Are Your Cleaning and Laundry Products Triggering Allergies at Home?

The hidden causes of irritation, sensitivities and poor indoor air quality

Allergy season is often blamed on pollen. But what if the problem isn’t just outside your home - but inside it?

Every day, we wash our clothes, clean our kitchens and freshen our homes. These routines are meant to support health and hygiene. But have you ever stopped to ask:

What are these products leaving behind?
And what are you breathing in as you use them?

For many households, the answer may be contributing to ongoing irritation, sensitivities and poor indoor air quality.

Indoor air pollution: the overlooked exposure

We tend to think of pollution as something external — traffic fumes, industrial emissions, urban air. Yet research suggests that indoor air can be significantly more polluted than outdoor air, particularly in modern, well-insulated homes [1,2].

Cleaning products play a major role in this. Sprays and fragranced cleaners release volatile compounds and fine particles into the air, contributing to both immediate and longer-term exposure [8,9].

Studies have linked frequent use of household cleaning sprays to increased respiratory symptoms and asthma-like effects, particularly in women and children [3].

So the question becomes:

If you clean regularly, are you also increasing your exposure?

“Fragrance”: the ingredient you never see

Turn over almost any conventional cleaning or laundry product and you’ll find a single word listed:

Fragrance.

It sounds harmless — even appealing. But this one term can represent a complex mixture of dozens or even hundreds of chemicals, most of which are not disclosed on the label [5,10].

These blends are designed to linger. To create the impression of freshness. To mask other ingredients.

But at what cost?

Fragrance exposure has been associated with:

Skin irritation
Headaches
Respiratory discomfort
Sensitisation over time [5,11]

Even products marketed as “green” or “natural” often still contain fragrance — simply derived differently, but still capable of causing irritation.

So it is worth asking:

Is a “clean” smell really a sign of cleanliness — or simply added chemicals?

What stays on your clothes stays on your skin

Laundry products are not rinsed away completely.

Residues from detergents, conditioners and fragrance compounds remain embedded in fabrics, particularly in synthetic materials and thicker items like towels and bedding [7].

This means:

Continuous contact with skin
Prolonged exposure throughout the day and night

For individuals with sensitive skin, eczema or allergies, this can be particularly problematic.

Babies and young children are even more vulnerable, with more permeable skin and closer contact with fabrics.

So consider:

Are your clothes truly clean — or coated in something else?

Why fragrance in laundry is designed to stay — and why that matters

Laundry products are no longer designed simply to clean fabrics. Many are engineered to leave a lasting sensory effect, particularly through fragrance.

To achieve this, manufacturers use a combination of:

Hydrophobic fragrance compounds (which bind easily to fibres)
Encapsulation technologies (microcapsules that release scent over time)
Cationic surfactants and conditioning agents (which help fragrance adhere to fabric surfaces)

These systems are deliberately designed to make fragrance persist through washing, drying and wear.

In practical terms, this means:

The scent you notice is not incidental — it is engineered to remain
Fragrance compounds are retained within the fibres of clothing, towels and bedding
They are gradually released during wear, through friction and body heat

So rather than being rinsed away, these substances are in continuous contact with the skin and surrounding air.

Why is it difficult to wash out?

Many fragrance ingredients are fat-soluble, which allows them to bind to:

Synthetic fibres (such as polyester and elastane)
Natural fibres that retain oils (such as cotton)

Once deposited, they are not easily removed by standard washing, particularly at lower temperatures.

Encapsulated fragrance systems can make this even more persistent. Microcapsules are designed to:

Survive the wash cycle
Attach to fabric surfaces
Break open gradually during use

This creates the impression of “long-lasting freshness” — but also extends exposure well beyond the wash itself.

What does this mean for health?

Fragrance mixtures can contain a wide range of chemical components, including:

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
Known fragrance allergens
Fixatives designed to prolong scent

Some of these substances have been associated with:

Skin irritation and sensitisation
Respiratory discomfort
Headaches and chemical sensitivity responses [5,11]

When these compounds remain in fabrics, exposure becomes:

Continuous rather than occasional
Direct (skin contact) as well as inhaled

For individuals with sensitive skin, allergies or other vulnerabilities, this can be particularly significant.

