Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

How Much Acommodation Should We Expect?

Irishgirl76

Recommended Posts

Irishgirl76 Apprentice
Irishgirl76
Posted

So my sweet, wonderful sister wants to make her home as safe as possible for my daughter (and for me also, I suppose!). She says she does not want me to worry when I'm there. She is gluten-free by choice (not Celiac but sensitive to gluten), and is encouraging the rest of her family to do the same, for health reasons (her hubby & 3 teenaged daughters). As an aside, her hubby (who is also awesome) is overweight and diabetic. He proudly told me today that in one week of gluten-free he has lost 10 pounds and already feels immensely better. Yaay! So they will slowly be transitioning their home to gluten-free, but as we all know, there is a diff b/w gluten-free and Celiac safe. She put together a nice kit with a new cutting board, utensils, toaster, etc, all clearly labeled "gluten-free" and that get stored away when not in use. Today I asked her if she was aware that the gluten-free stuff would need to be washed separately from the non-gluten-free stuff (I'd hate for her to have spent $ on that stuff only to contaminate it by accident). I felt bad asking but thought if she went to that much trouble I should tell her. She said she took no offense and that I should tell her about anything like that, as she is still learning.

So... not sure what else I should point out to her. Today she asked me what kind of dish soap would be safe. I don't want to seem nitpicky about stuff but she seems to really want her home to be totally safe for us. What about things like bathroom hand soap? Washing down previously gluteny surfaces? I'm very new to this myself so just getting my home Celiac safe has been a huge undertaking. It seems like such a burden for someone else to do it who doesn't even have Celiac.

I'm so blessed to have such a wonderful sister and don't want to nitpick but she does genuinely seem to want to know what she needs to do. Also, any ideas as to how I can show her my gratitude? She doesn't like gifts so it would have to be some other gesture.

Thanks!

Alissa

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Marilyn R Community Regular
Marilyn R
Posted

Hi Alissa, and welcome to the forum! You are blessed to have a sister that loves you so much and wants to accommodate your dietary restrictions.

I use Palmolive Dishwasing detergent without problem, Cascade in the dishwasher (those little cubes, or a generic store version of them. For the bathroom, Vanicream soap (available at WalGreen's is great, (only available in bar form though) and the lotion is superb. (I'm assuming you live in USA..not sure.)

I had to travel unexpectedly shortly after I went gluten-free and stayed with my brother and SIL. They're not gluten-free. We worked it out and I didn't get sick. The trip involved a family tragedy and it wasn't about me, but we figured out that their George Foreman Grill was completely gluten-free. Give me a piece of protein cooked on a grill and I'm happy! SIL made baked potatoes in the oven. If they grilled, my food went in a aluminum foil packet.

My brother picked me up from the airport and we went to the grocery store together. I had a little stash of stuff.

Sometime's I would just have an avacodo for a snack. I bought safe peanut butter and some apples and bananas and rice cakes for breakfast or snacks.

I think you're in good hands. And I'm pretty sure you don't have to worry if your sister washes glutened items along with non-gluten-free items, especially if she tosses them in the dishwasher.

The one request I'd make is that she clean out or replace her silverware and/or utensil holder. Toast crumbs are sneaky! If someone left the silverware drawer open while they were toasting they're bread, some of those crumbs are probably in there. Alternatively, you can wash the utensils you and dd are going to use.

As for a gift, I love Nutsonline.com. I'd send her a gift pack after the trip, you can customize the card, but you could say something like "Sorry if I drove you nuts, thanks for everything, love you to bits, P.S. The nuts are gluten-free!" (Just pick from their gluten-free menu.)

Their nuts are so delicious. If she gets huffy about you sending her a gift, you can tell her that you sent them so she has a new source for gluten-free items (they sell gluten-free flours too).

cyberprof Enthusiast
cyberprof
Posted

It's nice that your sister is so thoughtful and good that her hubby is seeing benefits from gluten-free too.

Most of the time, my house is gluten-free (kids at college) but I do occasionally have gluten in the house when DD comes home from school. I don't allow gluten on my cutting boards, teflon skillets, in the tupperware etc and I have separate gluten implements and gluten-free implements (e.g. all my gluten-appropriate implements like pancake flippers, spatulas etc are green colored so that they are noticably different). But I wash them all together, usually in the dishwasher. I don't get any gluten pieces or chunks in the dishwasher (I pre-wash) and am very careful about throwing leftovers down the sink. When I wash up gluten plates (only 8-10 times a year) I don't use my scrubber or sponge, just a disposable towel or paper towel.

I think that the general consensus here is that gluten doesn't stick to glass or stainless steel or china. Those things are fine to be used with gluten as long as they are properly washed.

