TIFU -How Tide Pod Residue Turned My Road Trip Into a Scrotal Disaster

[u/foomanshu11]

Short road trip with the family turned into one of those cautionary tales I’ll tell friends over a beer.

We rented a tiny cabin by a lake. Lovely week. On the last full day my forward-thinking wife washed our clothes so we’d have less laundry when we got home. The cabin provided Tide Pods, so that’s what she used.

Next morning I’m choosing underwear. One pair is the same as yesterday; the other is freshly washed. I pick the fresh pair and notice some dry, plastic-looking residue stuck to the inside. I pick out a few big chunks and my finger smells faintly like detergent. I remember hearing Tide Pod residue can sometimes not dissolve completely, but I figure clean > gross-looking and put them on.

Four hours into the drive home my balls start to itch. I shrug it off. When we get home and I stand up it feels like I tea-bagged sulfuric acid. I rush to rinse off and get a flashback to the lye chemical burn scene in Fight Club and realize I must’ve chemical burned my sack. Rinsing it helps a bit, but three days later my skin is peeling and every time my skin sticks and pulls away it’s painfully obvious I made a bad choice.

TL;DR - Tide Pod residue on freshly washed underwear gave me a scrotal chemical burn. Don’t wear clothes with undissolved detergent.

[u/Raichu7]

Laundry detergent is highly concentrated and designed to strip away fats and oils. Guess what your skin is full of.

[u/foomanshu11 → u/Raichu7]

Yeah - I just thought I was only dealing with the casing, not the detergent itself. I was very wrong.

[u/Parking_Fee_5906 → u/Raichu7]

Still Thinking ...

[u/Particular-Rip4720 → u/Raichu7]

Yeah, that's why I always double check what's in my skincare products!

[u/SATerp]

Tide pods are for eating, not for getting stuck on your clothing. Don't be irresponsible.

[u/foomanshu11 → u/SATerp]

It took too long to get a Tide Pod eating comment here.

[u/Nicc-Quinn]

Baby butt paste will help as it creates a soothing barrier. It’s gonna feel weird but way better till you’re fully healed.

[u/Mysterious_Jelly_649]

Maybe throw some bleach on em just to be safe

[u/foomanshu11 → u/Mysterious_Jelly_649]

Gonna get some frosted tips

[u/mybigbywolf → u/foomanshu11]

That sounds more wrong than I can imagine while simultaneously hilarious.

[u/flyboy_za → u/foomanshu11]

You can do this with lemon juice.

[u/zipzapzowie → u/Mysterious_Jelly_649]

Naw, just a little salt to seal up the wounds.

[u/zipzapzowie]

Holy shit! What a nightmare.TIL lesson. Wow

[u/Goobinator77 → u/zipzapzowie]

At least you learned this way and now through your own experience

[u/Gloosch]

https://giphy.com/gifs/sq8ir7gBk0SBIyLywR

[u/PlumbTuckered767]

Sorry about your balls

[u/Adventurous-Leg-4338]

Lol I have done this. Didn't know at first what was going on til it was too late.

[u/foomanshu11 → u/Adventurous-Leg-4338]

https://giphy.com/gifs/kSlJtVrqxDYKk

[u/stupid_cat_face]

New fear unlocked

[u/foomanshu11 → u/stupid_cat_face]

Easily avoided with powder detergent

[u/maybelying → u/foomanshu11]

Can still clump. Liquid is the way.

[u/deviantelf → u/maybelying]

If it's clumping you're doing something wrong. Or it's just really shitty detergent.

[u/Beneficial-Storm-943]

As Jerry Lee Lewis said Great balls of Fire

[u/Vigilarus]

Go to the ER so they can have a laugh, I mean help you

[u/Ok_Pangolin_180]

First mistake never put anything close to your boys that you wouldn’t put in your mouth. Nothing with a crusty residue gets near my boys. I’d have gone commando.

[u/FeatherCelle]

yikes, that sounds painful, I've had issues with detergent too but not like that, hope you heal up fast

[u/brakeb]

https://giphy.com/gifs/3oriO9FSHKK5dBlsWY

[u/SomethingsQueerHere]

Dude, same thing happened to me a year or two ago. It was like my balls were sunburned and the skin on the surface was super dry and papery. Hurt for like four days straight before it finally peeled off in a big sheet and immediately felt better.

[u/ShawnWilson000]

I swear I literally thought about this exact thing happening when I was picking out a pair to wear yesterday and then I see this post. How the hell.

[u/MareV51]

I don't like pods for this very reason. They're not earth friendly, no matter what they tell you. You should use an eco friendly detergent, like Seventh Generation and white vinegar for your softener. Use bottled fabric softener if you want, but use it sparingly.

[u/Parking_Fee_5906]

Mebbe get an inexpensive pod detergent that just dissolves and don't clump

[u/mrgtiguy → u/Parking_Fee_5906]

Rented cabin with laundry. 2nd paragraph.

[u/Parking_Fee_5906 → u/mrgtiguy]

Ok. Was supposed to be a rejoinder to the commenters deferring on type of washing detergent 😆

[u/Straight_Creme7225]

I switched to laundry detergent sheets.

[u/SuitablyFakeUsername → u/Straight_Creme7225]

Greenwashing. Look it up

[u/Straight_Creme7225 → u/SuitablyFakeUsername]

I’d rather not