I have allergies / sensitive skin — can you do fragrance-free laundry?

Yes, default. We use plant-based, fragrance-free detergent as our standard. No optical brighteners, no synthetic fragrances, no fabric softener (which is the highest-allergen layer in laundry). For tourists with eczema, dermatitis, or fragrance sensitivities, the standard wash is hypoallergenic. Tell us at booking 'no fragrance, no softener' and we double-confirm. Some Bangkok laundries default to scented detergent + softener — switching them to fragrance-free is sometimes possible but the residual scent in their machines can linger.

Three culprits. (1) Synthetic fragrances (e.g., Tide Original, most American detergents) — top allergen layer. (2) Optical brighteners (added to most powders) — cause skin reactions in 5% of people. (3) Fabric softener — typically contains quaternary ammonium compounds, irritating for sensitive skin. Tourists with sensitive skin should specifically avoid these three layers. We don't use any of them by default. For absolute safety, ask 'what brand of detergent do you use?' and Google the ingredient list before sending laundry to an unfamiliar service.

Specify them at booking. Common eczema-trigger ingredients: SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate), parabens, methylisothiazolinone, formaldehyde-releasing preservatives. Most plant-based detergents avoid all of these. For very specific sensitivities, you can: (1) Bring your own detergent (we accept and use customer-provided detergent for an extra 30 THB handling fee). (2) Have us run a 'rinse-only' cycle after the wash to extract any residue. (3) Hand-wash critical items yourself in your hotel sink with travel-size hypoallergenic detergent.

Overlap heavily but not identical. Plant-based eco detergents are usually fragrance-free and free of harsh chemicals — automatically lower-allergen. But some 'eco' brands add essential oils for fragrance which can trigger allergies. The safe definition: 'biodegradable + fragrance-free + dye-free' is hypoallergenic. We use this standard. Some 'eco' Bangkok services use scented essential oils — ask before assuming.

Sort of. Commercial washing machines self-clean between cycles via the rinse phase, but residual detergent or fabric softener from previous loads can persist at the 0.1% level. For most people this is negligible. For severe sensitivities (anaphylaxis-level allergic reactions), running a 'machine clean' cycle before your load is the gold standard — we do this for severe-allergy customers at no extra charge. Tell us 'severe allergy, please run machine clean cycle before my load' and we confirm.

Same protocol — fragrance-free, hot wash, double rinse. Baby skin is more sensitive than adult skin. Standard fragrance-free detergent + 60°C wash + extra rinse cycle handles cloth diapers safely. We also avoid optical brighteners and synthetic softeners on baby items. Cost: standard rate + 10 THB/kg hot-wash surcharge. For tourists traveling with infants, this is included by default if you tell us 'baby clothes' at booking.

Pet hair is a separate problem from detergent allergens — it transfers between machines if not cleaned thoroughly. We sort by load type to minimize cross-contamination, and pet-bedding is processed in dedicated machines separately from human laundry. For severely pet-allergic tourists, ask: 'are my clothes washed in machines that have processed pet bedding recently?' At our service the answer is no (separate machines); at smaller shops the answer might be yes (single machine for all loads). This is a meaningful distinction for severe pet allergies.