Rit Sun Guard Laundry Treatment UV Protectant - Six Pack

I am so glad to have found this stuff. It has saved me a bunch of money. I have skin and sun issues and have to protect myself from too much sun exposure. You can go to a retailer and spend a lot of money on sun-protective clothing that doesn't fit right and is expensive. Or you can just wash your regular clothes in this stuff. Most of my clothing is cotton, and it works well. It gradually washes out after about 20 washings, so I wash all my cottons twice a year in it (figuring I wear stuff once a week). It is far cheaper than buying SPF clothes that lose their protection after a year of wearing and washing them. This way, I can basically wear anything I want, even if it didn't have the SPF protection in it when I bought it.It's very easy to use -- just put it in the bottom of the washing machine as it's filling up.Can't recommend this enough.Update, January 5, 2013.I've now been using this product for several years, and wanted to provide an update to my original thoughts about it. I still love this, and in fact it has probably extended my life by several years. No joke -- exposure to UV rays is a pretty serious thing for me. Several reviews have mentioned something like, "Who knows if it works or not?" I just want to reassure people that I am living proof that it works. If I wear regular clothing without Sun Guard in it, then my skin breaks out in hives within ten to thirty minutes of exposure. I'm talking about skin underneath clothes! If, however, I wear cotton clothing that has been washed in Sun Guard, nothing happens. No hives. So I know it's working.I have never experimented with investigating how long the Sun Guard lasts once you wash it into your clothes. They say 20 washings, I believe. I wash it in to things like cotton shirts and pants perhaps once every 25 or 30 washings, and I have never noticed a difference in effectiveness.What's not to like?

I've been using this for YEARS. It is a no-brainer for me. In the spring I wash all the clothes (long and short sleeve t-shirts, thin leggings and bandanas) with Rit Sun Guard and they are good to go. Put your clothes in the machine, add your detergent and a packet of this powder, turn on the washer. Done. That's all you have to do, just tear open the packet and pour it in and wash as usual. Pkg says it lasts through 20 washes. It doesn't leave any smell or weird texture on fabric either. We wear bandanas in the summer because they are lightweight (try getting a kid to wear a hat on the beach!) and since using this product on cotton bandanas we have no burned or pink scalps. (Also keeps color treated hair from fading in the sun if you wear a treated bandana) By using this on the clothes I only have to worry about getting sunscreen on face, neck and exposed arms or legs. It is priceless when you consider the dangers of repeated sunburns (especially on lighter skinned people) throughout childhood. Sure, we wear rashguards on the beach but when playing outdoors in parks, zoos, baseball in fields each day, we've had no burns through thin summer shirts. No need to miss out on outdoor fun just be sensible and protect the skin as much as possible. This product makes it easier. I highly recommend it.

I use this on my family's cotton clothing for added sun protection. It was recommended to me by my dermatologist. My concerns were that it might discolor the clothing or that it would irritate my child's skin - it does neither! My son has had no reaction to it in his clothing. My only complaint is that the instructions aren't really made for front loader machines. "mix powder with 2 cups of water and pour into the area that you normally add powder"... my powder tray does not hold 2 cups of water! I usually just dissolve the solution in water then pour it on the clothes once the machine has started to wet them. Seems to work. Someone complained that it doesn't work on polyester fabric, however that's not a problem as polyester already has sun protection by simply being polyester - look at any sun protection clothing, the main fabric is polyester for that reason.

I guess the product is good, who can say for sure I never really burned thru my shirts before Sun Guard usage but I guess it can't hurt. If you have a front load washer you will need to disolve the product first in hot water then start you washer without the clothes let some water fill then hit "add a garment" then add the disolved Sun Guard (In hot water) then close the door and start the washer again let it continue to fill and mix then "add a garment" again and add clothes and extend the soil/wash time so the washer stays in the wash cycle for at least 15 minutes. Not really that hard once you do it a couple times. I had to think about this for a few minutes to get a game plan, I hope this helps some of you. Good luck

It was a bit of a pain not being able to use this product on the cold washer setting, as half of my wardrobe is wash cold, hang dry. I cheated and used the warmest water I dare. We shall see...it's not as if I can measure its effectiveness. And once I bought it, I wondered-am I trading one carcinogen (sun) for another potential chemical variety? Hmmm.PleAse see comments for clarification of my rating. Then look this stuff up for yourself, if there's any actual info available. It's hard to check on toxins online-even petro chem get some whitewashing online; and we KNOW they're not safe, just common and they have large cooperate interests behind the continuation of their use. Sorry to sound wacky-I know i sound crazy making that statement, but look at what we allow, and what other countries allow in our personal care products. Every so often "conspiracy theories" are true, this one just happens not to be as crazy/sexy as other ones-and we're addicted to our products so were complacent.Off the soap box for now...but I'm NOT sorry.