Sheets from Bed Bath & Beyond are making me break out in hives!!

Are they "no iron"? The chemicals they use to make that happen can be toxic.

Did you wash them first?

Did you wash them or put them on the bed straight from the package?

You should always wash them first, to remove the chemicals that may rub off during packaging and shipping.

You slept on sheets without washing them first, OP? That was a big mistake.

Most textiles are coated with chemicals you don't want touching your skin. I never wear or use anything without laundering.

Yes, I washed them. Aren't all sheets "no iron"? Who the hell irons their sheets? Bree Van De Kamp?

What are they made of? If they're 100% cotton, they're not "no iron".

Clothes shipped for long distances, particularly clothes made in China, India, Bangladesh or other Asian countries contain formaldehyde to prevent any mold or mildew that may form due to exposure to high humidity or moisture. Formaldehyde is also involved in permanent press textile processing which is applied to many items of clothing made in China as well as elsewhere.

I recently purchased two inexpensive T-shirts to complement my summer attire and developed a rash on my chest after wearing one of the shirts. It had never happened before and my only explanation is that I might be more susceptible as I age or perhaps there was more formaldehyde in this particular shirt. A quick check revealed "Made in China" on the label.

It's the formaldehyde.

No iron cotton sheets are coated with something horrible that makes them no iron.

It says they are made from 100% tencel fibers. Whatever that is.

You can definitely have all-cotton no-iron sheets. I bought a set once, and the chemicals were so strong, I had a hard time getting up out of bed. And this was after washing them a dozen times.

I always buy the kind that say they "may need a bit of touch-up ironing on low."

Conventional bedding textiles are often treated with chemical finishes to repel water and stains, as well as to prevent wrinkles. These “permanent-press,” “no-iron,” “stain-proof,” and “water-repellant” finishes can offgas formaldehyde. Additionally, their manufacture releases perfluorochemicals (PFCs) or dioxin, which may harm the environment or your body.

It is scabies, microscopic living things that burrow into your skin and cause a reaction. You got them from the point of manufacture, China. You should have washed them in hot water and color bleach.

They were made in India.

Bras, undies, boxers, panties and hose need to be washed first too for the same reasons. Put jock straps on the list too.

OP – –

All you have to do is tie your sheets to the door handles of your car and ride up and down the freeway at top speed for about an hour.

This will blow the particles of offending chemicals all your sheets.

Now give it a try, and come back here and report.

Jeans too, R15. I've seen some pretty bad reactions to wearing them unwashed, partly from dyes and partly from chemicals.

You have to be SUPER careful about any consumer goods these days as all the top brands are sourcing from India & China. I'm not prone to allergic reactions but I've had reactions over the past five years from a rug (the type of glue on the backing); bookcases (degassing from chipboard); and a leather sofa (dye).

I excluded them from the house immediately and pursued full refunds from the retailers. We're talking potential carcingens and you need to listen to what your body is telling you: DANGER WILL ROBINSON! And retailers need to get the message sharply that consumers won't tolerate this, and the supply chain needs thorough inspection.

So OP: return the sheets IMMEDIATELY. No bedding should cause a reaction. If the cotton has residual chemicals the manufacturer's testing should have highlighted that and it should never have been accepted. It's not your mistake: it's theirs, and you need to kick up an almighty stink!!!

[quote]It says they are made from 100% tencel fibers. Whatever that is.

You have purchased glorified sawdust OP. You are one setp up from the homeless that sleep under newspapers.

[quote]I recently purchased two inexpensive T-shirts to complement my summer attire

MARY!

Bed Bugs

I had this problem with a quilt cover once. But it was only the top of it that gave me hives so at first I couldn't figure out was going on.

It stopped when I washed it several times in hot water.

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A simulated Holland treat

Won't washing the sheets in hot water shrink them?

My pussy is itchin', y'all!

I thought BB&B has a no-time-limit no-questions-asked returns policy?

OP, did you buy this from the "Beyond" portion of the store?

How are your hives, OP?

lol r20

[quote] Lyocell is a regenerated cellulose fiber made from dissolving pulp (bleached wood pulp). It was developed and first manufactured as Tencel in the 1980's by Courtaulds Fibres UK at their pilot plant S25. As of 2010 it is manufactured by Lenzing AG of Lenzing, Austria, under the brand name "Lyocell by Lenzing", and under the brand name Tencel by the Tencel group, now owned by Lenzing AG.

OP, more likely it was the grindr trick whom you invited to christen your sheets, rather than the sheets themselves, that caused the rash.

It's shingles, OP

Six days ago I bought some very expensive sheets in Egyptian cotton from a very well known manufacturer (Sanderson actually), washed them in hot water, and put them on the bed. I have had them there for 5 nights and every night I've had nightmares. This is very odd. Now I think that is due to some finishing product applied to the fabric - formaldehyde is the chief suspect. They are (surprise surprise) made in China. Has anyone else had this experience? Or do I just go see a shrink?

Are they "no iron," R33?

[quote] I'm not prone to allergic reactions but I've had reactions over the past five years from a rug (the type of glue on the backing); bookcases (degassing from chipboard); and a leather sofa (dye).

If you are not prone to allergic reactions then why did you have all the allergic reactions?

I weave all of the fabric that makes up my clothes and sheets by hand using only natural fibers.

[quote]Will the store take them back?

