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Just how poisonous is laundry detergent?

Posts: 495 Member
edited January 12 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

  • Posts: 352 Member
    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.
  • Posts: 632 Member
    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.
  • Posts: 94 Member
    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.
  • Posts: 1,649 Member
    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!
  • Posts: 2,956 Member
    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.
  • Posts: 278 Member
    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.
  • Posts: 3,863 Member
    Just another reason why I don't have housemates.
  • Posts: 139 Member
    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????
  • Posts: 2,835 Member
    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.
  • Posts: 776 Member
    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?
  • Posts: 1,837 Member
    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.
  • Posts: 3,472 Member
    headdesk_by_Student_Romano.gif
  • Posts: 495 Member
    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.
  • Posts: 3,958 Member
    strange.
  • Posts: 2,835 Member
    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.
  • Posts: 6,800 Member
    Ever buy coffee anywhere? I found out one of the places I get coffee runs bleach through their coffee machine daily...
  • Posts: 3,321 Member
    This girl is toxic( and dumb as a doorstop).
  • Posts: 3,321 Member
    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.
  • Posts: 352 Member
    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.
  • Posts: 495 Member

    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.
  • Posts: 36 Member
    This is literally the craziest thing I've ever heard in my entire life. This girl has some serious problems and needs help (a straight jacket and padded room maybe). Toilet cleaner is for toilets, and laundry detergent for laundry.

    The girl needs to go.
  • Posts: 411 Member
    Sounds like it is time for a new roommate.
  • Posts: 8,218 Member
    Find a new roommate or a new place to live IMMEDIATELY. GEEZ.

    ETA: I think it's noble that you feel sorry for her, but your personal health and well being is more important.
  • Posts: 657 Member
    and people think I'm a snob for saying I refuse to live with/have flatmates !!

    It's the toilet cleaner on the pans that would do it for me ! (it's vile and just wrong)
    also we used to have a a guy (my mums church go-er) who refused to dry using the kitchen towels, but choose the paper towels....until we stopped buying them
  • Posts: 3,927 Member
    Ever buy coffee anywhere? I found out one of the places I get coffee runs bleach through their coffee machine daily...

    That is a good thing. Bleach won't kill you if ingested, unless you drink it straight. Even then, it'll burn you pretty badly but probably not kill you.

    Bleach water is recommended for disinfecting lots of things. It also rinses pretty cleanly... because it's easily diluted.
  • Posts: 1,367 Member
    All places that serve food will clean items that can't be run through a high temp dishwasher.

    Yeah, it's usually called "dish sanitizer" in this use case. (And you want this to happen - soap doesn't kill germs (it emulsifies) - this does.)
    she told me "that's only science" and you can't believe everything science says...

    This is probably more true than anyone would like to admit - but I LOLed anyway. :)

    Otherwise - unless there is a machine involved - you're probably ok using many soaps outside of the window they are marketed for. Especially, if they are well rinsed with, as you mentioned, "boiling water". (Although - depending on what you meant by toilet cleaner - you'd probably want to wear gloves.)
  • Posts: 1,606 Member
    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!
    ^^THIS!
  • Posts: 34 Member
    Roommates: Why I live alone!

    :explode:
  • Posts: 687 Member
    I would be more worried for the health of your room mate! My Grandmother used to clean her false teeth in bleach and then complained of indegestion!!! A quick lesson in the uses of bleach soon corrected her thinking, but I fear that you made need something a little more direct! Time for some tough decisions I fear!
  • Posts: 231 Member
    very dangerous those pods are killing kids who eat them.
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