I've never heard of a dish soap or dishwasher detergent that had gluten in it...has anyone?

For handsoap, there are some that had gluten in them but most of the SoftSoap varieties are gluten-free.

So, I think as long as your sister has gluten-free cutting boards, colanders etc. that is as good as you need to be.

I'm pretty sensitive and haven't gotten sick at home in years.

sa1937 Community Regular
sa1937
Posted

Welcome, Alissa! You do have a wonderful sister to be so thoughtful. You've already gotten some good advice from Marilyn and cyberprof.

I would add that I like Dawn dishwashing detergent and SoftSoap at the sinks and in my shower...both are easy to find and are not expensive.

I do wash my metal baking pans by hand as some of them can rust if they're coated metal. And I also prewash a lot of other things so I can run a shorter dishwasher cycle. Guess that's just a habit I got into many years ago.

Irishgirl76 Apprentice
Irishgirl76
Posted
  • Author

Thanks, guys. :) I found a sneaky way to give her a gift. When I was out shopping for new kitchen stuff I was looking to replace my baking stone (I used that thing for EVERYTHING!!). I was looking for a square one but the first store I went to only had round ones, so I bought it. Then I stopped at another store and found a square one, but didn't have time to replace the first. My sister stopped by the next day and lamented about having to replace her pizza stone (she is also a lover of stonewear), and I handed her the one I'd bought at the first store, saying it would be too much trouble to return it. She argued with me for a few minutes but finally caved and took it. lol.

cap6 Enthusiast
cap6
Posted

I run both gluten & gluten free through the dishwasher together with no problem, however I use the pots & pans cycle so it has several rinses. Don't know if that is necessary but it makes me feel safer. :)

Irishgirl76 Apprentice
Irishgirl76
Posted
  • Author

I was thinking more along the lines of the wooden cutting board, wooden spoons etc. Because they're porous and since we can't use a cutting board previously used for gluten I assumed that washing them in a sink with gluteny stuff (or with a gluteny cloth) was probably not a good idea?

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


mushroom Proficient
mushroom
Posted

I was thinking more along the lines of the wooden cutting board, wooden spoons etc. Because they're porous and since we can't use a cutting board previously used for gluten I assumed that washing them in a sink with gluteny stuff (or with a gluteny cloth) was probably not a good idea?

Agree! Probably not a good idea.

cap6 Enthusiast
cap6
Posted

I was thinking more along the lines of the wooden cutting board, wooden spoons etc. Because they're porous and since we can't use a cutting board previously used for gluten I assumed that washing them in a sink with gluteny stuff (or with a gluteny cloth) was probably not a good idea?

ok, nope not a good idea! :)

come dance with me Enthusiast
come dance with me
Posted

My mum bought a second toaster for dd, bought a new set of cutting boards and wooden spoons, and has a frying pan just for her. She washes the gluten free things under running hot water using one of those wand or stick scrubbers where you fill it with dishwashing liquid. Nothing else is washed with this. My mum's house is almost fully gluten-free anyway apart from the bread she uses but she only uses it on the small bench that her toaster is on. No accidental glutening in a year now. I think it makes life easier when people do things like this for us, but when we visit other people I take everything so dd doesn't eat from the same bowls. I have foil containers with lids that can go in the oven and have a freezer full of ready made meals, then take plastic forks. I take containers for sandwiches and snacks, and plastic bowls and spoons for her cereal. She only has toast here or my mum's house.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,398
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Megannnnn
    Newest Member
    Megannnnn
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Scott Adams
      Coeliac UK Research Conference 2025

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      Thanks for sharing this!
    • Scott Adams
      Shingles - Could It Be Related to Gluten/ Celiac

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      I had the same thing happen to me at around your age, and to this day it's the most painful experience I've ever had. For me it was the right side of my head, above my ear, running from my nerves in my neck. For years before my outbreak I felt a tingling sensation shooting along the exact nerves that ended up exactly where the shingles blisters appeared. I highly recommend the two shot shingles vaccine as soon as your turn 50--I did this because I started to get the same tingling sensations in the same area, and after the vaccines I've never felt that again.  As you likely know, shingles is caused by chicken pox, which was once though of as one of those harmless childhood viruses that everyone should catch in the wild--little did they know that it can stay in your nervous system for your entire life, and cause major issues as you age.
    • trents
      Blood tests low iGA 4 years later digestive issues