A question worth asking

If a product is designed to leave something behind on your clothes —
shouldn’t we be asking exactly what that is, and whether it belongs there at all?

The problem with “green” cleaning products

As awareness grows, many consumers turn to “eco” or “natural” products. But not all of these deliver what they imply.

Some still contain:

Synthetic surfactants
Artificial or “nature-identical” fragrance
Preservatives with irritant potential [7]

Labelling can be vague. Ingredient lists incomplete. Claims unregulated.

Without full transparency, it becomes difficult to understand what you are actually bringing into your home.

So the real question is:

How do you distinguish between genuinely low-tox products and clever marketing?

Who is most affected?

While anyone can be impacted by repeated exposure, certain groups are more vulnerable or more aware of the need to reduce it:

Individuals with allergies or asthma
Those with sensitive or reactive skin
Babies and young children
People with multiple chemical sensitivities [6]
Those seeking to reduce long-term health risks, including cancer-related exposures
Older adults, who may be more susceptible to cumulative environmental exposures

For many, reducing exposure is not simply a lifestyle choice — it is a considered decision about long-term health and well-being.

If exposure happens every day, even small amounts begin to matter.

What should you look for instead?

If reducing exposure is the goal, then product choice becomes critical.

Look for:

Fragrance-free formulations
Not “unscented” (which may still contain masking agents), but genuinely free from added fragrance
Full ingredient transparency
Every ingredient clearly listed and identifiable
Certified standards
Independent certification can provide reassurance beyond marketing claims
Simple formulations
Fewer ingredients, fewer potential irritants

The aim is not sterility or harshness — but effective cleaning without unnecessary exposure.

A cleaner home — or simply a more fragranced one?

We are taught to associate scent with cleanliness. But this is a relatively modern idea.

A truly clean home does not need to smell of anything at all.

As awareness of indoor air quality and chemical exposure grows, many households are beginning to question long-standing assumptions. Research continues to highlight the role of fragranced and cleaning products in indoor environments, reinforcing the importance of informed choices [8,9,12].

Because ultimately:

Clean should never come at the cost of health.
And the products we use every day should not be a source of ongoing exposure.

Rethinking everyday choices

Reducing exposure does not require drastic change. It starts with awareness.

By reconsidering what we use — on our surfaces, in our laundry and in the air around us — we can create homes that are not only clean, but genuinely supportive of well-being.

And perhaps the most important question to ask is this:

If something is used every day, shouldn’t we be absolutely sure it belongs in our home?

References

World Health Organization. WHO guidelines for indoor air quality: selected pollutants. Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe; 2010.
Weschler CJ. Changes in indoor pollutants since the 1950s. Atmos Environ. 2009;43(1):153–169.
Zock JP, Plana E, Jarvis D, et al. The use of household cleaning sprays and adult asthma. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2007;176(8):735–741.
Casas L, Espinosa A, Borràs-Santos A, et al. Domestic use of bleach and infections in children: a multicentre cross-sectional study. Occup Environ Med. 2015;72(8):602–604.
Steinemann A. Fragranced consumer products: exposures and effects from emissions. Air Qual Atmos Health. 2016;9:861–866.
Steinemann A. National prevalence and effects of multiple chemical sensitivities. J Occup Environ Med. 2018;60(3):e152–e156.
Dodson RE, Nishioka M, Standley LJ, et al. Endocrine disruptors and asthma-associated chemicals in consumer products. Environ Health Perspect. 2012;120(7):935–943.
Nazaroff WW, Weschler CJ. Cleaning products and air fresheners: exposure to primary and secondary air pollutants. Atmos Environ. 2004;38(18):2841–2865.
Uhde E, Schulz N. Impact of room fragrance products on indoor air quality. Atmos Environ. 2015;106:492–502.
European Commission. Fragrance allergens in cosmetic products. Brussels: European Commission; 2012 & fragrance allergen labelling 2020.
Basketter DA, White IR, McFadden JP. Skin sensitization and fragrances: reviewing the evidence. Contact Dermatitis. 2015;72(5):273–281.
The Conversation UK. Indoor air pollution: the hidden health risk in your home. 2023 & a selection of essays https://theconversation.com/topics/indoor-air-quality-46103

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