Just how poisonous is laundry detergent?

Coming from a social work perspective, your roommate needs an intervention. They even have warning labels on toilet cleaner. If you get that on your skin it will eat at your skin. Putting you at health risk makes me want to call crisis intervention. Not cool. I'd report it.

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:

"That's only science" - Gotta love religious nuts

none of what you describe is cultural. It sounds like she has obsessive compulsive disorder and to be honest I can't believe there's been so many post saying she's crazy or even psychotic...? (i.e. pretty appalling attitudes towards people with mental health problems....!!!)

She would benefit from therapy (I think cognitive behaviour therapy is good for OCD). What country do you live in now? Does she have medical insurance? Can you get her to see a GP or whatever your country's equivalent of a GP is? You mentioned that she's a refugee, usually there are ways for refugees to access psychiatric services free of charge. Many of them suffer from PTSD (she may have this and it may be underlying the OCD, because they're both anxiety disorders and can be related). In any case, do what you can to get her referred to whatever psychiatric services are available for her, because it really sounds like she needs help. Trying to be rational to her when she clearly has a deepseated and irrational fear of germs or whatever else is underpinning her behaviour will get you nowhere. And thank you for caring about her enough to not kick her out in the street.

Thank you - that's what I think, which is why I don't want to be too quick with any ultimatums. She says that even growing up, her family always told her off for wasting so much... Some things really do seem to be cultural (for example, she was angry that I bought pots and pans because she said that no one woman in a household should own all the pots and pans, and that I was trying to assert my dominance. Huh?) but others seem to be just the way she is.

Unfortunately, she seems to thrive on (largely unecessary) medical attention, so I'm not sure sending her to a doctor would help.

See that thing about thriving on medical attention - that could also be part of an underlying issue she has. Maybe she's a hypochondriac (which as far as I'm aware is another anxiety disorder, i.e. anxiety that there's something wrong with you), and even if it's pure attention seeking, there's usually an underlying (and treatable) issue going on, e.g. if she's afraid to face her real issues, but thinks (or hopes) the doctor can somehow magically "fix" her some other way. Also, anxiety causes physical symptoms, and many people who have anxiety disorders seek medical help for the physical symptoms but don't discuss any emotional issues, so the doctor can't find what's wrong (because the illness isn't physical) nor does the doctor know that there's an underlying psychiatric problem, because the patient doesn't discuss it.

so IMO her being like this about medical attention is all the more reason to get her to see a doctor, not a reason not to suggest it. However the doctor needs to be aware of all the issues, not just her going to a doctor who doesn't know any background by herself.

So I think what you probably need to do is write down all your concerns about her (including the thing you said about medical attention), and speak to a doctor who at least has a basic working knowledge of psychiatry, and get advice. If you're in the UK, then I'd suggest calling NHS direct and discussing everything with one of the nurses there, who should be able to arrange for her to get seen by a doctor who knows the whole story. However if you're not in the UK that's not going to be any use to you. If you can get advice, or even better find a way for you to refer her to psychiatric services (with all the information) so you and they can work together to make her get the help that she needs.

Time for a new room mate.

I think you've stumbled across the cause AND effect of her malfunction.

It's a vicious cycle that will force you to find a new roommate in a few months when the toxins in her bloodstream relegate her to a drooling mess of goo....

Having spent time in a 3rd world country, the stuff she's doing (using multiple cleaners for the same job) sounds pretty familiar. The laundry/dish/hand soap is pretty similar, and they don't typically have toilet cleaners, cause, ya know, they have no toilets! (except in the city, of course)
She might actually be ignorant.
Having said that, I agree that you should take control of your own health and dishes. Not worth the risk.

note: I have no high school ed either - religious upbringing didn't allow it. But I have/am educating myself through books, etc. And I am a born/raised American. Not everyone has the opportunities that you might think.

how about using paper plates and plasticware? Boom! problem solved!

"They even recommend frequently sanitizing infant/toddler toys in bleach water - everything goes in their mouths! "

You rinse the toys very well with clean water after you sanitized them.

To OP -- your roommate is too stupid for words. Don't waste your time trying to get through - just run.
These things can have cumulative effect -- you won't get violently ill today but they may contribute to developing cancer years from now. Ingesting chemicals that one uses gloves to handle is not something a person in right mind would do.

i agree with previous posts about OCD or other anxiety/panic disorders. i think she would benefit from some sort of help. i'm not sure what your situation is, but it might help you to speak to a professional about this problem for advice. a college health center, your company's EAP program, or even a community mental health hotline. perhaps they could help you understand how to approach the situation and help get her the help she obviously needs.