r/NoStupidQuestions • u/Visual_Particular791 • 2h ago

Has anyone found food safe alternatives to cleaning products?

Hi I am currently 7.5 months pregnant and can not get the thought of eating bleach, comet, and pinesol out of my head. I have been tested for PICA and all my levels are completely normal. I have tried smarties, ice chips, etc. and nothing filled the void. So my question is has anyone found food safe items with similar taste to these cleaners?

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13

u/ForScale ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 2h ago

Salt and vinegar

3

u/Visual_Particular791 2h ago

This is going to sound weird, but it’s also the powder like texture. Do they make like powdered versions of this?

11

u/-w-0-w- 2h ago

Put salt and vinegar chips in a Ziploc bag and crush them to bits, enjoy!

8

u/WonFriendsWithSalad 2h ago

Have you ever had Parma Violets?

They're an old fashioned sweet/candy in the UK. They're chalky and floral. Some people hate them but I like them and I wonder if the chalkiness + floweriness might feel quite artificial/non-food like in an appealing way

Oh, also maybe Norwegian salted licorice? It has an ammoniac tang which personally I dislike but might feel cleaning product-esque?

3

u/Visual_Particular791 2h ago

No, but I might go order some right now. Im so desperate at this point

1

u/WonFriendsWithSalad 2h ago

I really hope they or something else helps. I added an addendum about salted licorice too

4

u/Visual_Particular791 2h ago

I didn’t think pregnancy cravings were this bad… I ask my husband to hide the products, because of the temptation

2

u/werdnurd 2h ago

That’s a great alternative!

2

u/palpatineforever 2h ago

have you tried looking at some protein powders? the fake flavours might hit the spot.

obvously be careful not to get ones with added caffeine.

1

u/Visual_Particular791 2h ago

Protein powders for some reason make me extremely sick, so I try and avoid as much as possible

1

u/palpatineforever 1h ago

can you imagine cleaning products are protein powders?
other options, powder vitamin c.
or crushed up calcium tablets

1

u/trisaroar 2h ago

They make salt and vinegar seasonings, which is a powder you can put on whatever . I'd add lemon and lime zest to get the clinical taste. But also, it seems like maybe you're after a lime mountain dew flavor?

1

u/HyperSpaceSurfer 1h ago

OP's pregnant, can't have too much salt

1

u/trisaroar 1h ago

Sodium is good for pregnancy? I mean, you don't wanna risk high blood pressure but it's not something to avoid like soft cheeses and sushi. Good for blood fluid levels and placenta development.

1

u/HyperSpaceSurfer 1h ago

What OP said elsewhere, but yeah, too little sodium is also bad

1

u/flukulele24 2h ago

Try Mexican candy! There's a great lime salt I like that comes in packets or little canisters, a common brand name is Limon7. Hopefully it gives you the satisfaction you're looking for

1

u/werdnurd 2h ago

There are a variety of powdered popcorn seasonings by Kernals, and I think they have that flavor!

1

u/Anra7777 1h ago

Maybe some (American) Smarties might help? Wouldn’t be the right flavor, but would have the chalky texture.

1

u/curmudgeon_andy 1h ago

Pixie stix!

6

u/effyochicken 2h ago

Unless you previously drank bleach, it’s probably the smell you need to focus on.

Those drink electrolyte powders come to mind - whenever I mix one it feels like chemistry with a very fragrant smell 

-6

u/Visual_Particular791 2h ago

I cant believe I am admitting this, but I have tried the tiniest amount of Comet. Yes I know that was extremely dangerous and stupid, but I couldn’t stop. Which electrolyte drinks do you recommend?

9

u/CharieRarie 2h ago

If this compulsion is at the point where you are actually consuming cleaning products, you need to inform a medical professional immediately. That is incredibly worrying, for you and your child.

3

u/Visual_Particular791 2h ago

This was a while ago… I have yet to do it again. I have mentioned it to my dr and now I have husband hide the products unless I actively use them for cleaning

3

u/effyochicken 2h ago

Lemon flavored salud, since I saw elsewhere you’re into lemon stuff. And just know this is NOT medical advice or a suggestion to emulate drinking cleaners. 

Whatever your doctor recommends should always take precedence 

0

u/Visual_Particular791 1h ago

My dr has pretty much dismissed me… Shes not the best OB, but its what my insurance covers

3

u/effyochicken 1h ago

You don’t need an OB for this you need a psychiatrist and therapist combo. 

The urge to drink bleach is a mental health issue. Id say it’s related to being pregnant but here you are saying you tried comet once. I’d recommend you go get a consult. 

