Laundry Tips To Ease Your Child’s Eczema

Medically Reviewed by Jabeen Begum, MD on November 08, 2021
Written by Alyssa Anderson
2 min read

All of your clothes, sheets, and pillowcases need to be washed regularly. The detergents and fabric softeners that you use can leave behind fragrance-based irritants that trigger your child’s eczema. This means that you may need to make some changes to your laundry routine to help ease your child’s symptoms. 

Before you change your laundry routine, it’s important that you start with the most soothing clothes and fabrics for your child’s eczema. The best clothing choices for eczema include: 

  • Fabrics that are loose and baggy. Tight clothing will rub up against your child’s skin more often and cause irritation.
  • Natural fibers, like cotton. Choose soft materials, but not ones with synthetic fibers. These tend to have more additives.
  • Softer fibers than wool. Wool is very scratchy and should never be worn by someone with eczema. 
  • Lighter colors. These often have fewer added dyes, which can act as irritants.
  • Clothes without tags or deep seams. Cut off any tags, and don’t choose clothing with seams that stick out and rub against the skin. 

Since each case of eczema is different, you’ll need to figure out which of these techniques works best for you. You may need to try many different types of detergents and other products before you find the ones that ease your child’s symptoms the most. If you’re looking for a place to start, the National Eczema Association has a list of laundry products that should be safe for eczema patients. 

Try the following tips to improve your washing routine:

  • Never use fabric softener. It tends to be full of fragrance-based additives. You can use dryer balls instead. 
  • Liquid detergent is best. Liquid detergent dissolves better in water than tablets and powder detergents. This means that less residue will remain on your child’s clothes. 
  • Use less detergent than recommended. This is also easier to do with liquid detergent than other kinds. 
  • Find the right detergent for your child. Keep trying different kinds of colorless, fragrance-free detergents until you find one that doesn’t trigger your child’s eczema. Some people recommend making your own detergent out of washing soda and borax. This guarantees that there are no other additives. 
  • Wash sheets and pillowcases in hot water. This helps to kill dust mites, a potential allergen and eczema trigger.  
  • Do two rinse cycles. This helps to guarantee that the detergent will rinse off. This is particularly important when you use bleach.
  • Use a dryer, not a clothesline. Drying your clothes outside will expose them to more allergens, like pollen, that could act as triggers for your child’s eczema. 

You’ll find that learning how to handle eczema is a trial and error process. Don’t be discouraged if it takes some time for your child’s symptoms to clear up. There are products and routines out there that will work for you.