I don't know, Nancy Drew! What should we do?

Are you sure it isn't herpes OP?

Hey R36, can I get a ride from you to Michfest?

BB&B has been having a lot of trouble with a Chinese variant of the bed bug - they are very small, hatch fast and the nymphs are very active feeders. The problem is that not all the sheets are reliably sealed, and the things have spread in some of the stores. Laundering does little good, unless you're washing in boiling water for an extended time - they're rather indestructible. And once they're loose in a bedroom, it's almost impossible to get rid of them.

So invest in some good salves, OP, and watch out for secondary infections. Staph likes to develop in the scratch marks and once that gets going you could be losing more than sleep.

Good luck!

How can you wash sheets in hot water and not fade the color?

Can't, r41, eventual fade inevitable.

R41, add a cup of vinegar to the water the first time you wash them.

With some colors, vivid reds and blues especially, I also add a couple of cups of salt.

you are supposed to WASH THEM BEFORE you use them!!!! didn't your mother teach you anything?????

Should have went to Walmart. Microfiber sheets for my queen ban size bed around $22, no iron and they feel like silk.

Have her put a little starch in the final rinse.

You could have a HatchFest !

I never buy anything from China that will touch my body, inside or out. Everything they make comes initially as raw product from the Chongqing supercity area and is manufactured from barnyard dirt, manure and lead.

What is percale like? I saw a sign the other day.

I like the word, how are the sheets?

I just received a $99 set of bed sheets from BB&B as a gift. The Palais blah blah ones. 630 thread count. Are they any good?

I thought they had a nifty smell. I didn't wash them. This is Night #2 sleeping on them. I didn't have a rash when I woke up this morning.

Did the OP's thing ever blow over? Am I in danger?

I got sheets from the Salvation Army store, they're just as good

I got a sheet set from Kmart a few years back for 9.99 during a a black Friday sale. Still good today and no hives.

Sometimes paying more doesn't get you any better quality. All of the sheets are still being made using the same slave labor. Pricing is artificial. OP was guilty of judging quality by how much he paid. Live and learn and wash your sheets before using. Also take it back.

$100 at BBB and you didn't use the 20% off coupon, OP? Sucker!

OP, I didn't believe my mother when she said her rash was caused from hospital bed sheets she rested her arms on while having a procedure done. Some people must have an allergy to something in certain sheets. I'll have to apologize to her now after reading about your experience.

Who the FUCK is stupid enough to not wash sheets before putting them on their bed? Or clothes before you wear them? WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU??

You deserve every rash and hive you get, dumbass.

Probably someone who is stupid enough to yell at someone who posted four years ago as though they were still reading the responses to this thread, R55.

I brought some sheets and duvet, pillows etc from Asda in UK a part of Walmart I believe? Anyway I had sheets and bedding on for 3 days as in spite of constant itching, a painful rash over arms and legs, I was stubborn and refused to believe initially a company would be allowed to import items that would cause spots and fever into the country, I asked 2 pharmacists and told 3 nurses about rash, they all said it wasn’t rabies or shingles, but an allergic reaction, the bedding was only new thing, I didn’t wash them first as have brought other bedding and put on bed, straight out of packet, from supermarkets, I am avoiding #asda now as after a few other purchases that were faulty from there, I can’t trust them now. Have photos on my timeline of rashes and spots caused.

If you didn't wash them first you're a fucking moron.

ALWAYS wash any clothing or bedding prior to using it. How can you not KNOW this??

I got some of those tencel sheets on sale at Costco for $15.99. I washed them in the extremely hot cycle and did a double rinse, then I dried them and I've had no problem. OP do you sleep in the nude? Do you want me to come over to help?

I was in bbb just a few days ago and hadnt been in a while and was shocked to see they chg d most of their lines of sheets. They seem to have gone the natural fiber route/eco friendly and just from the packaging I dont think they would be soft. I was able to find the one brand that is decent, wamsutta but they discontinued carrying 100% EGYPTIAN cotton and now carry pima cotton only. Not one sheet in the store is egyptian cotton anymore.

I read a long interesting article a few years ago on finding good sheets and it suggested egyptian cotton only if it is mfg d in china or india, believe it or not..............anyway I found sheets that fit the bill and have been buying them for a couple years at bbb so now not sure........I bought some sheets as a gift so will be anxious to see if the person liked them.

Not to ramble, but I think the problem is the product line s bed bath beyond carries now. I would say do some research on line and it really doesnt pay to go cheap on sheets, trust me.

I got some Wamsutta sheets from BBB and they were gorgeous. Love them.

You did not really wash them first, so don't lie.

I don’t believe that OP washed the sheets.

It might not be the sheets.

Are you on any new medications that could be causing a reaction?

Did you buy bad street drugs?

Is it an STD?

Expensive sheets should not be made of Tencel; that’s a process for making cheap sheets. Check the exterior packaging to ensure what was inside the package was what you intended to purchase.

Sometimes, horrible people buy cheap shit, put it inside the packaging for the better quality contton sheets of the same color and return it for credit. It’s fraud - but if it’s put back on the shelf it’s the innocent second purchaser who finds out the hard way.

Ancient Chinese secret.

Now the Europeans know Americans aren’t hypochondriacs about all the allergies

They pollute our air, water, food, and even our textiles and sell it for cheap at the two behemoth Walmart & Amazon