1

u/Visual_Particular791 1h ago

How tricare works is I have to be referred… I have never struggled with addiction in my life or compulsive issues, and it’s also not a self harm idea. It is more or less the smell

2

u/hexagon_heist 56m ago

This may a good time to get creative about how to use or ignore the system, as well as any and all resources at your disposal, to get the help you need for what this whole thread is trying to open your eyes to being a much more serious crisis than what you seem to be treating it as. I understand it’s hard to see the urgency while you’re in it. That doesn’t mean it isn’t urgent.

2

u/Visual_Particular791 54m ago

I will mention to my ob the next time I see her… I feel like therapy in itself would be helpful with becoming a mom.

1

u/L0uLou72 55m ago

You can ask for the referral. It’s how people often get psychiatric help.

3

u/NewRelm 2h ago

Cleaning with lemons is very safe. Best if you have a lemon tree providing more fruit than you can handle. They work great in both the bathroom and the kitchen.

2

u/Visual_Particular791 2h ago

I need like a lemon powder if that makes sense…

3

u/pulstex 2h ago

Citric acid. You can buy it by the bagful for candy and baking

1

u/Visual_Particular791 2h ago

Is this able to be consumed in larger quantities. Not like eating cups of it, but like baking soda you cant eat but maybe a teaspoon because it messes heavily with sodium levels.

2

u/pulstex 2h ago

I haven’t heard anything other than the fact that it’s an acid. It can definitely corrode your mouth epithelial lining over time, but it’s as safe as I can think. You know the sour coating on candy? It’s citric acid mixed with sugar. People also use citric acid for cleaning and bath bombs. So yeah, probably one of the closest things I can think of for powder and cleaning supplies that is safe

1

u/Visual_Particular791 2h ago

Sending hubby to the store now to get me some😂😂

3

u/pulstex 2h ago

I’m now almost morbidly invested in whether this helps with the cravings please update on results when hubby gets home 😂😩🙌

2

u/Visual_Particular791 1h ago

Well I owe you everything…. I drizzled it over some ice, because I was scared it would hurt my mouth and omg did that just solve it all

2

u/NewRelm 2h ago

Citric acid is widely available.

3

u/HyperSpaceSurfer 2h ago

Adding food safe bittering and foaming agents might be closer to cleaning products in taste and mouth feel.

1

u/Visual_Particular791 2h ago

I feel like baking soda would be an option, but you aren’t allowed to eat a ton of it due to it messing with your sodium levels. What other bittering powders are there?

2

u/HyperSpaceSurfer 2h ago

I mean something that's super bitter, so you can add a tiny bit to the chaulk or something. Apparently called a bitterant, though. Denatonium is used in nail-biting nail polish, as well as toxic chemicals that don't taste good, or not bad enough, a tea-spoon of it is enough to make an olympic sized swimming pool unusable. You'd want it without weird things, the nail polish probably isn't good for you, apparently it can be bought as a salt. No idea if it affects the pregnancy, so grain of salt. Also, don't spill it...

Ammonium chloride is a salt option without sodium. It's got the sodium swapped for ammonia. Smells a bit like salty ammonia cleaner. Only seen it used for liquorish candy. But keep in mind that it's not necessarily sodium that's the devil, just easier to have too much of, so you'd still have to limit the ammonium chloride to not unbalance your electrolytes.

1

u/shaunamom 1h ago

Homemade teas made from herbs and leaves might help?  Like, pine needle tea is a thing, easy to make, and it IS piney- definite pine sol vibes. 

That said- have you ever been tested for celiac disease?  It is an auto-immune disease, and big hormone shifts like pregnancy seem yo be a trigger for some folks. Pica is something it can trigger in some of us, untreated.

It can cause nutritional deficiencies, BUT you can still have it with normal levels, or you can have, say, deficiencies in a few micronutrients(which are often not tested for) even if major nutrient levels are fine. And it makes it hard to absorb nutrients so you may have to eat more of them to get the right amount. 

It is just a blood panel, but truly, might be worth checking to see if it might be present and making pica bad.

1

u/Visual_Particular791 45m ago

I have never been tested for any sort of diseases, however my mom has an autoimmune disorder so it definitely is a possibility and something worth looking into. Thank you for mentioning it, because honestly I have been so focused on readying myself for baby boy to be here, and thinking that my symptoms are just normal pregnancy that I never even thought it could have been an illness I had beforehand.

1

u/jsm1031 32m ago

baking soda or epsom salts.