Rash from clothing purchased at Kohls?

[johnlaw]

Has anyone experienced a rash or unusual response from children (or adult clothing) purchased at Kohls?  A pair of adult jeans caused a severe reaction and I have heard second hand of  other clothing--including childrens clothing causing an unusual rash or reaction.  Anyone have any insight?

[sarahr78]

This used to happen to me all the freaking time before I learned that I was sensitive to household cleaners and certian chemicals. Sometimes even plastics can cause problems. You should see if you have any sensitivity to stuff like that.

[Dodger_Fan]

Hi all, I noticed since the mandates loosen in California & we can shop at Kohl’s again, within the last year or so, every time I walk in the store, I start sneezing & my nose starts to run. If I am touching clothes or trying them on, it gets far worse & when I leave the store, almost immediately, those two symptoms stop. It’s been about 10 days since I bought some clothes from Kohl’s that were still in the bag & as I just opened the bag to remove the tags, the sneezing & runny nose began, which got me to search online to see if anyone else has these allergic reactions & found this site. Must be the chemicals on the clothes, whether insecticides or antibacterial sprays, who knows. Most of this clothes are made in China. They have a strong odor that smells like smoke.

[pbergonzon]

I thought it was me.  I purchased a pair of pajamas from Kohls and I always wash before wearing.  Well, every time I put this particular pair on, my skin itches like crazy and after about an hour or two, I end up taking them off and putting on another pair of PJs and Im fine.   I finally threw these in the trash

[lkay1]

Kohl's has many vendors and brands. You cannot say Kohl's clothes are causing the reactions. There may have been a manufacturer that Kohl's previously used but I assure you Kohl's would pull the merchandise off the floor and send it back to the vendor immediately after such a complaint.
Shipping could also be a problem,  Trucks ship alot of loads that may contaminate a shipment.. To everyone reading this. Let Kohl's know the product and UPC and they will refund your purchase w/ no hassle and pull the product.

[Cadie1986]

my daughter breaks out every time I put kohls clothes on her. I have washed them twice now and she still gets red patches all over her abdomen, not as bad as after the first wash but still there. 10-1-13 I have heard many other people say they have had similar problems, does anyone know why?

[nanaellie]

My grown daughter purchased a sweater at Kohl's on 10-19-12, wore it for 1 hour on 10-20-12 - it was warm, so took it off. We went shopping & I noticed her face getting very red, she said it was itchy & her chin felt numb. She ended up in the ER early morning of 10-21-12, with a severe reaction, on steroids, benedryl & miserable for a few days. Her co-pay at the ER was $100 . She had no idea what had caused this severe reaction until this morning, she put the sweater on & the rash started coming back & her face felt very hot & itchy. When we searched on line we discovered the Kohl's connection. We will return the sweater in the morning & demand our money back. What is distressing is the dates from the comments above, obviously the store must be aware of this & has done nothing!!!!

[FurballsMom]

There must be some kind of chemical that stays in the materials Kohl's uses even when the materials are washed multiple times.  One chemical I know stays in some materials, as there are materials that are supposed to be "antibacterial" is Triclosan.  I have no idea which chemical is in Kohl's brand clothing and bedding, but I'm glad there is this thread, so I will know to never purchase anything from that company.

[maggie2417]

I purchased a conforter at Kohl's and ended up at the hospital twice in one week.  Removed, the conforter and replaced it with a bed linen I also purchased at Kohl's and I am still having an allergic reaction... to what, I don't know... I  have been on medication for a week now, but am still experiencing rashes when I wake up every morning.  

Has anyone else experienced this problem with bed linen from Kohl's?

[princessandthepea173]

I would recommend bamboo which is supposedly hypoallergenic but slightly expensive. When you can you should try to find clothes made from fabric that has is labelled organic- as the chemical treatment and processes the material has gone through is reduced. I've seen some of this sneaking in the market because of  green awareness but also because so many people have allergies.

