Just how poisonous is laundry detergent?

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Okapi42
Okapi42 Posts: 495 Member
in Food and Nutrition
My housemate has her own, very particular brand of "hygiene", which consists of being wasteful and then complaining about having to pay for electricity, replacement cleaning supplies, etc. She'll only eat off her own plate and bowl - carefully washed with a tablespoon of dish soap each, under running water and dried with paper towels. She'd never use the dish towels we plebs use, but takes it upon herself to wash them - two at a time, on a full, hot cycle. On the other hand, she'll happily use a chopping board for raw chicken, then just lean it against the wall to dry, because "the chicken gets cooked anyway". I never use the wooden one, and wash the plastic ones before every use.

But today takes the cake. We ran out of dish soap yesterday evening (we go through a bottle a week because of her). She passed at least three convenience shops that were open on her way to church, but rather than replace anything, I just caught her washing the dishes that didn't get done last night for lack of soap with laundry detergent. A tablespoon of powdered Daz per plate.

I told her not to do that, it's poisonous. She says it's ok, she's always done this, and added that once a week, she'll scrub all the pans with toilet cleaner . And anyway, the boiling water she pours on it kills all the "germs in the cleaner" that poison you.

When I pointed out that the package said it's harmful if ingested, she told me "that's only science" and you can't believe everything science says...

So, should I be worried about what I've been eating unknowingly? :frown:
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Replies

  • blu_meanie_ca
    blu_meanie_ca Posts: 352 Member
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    The laundry soap will get rinsed away, but the toilet cleaner? Are we talking Comet abrasive cleaner, or tidy bowl? Either way, it's time for a new room mate.
  • XtyAnn17
    XtyAnn17 Posts: 632 Member
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    Its her dish let her be lol she sounds interesting. And id start buying your own dish soap & detergent and just keeping it hidden away in your room problem solved. At end of the lease find a new roomate.
  • baja572
    baja572 Posts: 94
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    WAshing dishes with Laundry detergent should be ok if they are well rinsed...toilet bowl cleaner on pans??? That would depend on the chemicals in it!! Don't drink or eat Laundry detergent.
  • sherrirb
    sherrirb Posts: 1,714 Member
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    Boiling water doesn't "kill" germs in cleaning solutions. They are called "CLEANing Solutions" for a reason... they dont have germs in them! And one simple rinse with boiling water isn't necessarily going to wash away all the soap either. Scrub pots and pans with toilet bowl cleaner?!?!?!? This woman is seriously stupid or just nuts.

    Time to buy your own plates, bowls, silverware and cookware and lock it in your bedroom! Then start looking for a new housemate or a new place to live!
  • girlinahat
    girlinahat Posts: 2,956 Member
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    Hmmm. Housemate seems odd

    Having said that, forget the plastic chopping boards and use the wooden one (wash it first if she's going to leave raw chicken dirt on it!!!). Wooden boards have natural resins that kill germs better than the plastic ones where despite cleaning germs can get caught in the texture.
  • bronnyd
    bronnyd Posts: 278 Member
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    I would be concerned that she's been washing your pots and pans with toilet bowl cleaner!! The laundry detergent is weird, but it's no more "poisonous" than dish soap I would think.
  • DontStopB_Leakin
    DontStopB_Leakin Posts: 3,863 Member
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    Just another reason why I don't have housemates.
  • cedder1
    cedder1 Posts: 139 Member
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    Sounds like her odd behavior may be a result of washing dishes with laundry soap and pans with toilet cleaner!!! How much of that stuff has she ingested????
  • AlongCame_Molly
    AlongCame_Molly Posts: 2,835 Member
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    Your roommate sounds psychotic. She needs a serious lesson in hygiene and food prep. At best, she is wasteful, at worst, she will kill you all. Hide the detergent from her and only give it out when she runs a load of wash. In the meantime, keep the number to Poison Control on speed dial.
  • algebravoodoo
    algebravoodoo Posts: 776 Member
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    The laundry soap will get rinsed away, but the toilet cleaner? Are we talking Comet abrasive cleaner, or tidy bowl? Either way, it's time for a new room mate.

    Where's that LIKE clicker when you need it?
  • KenosFeoh
    KenosFeoh Posts: 1,837 Member
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    Oh ick! I wouldn't live with her 1 minute longer than necessary, and I'd keep all my own dishes in a bin in my room so that her odd concoctions never touch them.
  • cmcollins001
    cmcollins001 Posts: 3,472 Member
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    headdesk_by_Student_Romano.gif
  • Okapi42
    Okapi42 Posts: 495 Member
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    I'm glad it's not just me who thinks she's crazy. Since she never pays her rent on time either, I hope I can get rid of her... Sadly, through no fault of her own, she doesn't even have a high school education, and refuses to attempt to learn *anything*.

    She refuses to eat off the dishes belonging to me and my housemate (except the ones she stole and hides in her room), but will still "clean" our things for us, no matter how often we ask her not to.
  • Crankstr
    Crankstr Posts: 3,958 Member
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    strange.
  • AlongCame_Molly
    AlongCame_Molly Posts: 2,835 Member
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    I'm glad it's not just me who thinks she's crazy. Since she never pays her rent on time either, I hope I can get rid of her... Sadly, through no fault of her own, she doesn't even have a high school education, and refuses to attempt to learn *anything*.

    She refuses to eat off the dishes belonging to me and my housemate (except the ones she stole and hides in her room), but will still "clean" our things for us, no matter how often we ask her not to.

    How is not having a high school education ANYONE'S fault other than her own???

    If she doesn't pay rent on time, that is a very quick and very legal way to get her out, immediately. Serve her an eviction notice, STAT, and maybe interview prospective roommates in the future to avoid ending up with "special" ones.
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
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    Ever buy coffee anywhere? I found out one of the places I get coffee runs bleach through their coffee machine daily...
  • dmpizza
    dmpizza Posts: 3,321 Member
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    This girl is toxic( and dumb as a doorstop).
  • dmpizza
    dmpizza Posts: 3,321 Member
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    Ever buy coffee anywhere? I found out one of the places I get coffee runs bleach through their coffee machine daily...

    Bleach is chlorine.. Its in your drinking water and swimming pools, when diluted its fine.
  • blu_meanie_ca
    blu_meanie_ca Posts: 352 Member
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    Bleach isn't toxic... caustic in too high of a concentration (you can put your hand straight in store purchased bleach), but, not toxic. All places that serve food will clean items that can't be run through a high temp dishwasher.
  • Okapi42
    Okapi42 Posts: 495 Member
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    How is not having a high school education ANYONE'S fault other than her own???

    Long story short, she's originally from a third-world country where education prospects were dim for women anyway, and which is currently in a state of civil war. That's why I feel sorry for her; she'd have difficulty finding another place to stay. I wonder how much of it is cultural. On the other hand, political correctness is no reason to be held hostage in my own house.

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