Eczema taught me to read the label on everything

A mama bear’s guide to eczema friendly homeware

When my daughter was diagnosed with eczema, I encountered a chronic condition for the first time in my life. Before that, illness meant: go to the doctor, get a pill, follow instructions, done. This time the paediatrician gave us a list of things we had to do on daily basis, lifestyle changes – food, clothing, creaming. And even then, the flare-ups will keep coming back.

At first I didn’t follow much of the advice. Nothing felt like it was working in that moment, and the changes felt overwhelming. Only when it became unmanageable – the sleepless nights, my daughter crying from itching she couldn’t control – was I forced to actually commit to all of it.

Almost three years later, those choices had quietly changed how our whole family lives. Suddenly I was looking at the world through a completely different lens: actually knowing what’s in the food we eat, in the clothes we wear and in the furniture and homeware we use daily. Once you know it, you can’t go back.

Step by step we improved my daughter’s skin. And as a side effect, we improved our own wellbeing too.

Here are five eczema friendly homeware categories I added to The Keepers shop because we know they’re good for children and adults managing eczema. The logic is simple: natural materials with documented skin benefits, from makers whose claims are independently verified.

We’ll keep adding to this article as we go.

5 eczema friendly homeware:

1. Linen bedding

Sleep is when eczema wins most of its battles. Skin stays in contact with bedding for eight hours, and if that fabric traps heat or moisture, it creates exactly the conditions that trigger a flare: warm, damp skin that can’t breathe. Our dermatologist told us ‘there is no better investment for your child’s skin then linen bedding‘.

Linen specifically works for atopic skin because of its structure: the fibre is hollow, which means air moves through the fabric rather than just across it. Linen can absorb up to 20% of its own weight in moisture before it starts to feel damp (significantly more than cotton), which holds moisture close to the surface. Add to that linen’s natural thermoregulation: it keeps the sleep surface cooler in summer and warmer in winter, and you have a fabric that actively reduces the two most consistent overnight flare triggers. 

But the fibre alone isn’t the whole story. A 2020 systematic review in the American Journal of Clinical Dermatology confirmed that fabric chemistry: dyes, finishing agents, bleaches, is a major irritant category for atopic patients, separate from fibre type entirely. This is why Vieböck‘s double certification matters: GOTS prohibits hazardous chemicals at every production stage; IVN Best, the stricter of the two, covers the entire chain from flax field to finished fabric. Vieböck is the only linen mill in the world holding both.

2. Bath towels in natural colours

Cotton and linen are the two fabrics dermatologists consistently recommend for atopic skin: natural fibres that don’t trap heat, don’t shed synthetic particles, and when processed without harmful chemicals, introduce nothing reactive against the skin.

Our paediatrician added one more rule: white or lightly coloured only, because textile dyes are established contact allergens that transfer to skin with heat and moisture.

Torres Novas has been weaving cotton in Portugal since 1845. Their OEKO-TEX certification means no pesticides, no lead, no toxic processing agents in the finished fabric. Not just “natural cotton,” but cotton verified to be free of anything that could end up irritating your child’s skin.

Keep also in mind: how you care for them matters almost as much. Fabric softeners are chemicals your skin doesn’t need and they make towels less absorbent over time. We wash ours only with fragrance-free detergent, extra rinse.

3. Wooden toys

When our baby daughter was putting everything in her mouth, we moved away from plastic toys. The concern is not theoretical: a 2023 meta-analysis linked postnatal phthalate exposure (plasticisers found in most conventional plastics) to elevated eczema risk in children. A 2024 University of Birmingham study confirmed that PFAS, another common plastic chemical, absorbs through human skin, with a larger effect in atopic children whose skin barrier is already compromised.

We’re not claiming plastic toys cause eczema. But for a child whose immune system is already reactive, reducing total chemical contact is a reasonable precaution. Cuboro‘s Swiss Wood certified beech, Werner Reifentiere and Werner Spielzeug‘s wood from the Austrian Alps are all untreated; no surface coatings, no chemicals to absorb. Nothing to react to.

4. What touches your food

Heat and friction accelerate the release of whatever a material is made from. The direct link from cookware microplastics to eczema hasn’t been established in one study but phthalates and PFAS found in non-stick coatings are associated with elevated eczema risk through other exposure routes, and food is a main ingestion pathway. For a child already managing atopic skin, reducing that load made sense to us.

The swap is straightforward, and the alternatives last far longer anyway: ceramic for cooking, wood for cutting, linen or beeswax for wrapping and storing. None of these materials leach anything. Gmundner Keramik‘s casseroles are natural Austrian clay, no coatings. Waga‘s boards are solid walnut with a food-safe oil finish. Vieböck‘s linen bread baskets and cleaning cloths carry GOTS and IVN Best certification.

If you’re looking for more eczema friendly homeware, we’ll keep adding to this list as we expand The Keepers selection. And if there’s something specific you’re looking for, let us know at hello@thekeepers.shop. We’re always on the lookout for new natural eczema friendly homeware to add to the shop.

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Sources: Jaros J et al., American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2020; phthalate meta-analysis, Science of the Total Environment, 2023; PFAS dermal absorption study, University of Birmingham, 2024; microplastic cookware study, Science of the Total Environment, 2024.