boil the clothes all day, two days in a row. After that, I wash the clothes a few more times. If the clothes are still really toxic after all of that, I usually give up on the clothes. Some chemicals cannot be removed from clothing with boiling. I have not had good luck with clothing that is “wrinkle free.”
• Do not boil different items of clothing together unless you are sure that chemicals from one piece of clothing will not contaminate other clothing.
• I put some ingredients into the pot prior to boiling. I use one cup of salt, one cup of baking soda, and a little bit of soap or detergent.
• Do not let the pot of boiling clothing run out of water! I put a tissue on my bed to remind me that my clothes are boiling so that I do not go to sleep without turning off the heat.
• It is best to start with clothing that is as chemical-free as possible. Organic clothing is quite pricey, but I generally do better with organic clothing. However, I have found I cannot wear a lot of clothing that purports to be organic. I previously wrote a post in which I listed the clothing that has worked well for me.
• Do not boil shoes that are held together with glue. I tried this once and my shoes fell apart. I will note, however, that my shoes were much less toxic after boiling them.

Options for heating the water:

1. A 220V hotplate.

You will probably need an electrician to install the wiring and outlet. It should be installed outside or in the garage so that the fumes from the clothing do not come into the house. This option could cost $400 to $500 for the hotplate and the wiring. I purchased a 110V hotplate a while back and it could not even bring eight quarts of water to a rolling boil. Check the specs on the hotplate to make sure it can boil the amount of water you need. Also, let your electrician know the specs on the hotplate so he or she can install the right wiring and outlet.

2. Use the kitchen stove.

Do not boil clothing inside your house unless you are not sensitive to airborne chemicals. I tried boiling clothes on the kitchen stove once and it made me ill. Perhaps someone else could boil the clothing while the chemically sensitive person is away. After the clothes are done boiling, the house could be aired out.

3. Use a roasting oven.

Roasting ovens generally cost $20 to $70. I have used a GE roasting oven to boil clothing successfully for many years. The downside is that the water does not get as hot it would if I were to use a 220V hotplate. The water does not come to a rolling boil until much of the water has steamed off. But it has worked really well to remove chemicals from my clothing. My roasting oven can hold about six t-shirts at a time. I also like my roasting oven because there is a removable roasting pan that I can put through the dishwasher if it becomes dirty or acquires chemical residues.




Amazon.com has a variety of roasting ovens. Click here to see their selection.

4. Use a propane stove.

Propane makes me ill but since the clothes would be boiling outside, maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

I learned some of the principles above about boiling clothing from the following site: http://planetthrive.com/2010/08/washing-clothes/. The aforementioned planetthrive article is very good, but I also wanted to share the roasting oven idea, as well a few other ideas, so I did this post.

Clothing for the Chemically Sensitive

One of the most stressful things for a chemically sensitive person is to run out of clothing. I would wear clothing until it would literally be falling apart. Sometimes I would purchase clothing, wash it numerous times, and it would still make me sick, so I would give it to the thrift store. I was worried I would not be able to purchase clothing I could wear. I finally found some clothing I could wear, so the purpose of this post is to share what has worked for me.

Organic clothing is quite pricey, but I generally do better with organic clothing. However, I have found I cannot wear a lot of clothing that purports to be organic. Here is a list of the clothing that I can tolerate:

Esperanza Threads (http://www.esperanzathreads.com/). I have bought at least five pairs of sweatpants from this company and they have been the most chemical-free of any clothing I have come across.

Patagonia. (http://www.patagonia.com/us/home). I have purchased around 15 to 25 items of organic clothing from this company and have been able to wear all of them! I have purchased levis, khakis, collared shirts, flannel shirts, lots of white t-shirts, and other items. The clothing is expensive, but sometimes there are sales. Sign up to receive emails if you want to be notified of their sales. I have purchased two items of synthetic clothing from Patagonia and was not able to wear them.

Lands’ End (http://www.landsend.com/). I have done great with some white dress shirts (No Iron Pinpoint Oxford) I purchased from Lands’ End. I was able to wear them after boiling them and numerous washings.

Adidas. (http://www.adidas.com/). Polyester clothing generally lasts a lot longer than cotton clothing. I purchased some pants direct from Adidas’ website that I was able to wear after boiling and numerous washings. The pants are the Firebird Track Pants, Item:  X41215. They are black with white stripes and they cost $61.52.

JC Penney. I purchased some pants from this company and was able to wear them after numerous washings and boiling them: "Stafford® Essentials Pleated Dress Pants, Item #FC553-4780D, color: Grey Tic, $20.00 clearance." I also purchased the following pants from the same company but could not remove the chemicals: "jcp Flat-Front Dress Chinos, Item #FC560-8259D."


Socks:

Maggies Organics (http://www.maggiesorganics.com/). I have purchased a lot of socks from this company. I buy the “99% cotton allergy crew.” I have tried their other socks that have a lower percentage of organic cotton and I was not able to wear them.


Hanes. I bought three packages of these socks: "Hanes Cushion Crew Socks 10 Pack, 10-13-White." I put them through many washings--probably about 16 hours of washing. The socks still made me a little bit sick after all those washings so I boiled them in my roasting oven (see my post on boiling clothing) for about 16 hours. After I boiled them and washed them a couple more times I could wear them and they didn't make me sick. It is so nice to have plenty of socks to wear now. These socks are much less expensive than the socks from Maggies Organics, but it takes more work to remove the chemicals from them.