      By trents · Posted

      Keep us posted.
    • Clear2me
      Gluten free nuts

      By Clear2me · Posted

      Thanks for the info. I recently moved to CA from Wyoming and in that western region the Costco and Sam's /Walmart Brands have many nuts and more products that are labeled gluten free. I was told it's because those products are packaged and processed  in different  plants. Some plants can be labeled  gluten free because the plant does not also package gluten products and they know that for example the trucks, containers equipment are not used to handle wheat, barely or Rye. The Walmart butter in the western region says gluten free but not here. Most of The Kirkland and Members Mark brands in CA say they are from Vietnam. That's not the case in Wyoming and Colorado. I've spoken to customer service at the stores here in California. They were not helpful. I check labels every time I go to the store. The stores where I am are a Sh*tshow. The Magalopoly grocery chain Vons/Safeway/Albertsons, etc. are the same. Fishers and Planters brands no longer say gluten free. It could be regional. There are nuts with sugar coatings and fruit and nut mixes at the big chains that are labeled gluten free but I don't want the fruit or sugar.  It's so difficult I am considering moving again. I thought it would be easier to find safe food in a more populated area. It's actually worse.  I was undiagnosed for most of my life but not because I didn't try to figure it out. So I have had all the complications possible. I don't have any spare organs left.  No a little gluten will hurt you. The autoimmune process continues to destroy your organs though you may not feel it. If you are getting a little all the time and as much as we try we probably all are and so the damage is happening. Now the FDA has pretty much abandoned celiacs. There are no requirements for labeling for common allergens on medications. All the generic drugs made outside the US are not regulated for common allergens and the FDA is taking the last gluten free porcine Thyroid med, NP Thyroid, off the market in 2026. I was being glutened by a generic levothyroxin. The insurance wouldn't pay for the gluten free brand any longer because the FDA took them all off their approved formulary. So now I am paying $147 out of pocket for NP Thyroid but shortly I will have no safe choice. Other people with allergies should be aware that these foreign generic pharmaceutical producers are using ground shellfish shell as pill coatings and anti-desicants. The FDA knows this but  now just waits for consumers to complain or die. The take over of Wholefoods by Amazon destroyed a very reliable source of good high quality food for people with allergies and for people who wanted good reliably organic food. Bezos thought  he could make a fortune off people who were paying alot for organic and allergen free food by substituting cheap brands from Thailand. He didn't understand who the customers were who were willing to pay more for that food and why. I went from spending hundreds to nothing because Bezo removed every single trusted brand that I was buying. Now they are closing Whole foods stores across the country. In CA, Mill Valley store (closed July 2025) and the National Blvd. store in West Los Angeles (closed October 2025). The Cupertino store will close.  In recent years I have learned to be careful and trust no one. I have been deleberately glutened in a restaurant that was my favorite (a new employee). The Chef owner was not in the kitchen that night. I've had  a metal scouring pad cut up over my food.The chain offered gluten free dishes but it only takes one crazy who thinks you're a problem as a food fadist. Good thing I always look. Good thing they didn't do that to food going to a child with a busy mom.  I give big tips and apologize for having to ask in restaurants but mental illness seem to be rampant. I've learn the hard way.          I don't buy any processed food that doesn't say gluten free.  I am a life long Catholic. I worked for the Church while at college. I don't go to Church anymore because the men at the top decided Jesus is gluten. The special hosts are gluten less not gluten free. No I can't drink wine after people with gluten in their mouth and a variety of deadly germs. I have been abandoned and excluded by my Church/Family.  Having nearly died several times, safe food is paramount. If your immune system collapses as mine did, you get sepsis. It can kill you very quickly. I spent 5 days unconscious and had to have my appendix and gall bladder removed because they were necrotic. I was 25. They didn't figure out I had celiac till I was 53. No one will take the time to tell you what can happen when your immune system gets overwhelmed from its constant fighting the gluten and just stops. It is miserable that our food is processed so carelessly. Our food in many aspects is not safe. And the merging of all the grocery chains has made it far worse. Its a disaster. Krogers also recently purchased Vitacost where I was getting the products I could no longer get at Whole Foods. Kroger is eliminating those products from Vitacost just a Bezos did from WF. I am looking for reliable and certified sources for nuts. I have lived the worst consequences of the disease and being exposed unknowingly and maliciously. Once I was diagnosed I learned way more than anyone should have to about the food industry.  I don't do gray areas. And now I dont eat out except very rarely.  I have not eaten fast food for 30 years before the celiac diagnosis. Gluten aside..... It's not food and it's not safe.  No one has got our backs. Sharing safe food sources is one thing we can do to try to be safe.        
    • Mmoc
      Blood tests low iGA 4 years later digestive issues

      By Mmoc · Posted

      Thank you kindly for your response. I have since gotten the other type of bloods done and am awaiting results. 
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.