[FurballsMom]

Yikes.  I have never bought clothes from that company.  I am a sensitive person.  I do always wash everything first, because who knows what chemicals area already on the clothing.  I will most likely avoid this store all together knowing that others are experiencing allergic reactions.

[sleepytea]

We have had serious issues with clothing from Kohl's!

First, our family has mold allergies and we have noticed some clothes have a mildew odor and certain racks will make our noses run when we are by them. Closer investigation always proves to have a mildew odor, particularly w/ some pants. Our guess is that it must be mold that settled in due to conditions during shipping.

Second, and most serious, is our realization that some of the sweaters cause burning eyes, rash, and hives in various friends, family, and coworkers.  The sweaters, mostly the fun seasonal ones with birds, snowmen, moose, have a petrol-chemical-like smell to them, almost like if you go tire shopping mixed w/ the smell of rubbing alcohol. I purchased two sweaters and after issues took them back to the store and I told them it made me rashy and I even got hives after wearing it.  The associate actually was rude and said it just smells like wool. Washing it initially did not help!  

One of my coworkers got a similar sweater from Kohl's. Sometimes I would get rashy when I'd go in her office or talked to her in the hall and it hit me that she was wearing one of the notorious sweaters.   Like clockwork she'll be fine and the day she wears that sweater  her eyes water and burn all day and she says "something is bothering my allergy" but is in denial that it is her sweater even though it has become obvious to the whole office. Another coworker will get a runny nose when she is by the sweater.  Over the past year frequent washing and wearing has made the sweater better to the point where I can go in her office and not break out on the days she wears it.

Obviously, I and those I am close to have come to a definite conclusion that there is something unhealthy about some of the clothing items at Kohl's, but those we've spoken to have not taken our concerns seriously.

Good luck to everyone and please do not ignore the signs that clothing can cause problems, even though others refuse to believe it could be so.

[espanolegido]

I was just in the hospital after hour pediatrics clinic after my daughter broke out in a terrible case of the hives. So bad, that she's on steroids.  The only thing I can think of that set her off is that new Jumping Beans outfit (fleece) that we bought her from KOHLS.  In speaking with her daycare teacher she's confirmed that when she buys clothing from that store she has the worst reactions of any clothing manufacturer.  What's up with them?  Interested to hear more and how longs it takes for these episodes to subside as within an hour of the steroids wearing off she had another flare up.

[sinistercheez]

i just got a terrible reaction after shopping at kohls.  my face started to look patchy while i was trying on sweaters, when I woke up the next day my entire face was red and swollen-- all the way down my neck and arms and a couple patches on my stomach.  I went to the doctor and he gave me a steroid shot and a lotion for my face and arms.  I've been taking benydryl every 6 hours and haven't been able to work-- if I get hot it swells up again.  It keeps flaring up and then calming down, but the redness still hasn't gone away.  It's going to be day 3 when I wake up tomorrow.  It's been absolutely miserable.  I may go back to the doctor for another steroid shot.  I'm not entirely sure if it was the clothes, something I ate, or something I got into in the woods... I was also putting on Jergen's Natural Glow lotion on my face, arms and chest right before this happened too.  However, now that the rash is on my stomach I'm thinking it was the Kohls.

[FurballsMom]

I agree.  Regardless of where I buy my clothes, I wash them before I wear them for the first time.  It doesn't matter if they come from a thrift store or if they are brand new clothes.  I have to wash mine, then run them through the rinse cycle a second time to be sure that I get out all the skin irritants.  A lot of people do better with natural fibers, except for wool.  Cotton is usually recommended for people with sensitive skin.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,

It may be that you may be allergic to the washing detergent in which those clothes have been prewashed or you may be allergic to any of the composition of the texture of clothes like some people are allergic to nylon or polyester.Just check whether these clothes have been prewashed or what is the composition of the texture of the clothes.Then you may consult an allergist and get yourself allergy tested for that component.

Hope it helps.Take care and regards.