Laundry Tips for Eczema-Prone Skin

Why Laundry Matters for Eczema

The clothes you wear, the sheets you sleep on, even your towels: Everything that touches your skin affects how your skin’s protective barrier behaves. For sensitive, eczema-prone skin with an already weakened or vulnerable barrier, the leftover residue from detergents, fabric softeners, and laundry additives can be a frequent and overlooked source of irritation. A few simple adjustments to your laundry routine can significantly lower your daily exposure to skin irritants and reduce your chances of triggering or worsening an eczema flare.

What to Wash With

• Switch to liquid detergent. Liquid formulas dissolve more completely than powders, leaving far less residue trapped in fabric fibers.
• Skip fabric softeners and dryer sheets. Softeners work by leaving a waxy coating on fabrics, which can trap moisture and irritate sensitive skin.
• Choose an eczema-friendly detergent free of synthetic fragrances. Synthetic laundry scents may smell clean, but are specifically engineered to linger on fabrics with chemical fixatives that can exacerbate irritation. If you have a specific sensitivity to fragrances, opt for a fully fragrance-free detergent.
• Avoid unnecessary additives. Optical brighteners and dyes are simply potential irritants that sit against your skin barrier all day.

How to Wash Clothes for Eczema

• Measure detergent carefully—and don't overuse. Adding extra detergent doesn't mean cleaner clothes—it just increases the amount of product that can be left behind on fabric after the rinse cycle.
• Run an extra rinse cycle. An additional rinse ensures detergent is fully washed away rather than lingering in fabric fibers.
• Wash new items before wearing. Always wash new clothes, sheets, and towels before their first use to remove factory dyes, sizing agents, and chemical finishing residues.

And Don’t Forget

• Choose breathable fabrics. Natural, breathable fibers like pure cotton cause significantly less friction and mechanical irritation than synthetic materials.
• Address bacterial buildup on fabrics. Staph aureus, the bacteria that drives eczema flares, can survive on fabric for weeks, transferring back and forth between your skin, sheets, and towels. Washing regularly with hot water and using a high-heat dryer cycle helps reduce this bacterial load.

For a deeper look at how bacteria affects your skin barrier, read our foundational guide: Eczema and the Microbiome: How Staph Aureus Drives Atopic Dermatitis.

Laundry’s Bottom Line

While laundry adjustments won't replace a targeted eczema care routine, removing unnecessary chemical residues and mastering your fabric hygiene creates a healthier environment for your skin barrier to recover.