A university student was rushed to hospital after accidentally drinking a bottle of fabric refresher she mistook for water following a night out. Lukia Pardoe, 20, a politics student at the University of Warwick, drank around half a bottle of Astonish Fresh Linen Fabric Refresher after waking up thirsty during the early hours of the morning. She initially believed the burning sensation in her throat was caused by food she had eaten before bed and only realised what had happened hours later.
“I thought the water tasted really bad”
Lukia said the incident happened after a university leavers’ event where she had been drinking alcohol. She returned to her student house and went to bed, unaware that a bottle of fabric refresher had been left on her desk alongside two bottles of water. Recalling the incident, she said:
“It was a uni leavers event because I’m in my final year. I obviously had quite a lot to drink.
“I woke up at 3am and I was so thirsty because I had been drinking.
“I unscrewed what I thought was a water bottle. I thought I had burned my mouth on some pizza or something, but it was just the chemicals.”
Despite noticing the unpleasant taste, she continued drinking.
“I had half of the bottle. I was still really drunk and I carried on drinking it. I just remember thinking this water tastes really bad.”
Throughout the rest of the night she repeatedly drank water in an attempt to get rid of the chemical taste.
Horrifying Realisation
The following morning Lukia woke with stomach cramps, a persistent cough and a strong chemical taste in her mouth. When she spotted the empty bottle of fabric refresher beside her bed, she realised what had happened.
“My friend came into my room and I looked at the bottle and stopped breathing for a second. I said, ‘I’ve drunk half of that bottle.’
“I freaked out. I’ve never freaked out like that before.”
Her flatmate drove her to Warwick Hospital, where doctors assessed her and prescribed activated charcoal tablets to help absorb any remaining toxins.
“I’m very grateful nothing worse happened”
Fortunately, Lukia made a full recovery and has since been able to laugh about the incident. She said:
“My family and friends keep laughing at me. I haven’t heard the end of it.
“I’m not going to keep anything like that on my desk again. It is a funny story.
“I’m very grateful nothing worse happened.”
The incident serves as a reminder to keep household cleaning products clearly separated from food and drinks, particularly after consuming alcohol, when judgement and awareness can be significantly impaired.
